2014 state of multichannel customer service...
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2014 State of Multichannel Customer Service Survey
a Microsoft Company
Parature, a Microsoft Company | www.parature.com
Table of Contents
2014 State of Multichannel Customer Service Survey
Introduction | Greater Choices, Greater Expectations ……………………………………………….………. 2
Methodology …………………………………………………………………………………………………......………………………. 3
Results ………………...........................………………………………………..…………………………....………….………………. 4
Some Things Never Change: Preferred Channels ………………………………….………..…………………… 4
Think Fast: Timeliness of Response is Key ........................................................................................ 5
Hold the Phone: Patience Only Goes So Far ……………………………………..…..…….……………………… 6
Convenience Drives: Preference Takes a Backseat …………....……………………………………………… 7
Searching for an Answer: The Channel You May Be Missing ……………….……………………………… 8
Defining Self-Service Success: Quality of Information is Vital ……………………………………..…….… 9
Going Social: The Voice of the Customer Emerges on a New Channel ………..………….………… 10
Great Expectations: Social Customer Service Response Times .................................................. 11
It’s About Time: What Really Matters to Customers ……………………………………..………………..……… 12
Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow: When Customers Dump Brands Due to Service .................... 13
Customer Relationship Deal Breakers: Multichannel Frustrations ……………………………………… 14
Conclusions ………………………………….............…………………………………………………………….........……………. 15
About Parature ................................................................................................................................. 16
...................................................................
1
Parature, a Microsoft Company | www.parature.com
.............................Introduction
2
Customer service delivery channels are increasing and evolving at a dizzying pace. A recent Ovum study of more than 8,000 consumers shows that 74% now use at least three channels when interacting with an enterprise brand or organization for customer-related issues.
In addition to the number of customer service channels, customer expectations are also changing and increasing, which means customer-centric brands must operate in a constant state of evolution while maintaining a focus on serving the customer and their immediate needs.
As brands and organizations, we cannot control the rise of new customer service channels, so we must adapt to them with the challenge and goal being to deliver a consistent customer experience across every one.
This 2014 State of Multichannel Customer Service Survey shows that old channels are not going away; new channels such as social and mobile are now in play, and that some channels are decidedly more popular depending on the nature of a customer’s question or issue.
More importantly, the report looks at what consumers view currently as the most important aspects of the customer experience, as well as their top service and support frustrations. According to this survey, 65% have stopped using a brand’s products or services because of a poor customer service experience.
We still have a long way to go and a short time to get there in meeting and exceeding customer expections on a consistent basis. As we continue in the Age of the Customer, let’s be mindful from the top down on what we can do as individuals and brands to make each and every customer’s journey increasingly seamless and satisfying.
To continued success in customer care!
Co-founder, Parature
Parature, a Microsoft Company | www.parature.com
.............................Methodology
3
This 2014 State of Multichannel Customer Service Survey was conducted entirely online
using a third-party opt-in survey tool. Approximately 1,000 U.S. consumers were survyed,
equally divided between male and female and ranging in age from 18 - 79. The
respondents were also asked to answer several screening questions including household
income and number of customer service interactions completed during the past six months.
50%(Male)
50%(Female)
27%(18-29)
27%(30-39)
20%(40-49)
15%(50-59)
9%(60-69)
1% (70-79)
10%Less than $20K
11%$80K - $99,999
17%$60K - $79,999
22%$20K - $39,999
23%$40K - $59,999
Age Gender Income
$120K - $149,999$150K +
$100K - $119,999
8%
5%4%
Parature, a Microsoft Company | www.parature.com
...........................................................Some Things Never Change
The telephone remains the preferred method for requesting
customer service, with 43% of consumers choosing this channel.
Email (22%) and live chat (18%) came in second and third
respectively, showing that many consumers seeking support
value the ability to fully articulate their question or issue, and in
return, receive a personalized response from an agent.
EmailPhone Live Chat In Person Portal Social Community
43%
22%
18%
7% 7%
2% 1%
What is your preferred channel for seeking customer service?
4
Parature, a Microsoft Company | www.parature.com
..........................Time to Talk
Receiving a timely response is also seen as a benefit of
..telephone support. When asked what channel is preferred for
receiving an immediate customer service response, more than
half of those surveyed said the phone is their preferred method
(57%) with live chat coming in second at 24%, and all other
channels coming in far behind.
What channel would you use if you needed a fast or immediate response?
Live ChatPhone In Person Email Portal Social Community
57%
24%
6% 5% 4% 1% 1%
5
Parature, a Microsoft Company | www.parature.com
...............................Hold the Phone
While customers may be quick to pick up the phone, patience
with waiting on hold is measured in just minutes. Half of all
respondents are willing to wait on hold at least five minutes for
a customer service representative, but after that customer
satisfaction and patience begins dropping o� dramatically; only
a quarter will wait up to 10 minutes.
If you called a company on the phone for customer service, how long are you willingto wait on hold?
50%(1 - 5 min)
25%(5 - 10 min)
13%(as long as it takes)
7%(< 1 min)
4%(< 30 sec)
6
Parature, a Microsoft Company | www.parature.com
.......................................Convenience Drives
What device do you use most often to start orcomplete a customer service interaction?
While the telephone may still reign supreme for an immediate interaction, it’s not always the
channel of convenience, especially at work or after regular business hours. When asked
which device was used most to begin a customer service interaction, half of all respondents
said their request or search for customer assistance began online via the computer (either a
laptop or desktop). The channel of convenience many times drives interactions, while
channel preferences take a back seat.
Computer(laptop or desktop)
Telephone
Smartphone
Tablet
7
Parature, a Microsoft Company | www.parature.com
Searching for an Answer
Have you ever used a search engine to look foran answer to a customer service question?
There’s no doubt that a much overlooked channel for customer service is the search engines,
and the statistics in this report show this to be true. When asked if they had ever used a search
engine to look for an answer to a customer service question, an overwhelming majority (84%)
said they had. Consumers want to use self-service to find their own ansewrs; it’s on the
individual organziation or brand to provide the best information.
..............................................
84%Yes
16%No
8
Parature, a Microsoft Company | www.parature.com
Self-Service Success
If you knew both options would successfullymeet your customer service needs, which service option would you prefer to use?
When quality information is presented, the preference of self-service in comparison to
interacting with a live customer service agent increases. Forty percent (40%) of consumers
surveyed said they would prefer to use self-service if the option could successfully meet their
service or support needs, and 66% of those surveyed said they have used self-service
channels in the past year at least once; 33% more than three times.
........................................
60%(Customer
Service
Representative)
40%(Self-Service)
9
Parature, a Microsoft Company | www.parature.com
Going Social
If you think social customer service is just for complainers; that may not be the case. When consumers were asked if they
had ever asked a customer service question on social media, 35% said yes. In addition, 35% said they had used social
media to complain about a brand or its customer service. Yet 52% had used social media in a positive way, to praise a
brand. When asked if the company responded to their social interaction, 59% said yes. How did that a�ect the customer’s
view of the company? Fifty-one percent (51%) of those polled said a brand answering them on social media gave them
either a somewhat more or much more favorable view of the company.
..........................
35% 59%51%
Have complained
about a brand
on social
media
Said the brand
responded to their
complaint, question
or praise
Said that response
game them a
somewhat more or
much more favorable
view of the
brand
Have praised
a brand
on social
media
52%
10
Parature, a Microsoft Company | www.parature.com
Great Expectations
Customers have great expectations for social customer service, but perhaps not as
great as most of the intimidating response times we’ve read about in the media.
Thirty-eight percent (38%) of those polled expect a response in an hour or less; 29%
expect a response on social media within a day.
....................................
Within 24 hours
I don’t expect a response
Less than 30 minutes
Less than 1 hour
Within 48 hours
Within 5 minutes
29%
24%
16%
14%
8%
8%
11
Parature, a Microsoft Company | www.parature.com
It’s About Time
When it comes to the big picture, what really matters to customers? It’s about time. Forty-one percent
(41%) of consumers say getting their issue resolved quickly is the key to keeping them happy.
Getting this issue resolved in a single interaction is also an important factor with more than a quarter
of consumers choosing this as most important. That is followed by polite CSRs, note being passed
from agent to agent or channel to channel and not having to repeat themselves.
....................................
24%
26%
12%
11% |
7% |
What is the most important aspect of a goodcustomer service experience?
Getting my issue resolved quickly
Getting my issue resolved in a single interaction
Polite CSR
Not being passed from agent to agent
Not having to repeat myself or my issue
Being able to find answers on my own
41%
3% |12
Parature, a Microsoft Company | www.parature.com
Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
Most customers are patient, but only for so long. When asked whether they
had ever stopped using a brand’s products or services because of a poor
customer experience, 65% said yes.
........................................................
Have you ever stopped using a brand or company’s productsor services because of a poor customer service experience?
65%Yes
35%No
13
Parature, a Microsoft Company | www.parature.com
Customer Relationship Dealbreakers
So what makes customers upset enough to leave for your closest competitor? Top customer frustrations include having
to contact a company multiple times for the same reason (47%), being passed from agent to agent (43%), and impolite
customer service representatives (37%). But there are plenty more frustrations where that came from as seen below. A
strong write-in vote also came from not being able to understand the customer service representative due to poor
language skills or a heavy accent.
What are the most frustrating aspects of a poor customer service experience?
.....................................................................
35%
24% |
37%
33%
47%
43%
24% |
23% |
11% |
4%
Having to contact a company multiple times for the same reason
Being passed from agent to agent
Impolite customer service representative
Being put on hold for a long period
CSR, self-service that cannot answer my questions
Being told you will have to take another action to resolve your issue
CSRs not calling back, following up as promised
Inability to reach a customer service representative on an IVR
Lack of online information or support channels
Other | (write-ins include not being able to understand CSR, inexperienced/uninformed agents)14
Parature, a Microsoft Company | www.parature.com
Conclusions............................
15
While there are many individual customer service channel statistics to be gleaned from this survey, there many more overall takeaways
we can learn from and apply to improving customer service interactions at every touchpoint and across the customer journey:
1. While buzzwords and industry talk many focus on the “shiny objects” in multichannel customer care including social media and mobile,
we cannot forget about the tried and true channels such as phone, email and live chat that customers use when they need immediate
and personalized help. They aren’t going away any time soon, so o�ering responsive service no matter what the touchpoint is incredibly
important.
2. Consistent and responsive service across channels is key. Customers don’t want to have to repeat themselves on one channel or
across many, or be passed from channel to channel or rep to rep to complete a transaction. It’s a
top frustration as seen in this report, so as brands, we must break down the silos across individual
customer care channels and ensure that real-time customer data and interaction information flows
seamlessly across them.
3. Speed of service should be a focus, but not speed of getting a customer o� the phone or
closing out a ticket if their issue remains or if they’re not completely satisfied with the experience.
As a customer care community, we must revisit the metrics we use to measure success and stop
passing the buck and the customer to someone else. Expectations and frustrations are continuing
to grow. Let’s focus our e�orts on both to reduce the latter.
This is the Age of the Customer, where each interaction can make or break a brand. Let’s take the
initiative to be more customer-centric across our organizations to improve customer acquisition,
retention and advocacy.
About Parature...............................Parature, a Microsoft company, empowers mid-market to
enterprise organizations across all major industries to centralize
their customer service and engagement processes and deliver a
seamless customer experience across all major channels,
including phone, email, online support portal, ticketing, live chat,
social, mobile and web self-service.
With powerful feedback and reporting tools,
Parature provides the ultimate tool for customer
service teams, delivering a real-time,
360-degree view of customer with easy-to-use
yet detailed reporting that both proves and
improves customer service e�ectiveness and
e�ciency. Parature’s integration with Microsoft
Dynamics CRM allows brands and
organizations to deliver impressive end-to-end
customer engagement. For more information,
visit www.parature.com.
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