Countless research and evidence-based studies have been conducted over the years, specifically on customer service statistics. These are some of the most important measurements to keep in mind when you implement any new initiatives for your front-line staff:
1. Dealing with the friction of customer care
If you’re like most people, you have to contact your cell phone service provider every once in a while, just to get some billing issues resolved. This is a common gripe among customers, and it’s one of the reasons why companies are implementing new technologies such as automated self-service and voice recognition. However, globally, the average wait time is still 28 seconds on a call, and 40% of customers hang up before reaching an agent. Customer service automation has become one of the most popular trends today; in fact, it’s estimated to grow to $5 billion by 2015! While you save money with the cost-cutting feature, you eliminate the potential for human error and improve your customer experience at the same time.
2. Calling all Millennials
This is going to be interesting news for businesses- especially for small businesses who can’t afford huge training budgets. While 82% of Americans say that they would prefer self-service options, millennials have a different point of view – 75% of them prefer to have a live person answer their questions.
3. We love our brands, but we recognize that they’re not perfect
Top Customer Service Issues: Transparency and clarity (65%), respecting me as an individual (63%), the quick response time (57%), and offering immediate solutions (53%). The secret ingredient? Nearly half of customers feel that brands need to show personal interest in their customers.
4. Listen up: An ear to the ground is worth a million eyes in the sky
Over 2,000 organizations use Twitter as part of their customer service programs. #42% of companies report using social media monitoring tools have seen an increase in social referrals, and 45% have seen an increase in social customer care inquiries. With more than 350 million users on Facebook, brands have to make sure that they’re present on these channels.
5. Great customer service is equal parts art and science
There’s a lot of data out there about what patient engagement companies should be doing with respect to their customers. Not all of these things are necessarily relevant, but the important thing to remember is that there’s a reason why companies use data to drive their decisions.
61% of people believe that brands care about them if they communicate on social media and 60% say this makes them more loyal. In fact, almost two-thirds (65%) claim to have a positive opinion of the companies they follow on social media.
6. A good experience, bad or no outcome?
There’s a clear link between how satisfied customersis with their customer service and whether you’ll retain them as customers. As much as many people hate to admit it, some will even go so far as to switch companies just to get a better experience.
61% of customers who have had a positive customer service interaction are likely to repurchase from the same company, and 67% would recommend the company’s product or service. And conversely, only 50% of those who leave their interactions dissatisfied say they will be back for another purchase or recommendation.
7. What it all boils down to – the 4 Ps of marketing and sales
A good customer experience is a competitive advantage in any market, as consumers can choose to buy from multiple sources these days. And 88% of companies recognize that providing a positive customer experience is important for building loyalty. However, just because you want your customers to be loyal doesn’t mean you want them to hang up – loyalty and advocacy combine for as much as a 68% increase in sales.
8. Don’t lose customers with the “your call is important to us” response
Losing valuable customers can be very expensive for any business – it’s estimated that it costs 5-10 times as much money to get a new customer as it does to keep an existing one. And the more innovative your company is, the more you need to be thinking about how to compete with other companies who can provide better customer service.
9. Data and automation can help improve your customer experience
While automated self-service might not be the best option for every company, it certainly works at many different levels. Automation is dependent on the type of business you run, and you need to implement automation in a way that won’t hurt but rather improve your overall customer experience. However, even with all this said – it’s up to YOU to make sure that the automation you’re using fits within your company culture.
10. The Future of Customer Service
As the market becomes more saturated with companies that provide customer service, you have to stand out from the crowd. And simply having a live person answering phones isn’t enough – an intelligent chatbot using AI can be a great way to answer 90% of questions without needing a human agent. While this might sound crazy, it’s not all that unlikely considering the rate of technological advances.
11. Where do you start?
The first step is always figuring out what your KPI’s are – usually, this involves gathering information about customer satisfaction and then calling customers to see how they’re doing. You want to discover as much data as possible in order to find trends and then use this data to create a baseline for your business. From there, you can analyze the KPI’s that matter most to your company.
12. More repetitive questions can be tackled with chatbots
Chatbot technology has moved on from earlier designs – these days, the best AI can handle more complex questions that need multiple answers. Chatbots can also be used to connect with customers on social media. If you’re going to set up a Twitter account for your customer service, it’s important that you create around 20-50 responses in advance to monitor the feed and respond quickly when customers need help.
13. The benefits of using video in customer service are vast
Creating a video FAQ page on your website can help you save money on support, and it’s a great way to keep content organized. You can also use video for live broadcasts, where customers can see customer service representatives in action while they’re handling basic questions or demonstrating how to complete tasks.
14. It’s vital that customers are able to reach someone when they’re in need of help
Along with your high visibility customer service is the ability to provide assistance at any hour. So if people need help at 2AM, then you have to be prepared to help. This includes having a way for customers to get in touch and having personnel that can answer calls and emails 24/7.
There’s no use with all thesepatient engagement statistics if it isn’t actionable. The customer service statistics and facts we’ve shared should help you better understand this important topic. As the field continues to evolve, it’s more important than ever that businesses understand what they’re up against when trying to provide quality care for their customers. We hope these stats have been helpful in your quest to create an effective customer service strategy!
Click on the link to read more on five patient engagement statistics you can’t afford to ignore.https://www.sequencehealth.com/blog/five-patient-engagement-statistics-you-cant-afford-to-ignore
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