Leading communications company, Avaya and Davies Hickman Partners recently released their latest research into Consumer Demand and Customer Experience. The study found that the UK is severely lagging behind other international markets like UAE, Singapore, and Germany for CX. Today's large organisations just aren't meeting the needs of their clients.
According to 73% of UK consumers from the Avaya study, it's frustrating how difficult it can be to switch from one means of communication to another when speaking to an organisation. Often, changing devices means having to start the conversation over again with a new agent. The inefficiency of customer service has led to an increase in dissatisfaction by 11%.
UK Customers Demand a Better Experience
Currently, 80% of UK consumers feel that businesses in the UK should be working to make customer contact easier. The reports by Avaya and Davies Hickman Partners has been tracking consumer perceptions of large companies since 2010. The latest research includes insights from 8,000 customers across the UK, UAE, South Africa, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Germany, France, and Australia.
Interestingly, the study found that in the quest for better experience, most consumers are happy to turn to new technology. 75% of UK customers said that they wanted an immediate response from customer service. This demand is matched by a growing global acceptance of AI services. However, while many companies are now embracing virtual assistants and AI, there are notable differences in the way that UK customers feel about modern CX channels.
The UK, AI and Chatbot Service
Most UK consumers feel comfortable using chatbots for service. 51% said that they prefer their questions to be answered by a chatbot when they're using an app or shopping. Around 31% also said that they would prefer a (working) bot to dealing with a human customer service agent.
Around 60% of UK customers from the Avaya study also said they like the idea of smart speakers being used to speed up customer service calls. However, only 27% of respondents would want to use their intelligent hub devices for service. This is a tiny percentage compared to the global acceptance rate of around 50%. In other words, it seems that the UK might be more reluctant to adopt certain kinds of smart technology.