Is Customer Experience Worse Now?

Customer experience is seen as such a critical differentiator for loyalty marketers today, but has CX worsened in the past two years?

That is a question addressed in a new study from BoldChat by LogMeIn and Ovum.

According to the study, customer experience has worsened over the past two years despite investments in new engagement channels. The report, which surveyed hundreds of contact center managers and consumers globally, found that the consumers surveyed believe it takes six different interactions to resolve an issue, while the surveyed contact center managers believe it takes only one to two touch points.

This disconnect, according to the study, can be largely due to the fact that 72% of consumers surveyed search for information online before contacting an agent, but the majority of contact center managers surveyed (52%) do not track digital behavior. The increased disappointment with customer experience is threatening customer loyalty, sustainability, and revenue growth as 82% reported that they will stop doing business with a company following a bad experience.

What’s more, 86% of consumers reported using five or more channels for support; and 43% of consumers noted that they believe access to agents has worsened over the past two years with 50% citing frustration with automated response systems. 

While 68% of participating consumers still believe that phone calls provide the most success for resolution, 78% would choose a channel other than voice if they knew they could get a resolution on the first attempt; 60% of consumers reported wanting organizations to improve access to web support channels including social media, communities, and live chat.

Here is how consumers prefer to engage with brands, according to the study:

Increased adoption of live chat: The use of live chat has increased from 33% in 20141 to 44% today. Among the consumers interviewed, live chat ranked as the third most popular way to resolve an issue and was viewed as the fastest way to get a response. 

Mobile dominates the customer experience: Today, more consumers call from the smartphone (58%) than a landline. And they are using their mobile device for more than calls.  83% of participating consumers reported using mobile applications for customer support and 64% reported using mobile websites, up from 64% and 57%, respectively, since 2014.

Consumers are open to new ways of support: 35% of participating consumers currently use IoT-connected products, or are willing to, if it results in better customer service.

“Today’s always-connected customer expects immediate access to information and fast, efficient, and frictionless service,” said David Campbell, Vice President, Customer Engagement & Support Solutions, at LogMeIn. “Most contact centers struggle to meet these expectations because they are limited by disjointed legacy systems. We see many forward-thinking businesses overcome these challenges by prioritizing investments in solutions that unify their engagement strategies across traditional and digital channels.”

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