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Many customers dread needing to contact customer service. While good customer service has the ability to make people feel valued and satisfied, the reality is that many companies are falling short of customers’ expectations, according to the 2023 report, “CX and the Consumer: Pitfalls and Possibilities.”
Rather than realizing the potential of current CX strategies and technologies, these companies are falling prey to common CX shortcomings. Here are some of the most common CX pitfalls and what you can do to create a better experience for their consumers.
The Current State of Customer Service
Not surprisingly, consumers say they’re more loyal to companies that provide excellent customer service, according to the survey. But a majority (76%) say that they expect better customer service than they get today. Many of them (50%) believe companies are trying to get them off the phone as quickly as possible, and over half (55%) say customer service is deteriorating.
The goal of any CX function is to delight and help customers, but there is currently a lot of room for improvement. Common problem areas to address include long wait times, too many transfers and a struggle to get questions answered clearly and directly.
Luckily, these challenges can be addressed using the latest CX technology. In a world where consumers perceive contacting customer service as an unpleasant, daunting experience, a thoughtful and technology-driven approach can make a company stand out for the better.
The Potential of CX Technology
It’s clear that consumers want a way to connect with customer service that is faster, more efficient and more helpful. They also want to be able to reach out to a company on any channel they want (49%) and speak in a “natural language” (49%) rather than carefully wording their requests so they get through to the right solution. CX technology can help with this, especially when they have key capabilities like natural language processing.
Time is a key element, as well. Customers want to have interactions where they feel their time has been respected —- no long wait times, no long hold times and no having to jump through complicated hoops to get even a simple question answered. With intelligent virtual assistants, customers can save themselves long wait times and still get most of their issues resolved.
Still, CX technology works best when it can redirect consumers to a human customer service agent when necessary. Customers want a better balance between technology and human interaction when they contact customer service, according to the survey. While most (69%) say they value tech-driven support options like intelligent virtual assistants, they also want to easily find human connection when they have a more complicated issue. In fact, 36% of consumers say that being unable to speak to a person when they have a complex issue “drives them crazy.” As important as technology is, organizations shouldn’t forget the significance of human interaction if they want to improve CX.
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How to Improve Customer Loyalty
There are several practical, actionable tips that practitioners can take away from these survey findings. First, companies should invest in effective CX technology, while not slacking on their human CX talent. The blend of the human and technological helps customers feel the most satisfied. Significantly, this will help create a customer-centric culture that prioritizes customer service and values each customer's experience.
Effective omnichannel capabilities are also vital for customer support. Omnichannel helps ensure that a customer’s self-service experience is consistent, smooth and effective between channels. Customers don’t want to repeat themselves when they come across a new channel, and they don’t want to feel like their query is jumping from channel to channel without being properly addressed anywhere. An intelligent virtual assistant that can communicate consistently across channels can help organizations ensure a seamless omnichannel experience.
Realize Your CX Potential Today
Forward-thinking companies are recognizing the importance of CX and making strategic decisions to carefully address the concerns many consumers share. These CX industry leaders are transforming CX for the better and providing a blueprint for other organizations to reach their CX potential.
The right CX technology can make all the difference, allowing customers to have a more seamless communication experience with both human agents and virtual assistants. Interactions Intelligent Virtual Assistant, for example, uses technology that allows it to understand customer intent, respond like a human and reflect the brand’s persona — ultimately giving consumers a better experience and improving CX.
To learn more actionable insights, download the Interactions report below:
Download "CX and the Consumer: Pitfalls and Possibilities" here!
