Customers are using digital channels to interact with a business more often than telephony means, a survey conducted by customer experience automation leader Verint finds. This is considered a pivotal moment by the researchers of Verint’s annual survey “The State of Digital Customer Experience Report 2024,” as this is the first time since the inception of this annual report series where more consumers are making enquiries through digital means , surpassing those made through telephony . Compared with the same data from last year, enquiries made through digital channels, i.e. online, social media and private messaging have gone up 16%.
Based on global data, Verint has identified three key consumer trends through this survey, they are:
Trend 1: Customers care more about “now”, and less about “how”
Despite a surge in digital enquiries, this doesn’t mean companies should cut the cord on telephony customer service just yet. On average, customers interacted through at least two out of three modes of channels: digital, phone and email, highlighting the importance for a brand to be flexible with omni-channel customer service. When asked what is considered the most important aspects of good customer experience, most respondents ranked speedy responsiveness as a key priority , followed by the ability to resolve a query , and the ability to contact the company through the customer’s preferred channel .
Trend 2: “Terrible” CX could Lose up to 70% of Customers
The rewards of an “amazing” customer experience would lead to repeat purchases and positive reviews, but on the flip side the repercussions of providing customer experience that is deemed “terrible” is vast. Up to 70% respondents say that a negative experience would lead them to switch to a competitor’s services, and 65% would warn friends and family against making purchases from the company.
Trend 3: Customers want better Bots
Customers today are well-versed with the benefits brought by chatbots. Of the respondents to Verint’s survey, 70% cite at least one benefit of using them. However, more than two-thirds of respondents have reported a bad experience with chatbots, most prevalently being that the chatbot couldn’t answer the enquirer’s question, or that the bot didn’t understand what was needed.
Commenting on the findings from “The State of Digital Customer Experience Report 2024,” Matty Kaffeman, Vice President North Asia and Korea at Verint said, “Companies today are striving to provide the best customer service experience where the customer won’t need to be put on hold amid rising volume of queries and higher expectations for customer service. AI-powered bots are a big part to alleviating companies’ stress in this, but they need to be used effectively and hand-in-hand with human agents.”