For businesses seeking to navigate rising customer expectations over the past year, an interesting paradox has emerged: consumers now seek the gold-plated speed and convenience of the e-commerce world, but they are not willing to sacrifice the human touch. As such, double-edged customer expectations come into play.
The findings of a PricewaterhouseCoopers consumer survey reflect this, revealing the four most important factors in an exceptional experience are speed, convenience, knowledgeable help, and friendly service.
Such findings clash with the perceptions of contact centre leaders. They believe that the most pressing customer priorities are "more expanded channels" (63%) and "more emotional empathy from agents" (62%).
How the CX Paradox Impacts Agent Wellbeing
Double-edged customer expectations are evident in the day-to-day challenges facing the frontline.
For example, 70% of contact centre agents say that they manage more calls than they did 18 months ago, thanks to a marked rise in the good old voice communication. One in three agents also believes their biggest challenge is "too many calls".
Over the same period, 60% of agents say they are managing far more non-voice calls and that meeting rising customer expectations is a top challenge for the contact centre (73%).
Most worryingly, these factors result in a detrimental impact on agent wellbeing. Stress puts a negative filter on just about every metric, from agent satisfaction and engagement to the service they provide.
When one in three agents say they are considering leaving their jobs within the year and 96% of them feel "acutely stressed" at least once a week, it is time for action.
3 Ways to Embrace Double-Edged Customer Expectations
Follow these three critical steps towards happier agents – and customers:
1. Recognise That Complexity is the Main Barrier to Success
At first glance, fast, omnichannel service appears at odds with a knowledgeable, empathetic, human touch approach. Yet, the actual barrier is complexity.
Accept this and recognise that these two contrasting objectives – omnichannel speed and in-depth human connections – share the same barriers within the contact centre.
For example, both require channel integrations for a 360-degree agent view that delivers seamless CX. Conversely, they are both held back by similar limitations. Ineffective Artificial Intelligence (AI) implementations and clunky disconnected systems, which fail to collect accurate behavioural data, are excellent examples.