What are the Latest Trends in Customer Experience?

Businesses are always searching for ways to grow and get an edge over their competitors. In the last two years alone, the world has changed immensely, forcing businesses to adapt to the shifting needs of their customers and pay more attention to digital customer experience trends. It’s not only about the products and services on offer; it’s about the customer experience. What sets one business apart from another is the experience that accompanies its product. As many as 73% of business owners have noticed a clear connection between their business performance and customer service. Of these business owners, 64% admit that customer service positively impacts the growth of their business.

Customer Service Needs to be Personalised

People are individuals and want to be treated as such. When a customer reaches out for assistance, they want to feel as if they are understood, and that they are essential. Customer service representatives ensure the best outcomes by showing that they care about solving the problem rather than simply applying a stock standard approach to each case. Businesses gain the trust and loyalty of their customers when they are flexible in their approach to unique or challenging problems. Customers actually expect businesses to understand their needs and solve their problems, and rightly so. It’s this level of service which endears businesses to their customers.

Customer experience Has Become a Priority for Businesses

Globalisation has empowered consumers to be more discerning. In every aspect of our lives, we have more options than ever, so naturally, we gravitate towards companies which offer better customer support, which these days is delivered primarily through digital platforms. People will spend as much as 10% more for similar services and products if the quality of the experience is better than that of competitors. This trend has compelled 63% of businesses to prioritise the customer experience.

Businesses are Adopting Face-to-Face Video Support

A large part of customer experience is driven by personalisation, so it goes without saying that customers appreciate face-to-face video support. Driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, video calls connected teams and enabled productive meetings, but the trend has continued to grow in popularity. This form of communication is no longer solely an internal tool; face-to-face video calls are also a valuable aid to those who seek to improve the digital customer service experience. Customers are growing to prefer and appreciate face-to-face video support.

Automation is Growing in Popularity

Automation is a powerful tool used to reduce the workload of customer service professionals. Tasks such as transferring calls, assigning cases, and sending customers follow-up notes are easily automated. Automation through artificial intelligence can perform the same task repeatedly without getting bored or making mistakes, ultimately improving worker experience. Streamlining workflows through automation frees up time for employees to perform the tasks that only humans can do to a higher standard.

Self-Service is Customer Service Too

Customers are more self-reliant than ever. Opting to troubleshoot independently by searching for answers online offers customers the opportunity to potentially solve their problems faster. This form of customer self-service eliminates the need to contact customer service personnel and potentially get put on hold or wait for a reply via email. Up to 69% of customers will solve their problems without assistance. As a result, businesses are making more information available online to assist their customers in this regard. A simple FAQ page makes a world of difference in supporting customer self-service.

Chatbots Improve Customer Experience

Another alternative to being put on hold or waiting for an email response is the chatbot. As with automation, this form of AI cuts down on the labour required to operate customer service centres and improves customer experience. Chatbots are an ideal solution for faster customer service. Chatbots and other messaging tools are equipped to answer questions and assist customers faster than a human can, thus improving customer experience. These days, 71% of customers expect support through efficient messaging channels. And 48% of customers already feel comfortable with the service they receive from chatbots – that number is set to increase as the trend grows and more businesses adopt this technology.

Customer Service is Going Mobile

Mobile devices are increasingly used to access every nook of the online world. Customers use their phones to do everything they would do from their computers and more. By 2019, mobile traffic accounted for 53% of online sales. Mobile commerce, dubbed m-commerce, is set to rise at a compound growth rate of 25.5% from 2019 to 2024. People use their phones to shop online, compare prices, read product reviews, and access additional product information. So naturally, the need to access customer support follows closely. Businesses can improve the digital customer experience, increase sales, and retain customers by ensuring their platforms are optimised for mobile use. This customer experience trend is here to stay.

As experience becomes a driver of customer decision-making, these digital customer experience trends are just the beginning of what is to come. In just a few short years, companies have adapted quickly to changes in user behaviour, so it stands to reason that this momentum will continue as brands work harder to achieve customer loyalty and retention. Don’t get left behind; keep investing in customer experience, and your business will reap the rewards.