As 2022 draws to a close, we’re all wondering what 2023 will hold. If you’re planning for the future of your business, it’s a good idea to stay updated about the 2023 customer service trends that may impact you and your company.
In this blog, Incept will take a look at some of the customer service trends that may influence customer satisfaction in 2023 – and beyond. Read on, stay updated, and see how you can set yourself up for success.
1. Customer Loyalty Will Be Won By Personal Touches – Not Raw Efficiency
Nobody likes to wait on hold for a long time, or be on a long customer service call. But studies have shown that personal, high-quality customer service is worth the wait, and is more effective at retaining customers.
90% of consumers consider “issue resolution” to be their most important customer service metric. For obvious reasons, customers will not be happy if they call your team and they're not able to provide an adequate solution within a single call.
In other words, prioritizing issue resolution – truly fixing a customer’s problem – is more important than simply being efficient. Yes, this may result in longer calls, but as long as you can truly address the issue and fully resolve it, this is worth it.
2. Customers Are More Ready Than Ever To Switch Brands
According to Harvard Business Review, customer service teams have been hit particularly hard by COVID-19 due to higher call volume and a lower number of support agents. And according to Qualtrics, 55% of customers have had a customer service issue go unresolved, and 36% are unhappy with the empathy received from the agent.
In short, this means that customers are more likely than ever to switch brands if they have a bad customer service experience. If you can manage to provide great service, you can retain your customers – and you can be more competitive when it comes to winning new business, too.
3. Companies Need To Do A Better Job Of Listening To Customers
Again, according to Qualtrics, 63% of customers say that companies need to “do a better job of listening to them.” If you want to provide truly excellent customer service, you need to listen to your customers.
And, not just that, you need to turn their feedback into actionable steps that your team can take to improve their experience. So consider implementing a feedback system if you don’t have one, or taking a deeper look at your customer feedback and comments to learn more about how you can improve.
4. Personalization And Privacy Need To Coexist
Personalization is a great way to reach more customers and provide better service. But it’s also important to make sure that your customers understand how their data is being used. Data is already the most valuable asset in the world, according to one study. And thanks to today’s highly-digital world, data will only become more valuable in the years to come.
But this is a double-edged sword. Privacy is becoming a hot-button issue among consumers, and awareness of how their data is used is growing. One study showed that 74% of internet users felt that “they have little or no control over the personal information collected from them.
Customers deserve to understand how their data is used and collected, and you also must follow relevant state and federal laws for data processing. Consider performing a data assessment to understand how you handle customer data, and look for areas of improvement.
5. The Rise Of Self-Service Must Be Balanced With Human Customer Service Reps
It’s great for customers to find the answers they need through help portals, automated chat bots, and other self-service tools. In fact, 66% of customer service interactions start with self-service portals, according to Microsoft’s State of Customer Service study. However, the same study revealed that 27% of customers said that “difficulty reaching a live agent” is among their top frustrations during a customer service experience.
The lesson is clear. Self-service tools are great, but when push comes to shove, it’s essential to make it easy for customers to contact a real person via phone, live chat, email, your website, social media, or some other method of communication.
Invest in your self-service portals – but make sure that real representatives are available for customers who have complex issues, can’t get answers, or prefer in-person interaction.
Know What To Expect In 2023, And Work With Incept To Improve Customer Service
At Incept, we’re customer service experts. If you need help improving the customer service experience at your company in 2023 and beyond, we’re here to help. Contact us online or give us a call at (330) 649-8000 to schedule a consultation with our team. With our customized CX solutions, you can get the support and expertise you need to build a better business.