In today’s hyper-modern world, consumers are looking beyond typical customer service. Expectations for infinite choice, instant response, and effortless and personalized experiences are higher than ever. The contact center plays a vital role in meeting these extraordinary experiences. Self-service isn’t enough for demanding consumers. Contact center agents are the critical lynchpin in the customer journey.
A study recently conducted online by Harris Interactive, on behalf of NICE CXone, found that consumers think a long list of channels are important for service when purchasing online. Consumers want a personalized customer journey where they can choose how to communicate from a wide variety of options. These results are consistent with a 2013 Harris study finding that most U.S. adults would switch to brands that offer more channel options.
The majority of U.S. adults think at least six of the tested communication methods are important for a company to have available during online purchasing or ordering, in the following order:
- Online self-service for order tracking
- 1-800 to live reps
- Online chat
- 1-800 to self-service
- Apps for mobile devices
Source: Harris Poll conducted online on behalf of NICE CXone within Great Britain from February 3-12, 2015 and within the U.S. from January 29-February 2, 2015, each among 2,028 adults ages 18 and older.
As you can see from the chart above, U.S. and Great Britain consumers mostly agree on the importance of a majority of the channels. The percentages for social media sites and online video chat are telling. At first glance, 30% may seem low compared to the other channels, but it is an astounding number given the newness of the channels. These findings show that there is great desire and interest in even the most recent channel innovations. As channel options increase, these findings imply that customer expectations for options are only escalating.
Want to learn more about our discoveries on customer expectations in a multichannel world? Join Madelyn Gengelbach, Vice President of Strategic Marketing at Enterprise Connect March 17th at 4:30pm as she shares hot-off-the presses research that sheds light on customer behavior and expectations for multichannel communication. She will lead the discussion on how contact centers can respond to these demands and build lasting, profitable relationships with customers. You won’t want to miss this interactive session!
