the connected customer experience
TRANSCRIPT
2021
CX defines brand success for consumers today
The connected customer experience
GLOB
AL R
EPOR
T
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Intr
oduc
tion
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the ways in which people live. Lockdowns, remote working, concern for friends and family, juggling childcare, and uncertainty about the future have been challenging for all of us, but in different ways.
Between December 2020 and April 2021, we surveyed over 11,000 consumers in the US, Latin America, Europe and Asia-Pacific to better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected their health, happiness, and social and professional interactions.
“The connected customer experience” explores how people’s feelings and expectations have changed over the course of the pandemic—and what that means for how companies engage with their customers.
It finds that people’s sense of connection with others has been deeply influenced by “pandemic life” and that they’re looking for empathy in digital and human interactions. And with survey respondents consistently saying companies are only as good as their service, it discovers that building trust and loyalty with consumers today requires a radical rethink of the customer experience.
CX defines brand success for consumers todayThe connected customer experience
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Customer service today
Health, well-being & the connection deficit
Human connections in crisis
Contents
Rethinking the customer experience
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The impact has been felt most severely in Latin America and the United States. At the time of publishing, the US had suffered the highest number of COVID-19 infections globally, and Brazil the third highest. Asia-Pacific consumers, where numbers were more controlled, have found it least difficult to cope.
Across the world, youth have felt the biggest effects of “pandemic life.” More than half of millennials and Gen Z respondents say the pandemic has been difficult and life changing. Yet, for a significant number of survey respondents, the pandemic has been neither hard nor life changing. And one-third of Baby Boomers report that this isn’t a particularly difficult time.
Regional comparison of those who found the pandemic hard
Almost half of consumers globally say the pandemic has been difficult for them—and that it has changed their life completely.
A generational comparison of the pandemic impact
52% 47%
58%
39%
US Latin America Europe Asia-Pacific
24%
Gen Z
51%
24%
Millennials
53%
31%
Gen X
49%
39%
Baby Boomers
39%
Did not find the pandemic hard
Found the pandemic hard
1in 2 consumers
has found the pandemic and lockdowns to be hard
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This report finds a widespread sense of social isolation—33% of consumers worldwide say they feel less connected to others since the start of the pandemic. This is most pronounced in the US, with 42% of respondents feeling less connected. In addition to COVID-19, factors such as the Black Lives Matter movement, which gained momentum throughout the US to confront systemic racism, as well as an incredibly controversial US presidential election, likely had a severe psychological toll on these respondents.
Still, 25% of consumers globally feel more connected to others since the start of the pandemic. In Latin America, one in three consumers feels more connected; Asia-Pacific respondents also rank higher than the global average.
The stark divide in experiences is also reflected in a person’s sense of connection to others.
The pandemic has created a connection deficit
The feeling of connectivity varies across regions
Less connected33%
No change42% More connected25%
Less connected More connected
42%
US
20% 34%
Europe
22%
30%
Latin America
31% 29%
Asia-Pacific
28%
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Key
Take
away
s
Human connections in crisis
Disruption & dislocation: With half of consumers worldwide saying lockdowns have been difficult and a third feeling less connected than before, it’s clear there’s a human connection crisis.
The greatest toll: Although both the US and Latin America have experienced the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases, the social and emotional impact of the pandemic has been strikingly different between countries. US consumers feel significantly less connected than those in other regions, while Latin America had the highest number of respondents feeling more connected.
Living with uncertainty: Despite having a reputation for being always-connected digital natives, Generation Z and millennial respondents were more likely than any other age group to say the pandemic has been difficult—and has changed their life. Ongoing uncertainty, restricted access to education, a lack of employment opportunities and other restrictions have impacted youth across all regions.
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Empa
thy
in a
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n Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club plays football in the English Premier League. On match days, the club’s state-of-the-art American Express Community Stadium usually welcomes more than 30,000 fans. Its supporter services team has five full-time agents and up to 20 flex employees who work alongside a mail-order retail team, a commercial team that oversees sponsorship and hospitality inquiries, and a charitable arm that handles customer calls regarding football courses.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck and it became clear that supporters wouldn’t be able to attend games, the team considered how it could help the community stay connected. The result was “The Big Ring-Around,” an outbound calling campaign to check on the well-being of supporters and allow them to chat about football in the absence of match days. It started with the most vulnerable season ticket holders and members who were disabled or 70 years or older. Within three months, the club made over 4,500 calls and raised more than £370,000 for local charities.
The pandemic provided momentum to the club’s plans to upgrade its technology environment to support remote working. In addition, Brighton & Hove Albion became the first Premier League club to launch web chat, where it’s now seeing high volumes. The club is also looking to add Twitter and other social media platforms to help its fans stay connected.
“Our fans saved the club when our original Goldstone Ground was redeveloped, so this was our chance to give back,” said Sarah Gould, Supporter Services Manager, Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club. “It quickly became clear that some people needed more than a friendly voice on the phone. Individuals who were shielding often needed food or medication, which was a problem if they didn’t have family close by.”
Club volunteers collected and delivered prescriptions or groceries to housebound supporters in need of assistance. They also gave practical advice on everything from online shopping to obtaining refunds on cancelled vacations. And they referred vulnerable people to appropriate services. In identifying at least 30 individuals whose circumstances were unknown to local agencies, the campaign might even have saved lives.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football ClubBuilding closer bonds
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The connected customer experience
Health, well-being and the connection deficit
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The third of consumers worldwide who feel less connected to others also report being less happy, having higher levels of anxiety, feeling the toll on their mental health, and having lower levels of fitness and wellness. Their lack of connection has even caused them to have less patience and empathy when interacting with others.
How are the less connected feeling?
COVID-19 has created a new normal of social distancing, remote working and separation from friends and family. This human connection deficit is taking a toll on happiness, health and well-being.
The less connected
These consumers are more likely to be...
Happiness
Anxiety
Overall mental health
Connectivity via social media
Empathy towards others
Patience with others
Fitness/wellness
59%
21%
56%
28%
41%
52%
51%
14%
53%
14%
34%
21%
17%
19%
IncreasedDecreased 33% of consumers are
1 in 3 people
are feeling less connected than before the pandemic
Less connected
55+
Age
Region
US
Full time
Work status
Part time Retired
Europe
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They’re typically happier, experiencing better mental health and improved fitness. And they have more patience and empathy for others.
While both groups of consumers reported surging anxiety, there was a less dramatic increase among those who felt more connected. Overall, this group is experiencing better mental and physical health now than before the pandemic
.
How are the more connected feeling?
The 25% of consumers who are more connected to others feel the benefits across many areas of their lives.
More connected
39
Age
Work status
The more connected
or younger
Full time Part time Retired
Happiness
Anxiety
Overall mental health
Connectivity via social media
Empathy towards others
Patience with others
Fitness/wellness
23%
30%
24%
19%
18%
21%
23%
45%
36%
39%
41%
41%
44%
41%
IncreasedDecreased
These consumers are more likely to be...
25% of consumers are
1 in 4 people
are feeling more connected than before the pandemic
Region
Latin America Asia-Pacific
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In Latin America, consumers feel better in several areas of their lives compared to other regions. They’re more connected (both in general and on social media), more empathetic and more patient than consumers in all other regions. Latin American consumers also report being happier and fitter than those in the US and Europe.
Similarly, in Asia-Pacific, consumers are more connected, happier, fitter and more patient than those in the US and Europe.
The impact of the pandemic on the lives of citizens varies by region.
Consumers in Latin America are more connected (both in general and social media), empathetic and patient than all the other regions.
They are also happier, fitter and have better mental health overall compared to consumers in the US and Europe.
Latin America
US consumers are more anxious than those in all the other regions. Some 44% of US consumers reported being more anxious, compared to 40% of those in Latin America, 35% in Europe and 34% in Asia-Pacific.
United States
In Asia-Pacific, consumers are more connected to others and more patient than those in the US and Europe, as well as being happier and fitter.
Asia-Pacific
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The more connected consumers, who also are younger, regularly turn to social media to bridge the gap of in-person interactions. They’re on their phones—sharing experiences and looking for someone to talk to. Respondents who are less connected digitally, despite being naturally more independent, have found the pandemic to be even more isolating.
Digital interactions have replaced physical contact when trying to build human connections.
Like to solve things on my own 75%
Like alone time 64%
Pandemic/lockdown has been hard on me 48%
Prefer to talk on the phone than text/message 46%
Videoconferencing makes me feel more connected to people than text or audio
44%
Like to always be talking to someone 44%
Like to express how I feel on social media 27%
Pandemic/lockdown has not been hard for me 30%
I am on phone calls a lot 31%
Overall
Significant difference shown by:
Less connected More connected
Data shown at overall level. Highlighted items represent where respective group was statistically higher in comparison
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Those who feel more connected use digital technology and services to maintain a sense of community. They use interactive apps such as social media and video to engage with other people more regularly. They’re also downloading music and using food delivery apps, suggesting that they are creating a positive environment for themselves. The less connected are gravitating toward more transactional, informational apps like news outlets and weather forecasting.
The most popular category of apps worldwide are social media and messaging
There are clear behavioral differences in how the more and less connected respondents use data and applications.
Overall
67%
Messaging
Photo/video49%
Health & fitness26%
app usage
62%Facebook
45%Instagram
39%Surfing the web
31%Video streaming (Hulu, Netflix, Prime)
52%Chat Apps (WhatsApp, Line, Messenger)
29%Audio Streaming (Spotify, Apple Music)
18%Snapchat
24%Twitter
25%Tik Tok
17%Pinterest
7%Reddit
61%YouTube
Data shown at overall level. Highlighted items represent where respective group was statistically higher in comparison
Significant difference shown by:
Less connected More connected
41%
Music services
Video calling
37%
Games48%
67%
Social media
Food29%
Weather48%
Finance & banking
44%
Maps & nav41%
Shopping45% News
48%
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The survey shows that social media is more popular in Latin America than in other regions—five out of six people in that region report being highly connected. They also spend more time gaming, watching videos and chatting online.
In Asia-Pacific, consumers have been more focused on looking and feeling better and, relative to other regions, spend more time on shopping and health and fitness apps. With fewer overall COVID-19 cases, consumers in this region are looking at travel and leisure apps as possibilities for vacations begin to open. News and weather apps were most popular in Europe.
During lockdowns, social media provided a meaningful sense of connection.
Top App Categories
Top App usage
Latin America
82%YouTube
77%Facebook
66%Instagram
51%Surfing the web
73%Chat Apps (WhatsApp, Line, Messenger)
Social media
84%
58%
Photo/video
62%
Messaging
Top App Categories
Top App usage
united states
61%Facebook
57%YouTube
39%Instagram
32%Surfing the web
Messaging
64%
48%
Games
61%
Social media
31%Video streaming (Hulu, Netflix, Prime)
Top App Categories
Top App usage
Europe
56%YouTube
56%Facebook
43%Instagram
42%Surfing the web
54%Chat Apps (WhatsApp, Line, Messenger)
Social media
64%
57%
Weather
63%
Messaging
Top App Categories
Top App usage
Asia-pacific
63%Facebook
49%Chat Apps (WhatsApp, Line, Messenger)
56%YouTube
38%Instagram
Social media
65%
54%
Shopping
64%
Messaging
33%Video streaming (Hulu, Netflix, Prime)
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Connectivity in the workplace
The workplace serves as a built-in opportunity for connectivity, yet the less connected spend fewer hours per day using social media and email.
per day on interactive activities like video calls and chat tools—notably more than their counterparts in all other regions
spend hours 8.4Consumers in Latin America
What the average workday looks like:
Emails1.3
Phone calls1.0
IM co-workers1.0
Video calls1.0
Social media1.8
Average interactive hours per day across all respondents
6.0
Emails
13% 64% 23%
Social media
26% 44% 30%
Phone calls
10% 49% 41%
11% 47% 42%
IM with co-workers
Video calls
11% 40% 49%
3+ hours 1-2 hours 0 hours
Workday activitiesTime spent by all respondents across connected activities in the workplace.
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Key
Take
away
sHealth, well-being & the connection deficit
Connection is key: Being disconnected from others affects all other areas of citizens’ well-being, too. More than half of respondents reported being less happy, feeling more anxious, and experiencing poor mental and physical health. Those who’ve been able to nurture human connections report these negative feelings at a much lower rate.
The pandemic paradox: More than half of millennials and Gen Z found pandemic life to be hard (53% and 52%, respectively, compared to 39% of Baby Boomers), but they’re also becoming more connected to others at a higher rate than any other generation. Some 38% of Gen Z is more connected to others now than they were before, compared to just 23% of Baby Boomers. What can explain the difference? They’re having more digital interactions than any other age group and using the digital world to create positive experiences.
Clicks, likes and shares: It’s possible the digital world could help close the connection gap. More connected consumers gravitate to social media and chat apps and stream music or videos. The less connected favor more functional apps, such as weather and news, perhaps missing out on opportunities to engage with others. Netflix documentary “The Social Dilemma” suggested that the more digitally engaged we are, the less engaged we are with others. But our research shows that in a quarantined world, digital interaction plays a valuable role in closing the connection gap and allowing humans to engage with one another.
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Empa
thy
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n TechStyle Fashion Group is the incubator to fan-favorite brands Fabletics, Savage X Fenty, JustFab, ShoeDazzle and FabKids. When it became clear to senior management that protecting staff from Covid-19 would require a fully remote working environment, the team acted quickly. With support from TechStyle’s partners, 700 customer service team members for North America were working remotely within a week.
Employees at some sites already had laptops, which made the transition easier. In other places, the company had computers and Wi-Fi hotspot devices delivered to employees’ homes. “This was great from an operational perspective because we had literally zero downtime. We were able to continue supporting all service channels without any type of interruption,” said Jennifer Wang, TechStyle’s Global Member Services’ Director of Operations, North America.
The pandemic created several challenges for the customer service team, primarily due to supply chain and shipping issues that were delaying orders. Call volume was significantly higher than usual, and calls were also longer. “To be mindful of the impacts and challenges this was posing for our customers, we encouraged employees to take that extra time to help resolve their issues,” said Wang.
The company launched a new support strategy to keep employees energized and connected with each other. These included new communication channels, such as huddles to make sure leaders were cascading information and building alignment as well as “Motivational Minutes”—scheduled time for teams to connect about non-work topics, as they would in the office. Virtual town halls provided opportunities for frontline staff to interact directly with leadership and be recognized for doing great work in such a challenging time.
Another fast-tracked change was to the company’s tier-two escalation process. “We quickly pivoted and transitioned everyone to be able to support these customer escalations—which would normally go to the supervisor level—and instead now have a whole team dedicated to handling escalations in a remote environment,” said Wang. Staff responded positively to the change, and it has opened additional growth and development paths.
Throughout the pandemic, the team was able to maintain the consistency of their service metrics, which Wang describes as a “huge win,” given the complexity of the environment. Overall, the company has found the shift to home working surprisingly seamless; a testament to the team’s resilience and its focus on making a human connection with customers. Another success of the shift to home working was being able to retain retail employees while stores were closed by training them and using their customer care expertise as additional support.
TechStyle Fashion GroupPutting the team first
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The connected customer experience
Rethinking the customer experience
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The pandemic has strictly curbed in-personinteractions and digital interactions have taken their place.While voice remains the most frequent channel for interacting with customer service, live webchat has grown in popularity during the pandemic and now more than two in five respondents use it.
Consumers are also engaging with voicebots and chatbots at a higher rate than they were before the pandemic.
47%
15%In person
73%
72%
Phone call with live agent
23%
28%Voicebot
36%
43%Live webchat
18%
26%Chatbot
35%
39%Email
4%
8%Video chat
9%
12%Text/messaging app
19%of consumers in Latin America have started using online chatbots since the start of the pandemic (55% total).
45%of consumers in Asia-Pacific now use live chat to interact with customer service (2nd most frequently used channel).
100%growth in use of video chat across every region.
Customer service channels used pre- and post-pandemic
have replaced in-person experiences, with live chat and
chatbots being the fastest growing channels globally
Digital interactions
Post-pandemicPre-pandemic
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Consumers in Asia-Pacific contact customer service at a much higher rate than those in other regions. In Europe, just 16% of respondents say they interact with customer experience teams at least once a month.
This means many companies in regions like Europe have fewer opportunities to interact with their customers. Understanding customer intent, making customer journeys seamless and intuitive, and providing an empathetic interaction have never been more important in these regions.
While technology plays a critical role in enabling this efficiency, many consumers still prefer human-to-human interactions. In the US and Asia-Pacific region, one in six consumers has called customer service just to hear a human voice.
In addition to changes in how consumers use digital platforms, they’ve also shifted how they interact with companies.
How can companies remove the hassle and put each customer at the heart of the experience?
Through empathy, communication and a connected experience.
70% of consumersacross the globe believe that a company is only as good as its customer service say dealing with
customer service is always a hassle
1 in 3
16%
84%
33%
67%
31%
69%
42%
58%
1in 6 consumers
in the US and Asia-Pacific has called customer service just to hear a human voice
Less than once a month
At least once a month
Customer service use in the past year
USLatin
America Europe Asia-Pacific
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Almost two-thirds consumers prefer an empathetic customer service experience over a speedy resolution. Customer trust and loyalty are essential for building and maintaining a successful business. And while this may sound obvious, a company’s customer service plays a critical role in gaining customer trust and retaining business.
While brands and companies are always looking to improve their customer service, they need to look beyond the efficient resolution of customer problems as the primary measure of effectiveness. Consumers want to feel heard and know that their issues are being taken care of. They don’t want to just be read a script.
Prioritize empathy
Across all regions, characteristics of empathy are the most valued by consumers when it comes to customer service
When consumers were asked to rank important aspects of customer service, empathy trumps speed
Consumers want customer service employees to:
83%
Listen to them Understand their needs83%
Respond quickly76%
80%
Provide consistent answersSolve their problems completely82%
Set realistic expectations75%
59% of consumersprefer an empathetic customer service experience to a speedy resolution
1stService from an agent who makes it clear they understand your situation even if it takes longer to solve the issue.
Fast, efficient resolution - it does not matter to me whether it’s from a bot or a human as long as it is quick.
Personalized service that feels unique to my needs.
2nd 3rd
1.
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Today’s consumers appreciate non-sales-related communications. Nearly 60% say this is a mark of great service. In some regions, consumers even indicate that they want companies to send them more non-sales-related communications. In addition, companies that listen to their customers and avoid up-selling during service interactions will generate more successful experiences.
When asked what constitutes a phenomenal customer experience, two in five consumers (39%) said it’s when companies don’t try to up-sell during a customer service call and focus instead on handling the existing issue.
And 37% of respondents say having a business remember or know them—and anticipate why they’ve contacted the service department—is a sign of a phenomenal experience.
Fifty-nine percent of respondents say that receiving non-sales-related communications from companies is an example of great service. Latin American consumers are most positive about non-sales-related communications, with 69% considering this to be a marker of excellent service. Seventy percent of Latin American consumers also stated they want more communications like these.
Communicate to connect, not just to sell
US Latin America Europe Asia-Pacific
43%
53%
70%
60%
HALF(59%) of companies recognizedfor excellent customer servicesend non-sales-relatedcommunications
More than
2.
Consumers who would welcome more non-sales-related communications
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Using data effectively allows companies to provide more seamless customer experiences. This includes identifying who customers are and what their issues might be—and then proactively solving the issues or suggesting solutions. They then can connect customers to the right person to help.
Overall, consumers feel positively about data collection that enhances their service. Two out of three say they received better service from companies that collected data. Nearly half feel more connected to companies that remember them. Just 18% feel uncomfortable about a company’s use of data.
Data use and data privacy are still areas of caution among consumers—they want to control how much data is shared in exchange for a more effortless experience. Globally, 80% of respondents say they exert some control over how their data is collected.
Millennials are broadly more comfortable than other demographics with having their data collected. Additionally, those who engage with customer service frequently are more likely to allow this type of data collection.
Enable connected experiences
How do consumers feel about a company that remembers them?
2 in 3 consumersfeel that companies collecting data on their customers improves the service experience
3.
The majority of consumers like to have some control over how their data is collected
Always allow data to be collected
77%
Never allow data to be collected
11%12%
Try to control data collection to some extent
Asia-Pacific
43% 39% 18%
34% 45% 21%
Europe
Latin America
58% 28% 14%
US
46% 37% 17%
Feel uncomfortable
Have mixed feelings
Feel more connected
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Key
Take
away
s
Rethinking the customer experience
It’s all about empathy: Three in five consumers worldwide value empathy—feeling listened to, heard and understood—over a quick resolution or even a personalized experience. This has deep ramifications for customer experience organizations, from how they manage and incentivize employees to how they measure the success of a customer journey.
CX problems persist: Consumers have high expectations of service. Nearly two-thirds of survey respondents say a company is only as good as its customer service. Yet, there’s still a considerable gap to close. One in three consumers says that dealing with customer service is always a hassle.
Building connections, digital and human: Digital connections help companies deliver great experiences. Two-thirds of consumers are happy to share their data if it improves the customer experience. And nearly 60% not only appreciate receiving non-sales communications, they also believe it’s a hallmark of excellent service.
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Empa
thy
in a
ctio
n The Co-operative Group is a diverse set of businesses across the UK that includes retail, healthcare, insurance, legal and funeral care services. The group is owned by millions of members across the country and employs 63,000 people nationwide.
When the pandemic struck in March 2020, it hit Co-op’s food retail and wholesale business hard. As stores suffered stockouts due to panic buying, Co-op Business Services (CBS) had to respond to a surge in calls, emails and social media activity. In addition, as the UK’s largest funeral care provider, the surge in COVID-related deaths resulted in an increased number of sensitive, complex customer interactions.
“When the gravity of the situation ahead of us was known, my objective was to not only keep our existing lines of business open—a significant challenge in itself—but also to step up and play our part in supporting local communities, especially the elderly, vulnerable and families at risk or otherwise impacted by COVID-19,” said Claire Carroll, Head of Customer Service. “We knew the contact center was uniquely placed to provide support in situations where a human touch was needed but face-to-face contact wasn’t possible. It was critical for us to quickly and safely transform our operations and equip our people to rise to the challenge.”
The priority was to get staff working safely but Co-op’s existing on-premise telephony platform didn’t allow for home working. A rapid upgrade to the technology environment was implemented in a matter of weeks, enabling the team to be fully home based by May 2020. Meanwhile, an additional 130 staff were recruited to support the new Vulnerable Customer service, 70 existing colleagues were trained to handle Funeralcare calls—a more sensitive skill set—and a new 24/7 Funeralcare team was created to provide around-the-clock service.
At the start of the first lockdown, the team handled 25% more calls (an extra 5,000 per week), managed a 700% volume increase on social media, dealt with more than 15,000 additional complaints from concerned customers and members and, tragically, saw the number of deceased taken into Co-op’s care double. Yet, despite the pressure this put on the business, customer satisfaction increased over the period.
During the pandemic, Co-op stepped up to deliver on its vision of “Co-operating for a fairer world,” donating £15 million to charities and community causes, and launching a members’ coronavirus fund, a shopping scheme for vulnerable customers, food donations and school meal programs. The contact center team stepped up, too, through colleagues who were safe, skilled and supported to provide empathetic service when it was needed most.
Co-opConnecting a community
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Most consumers want to deal with a real person for complex issues. Bots and self-service options are beneficial for handling simple transactions.
A human customer service representative is preferred when there’s an issue with a product or when a customer needs additional information on billing or a service feature. These are all areas where empathetic interactions can be essential to the resolution.
Bots and self-service options shine in dealing with smaller issues, such as requesting more information or getting account details.
Delivering the customer connection: When bots work best
Top issues where a human rep is most desired- Physical problem with a product or service
- Billing is inaccurate
- Technical issues (software, digital, online)
- Product replacement/return
- Delayed package or delivery problem
- Clarification of benefits or account features
- Internet outage
- Reservation or booking issue
Top issues where a bot can help- Make a payment
- Update account information
- Request information on a product
- Login issues (user name, password)
- Checking status of a claim
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Respondents worldwide consider banks and financial institutions to have the best customer service, followed by cellular providers, pharmacies, retailers and insurers. In Latin America, cable and internet companies came in second place for good customer service.
Industries that are on the right track
Big Brands Made a Customer Service Comeback
Patterns have shifted in the past year: in a 2019 Genesys™ Consumer study 44% mentioned small businesses and only 27% mentioned large corporations as being service leaders.
Bank/financial
38%
Pharmacy
22%
Cellular provider
23%
Retail
22%
Insurance
18%
72%72% of the companies that consumers think have excellent customer experience are large national companies.
85% of people rated these businesses with a satisfaction score between 8-10 (on a 10 point scale).
Amazon was the most frequently mentioned company with excellent customer experiences across the globe.
85% #1
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Key
Take
away
s
Customer service today
Humans and bots: Complex problems need humans to resolve them. And globally, consumers still prefer talking on the phone. But they consider bots to be equally valuable in providing quick resolutions to basic issues, such as account updates, payments and status checks.
Banks in front: Banks outperform other industries by 15% or more in providing the best service, according to respondents. In most regions, pharmacies, cellular providers, insurers and retailers round out the top five.
Big brands raise the game: Nearly three quarters of consumers (72%) say large companies provide the best customer experiences. This is especially notable because only 27% cited these firms as service leaders—versus 44% who cited small and medium sized businesses as CX leaders—in a 2019 Genesys consumer survey.
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Sum
mar
y
31
Challenging conventional wisdom about the true drivers of customer loyaltyThe connected customer experience
Now more than a year into the pandemic, consumers worldwide have adjusted how they work, live and play. Even though friends, family, a meal or a workout are just a tap in an app away, one in three individuals reports feeling more isolated than before. Digital has replaced many physical interactions, not just in personal relationships, but increasingly in how consumers connect with companies.
The survey finds that consumers are seeking empathy above all. They’re more ready than ever to try new channels and engage with companies in new ways, but their priority is to be listened to, heard and understood—whether that’s by a human or by a bot. As much as customers want a fast resolution, a great experience isn’t just about speed. And great experiences matter. Two-thirds of consumers today say that a company is only as good as its customer service.
Knowing each customer, understanding their preferences and anticipating what they need—not asking them multiple times why they’ve called.
Giving them a connected experience that transfers customer context across channels.
Knowing, in real time, whether an agent interaction or an expedited interaction using technology like a bot would better serve a customer.
Giving customers what they need, in the way they need it, before they know it’s a need.
Companies deliver empathetic experiences by connecting the right people with the right technology, powered by artificial intelligence. When they orchestrate this cohesively, companies can differentiate themselves—driving connections with customers and becoming loyalty leaders in today’s digital economy.
1.
2. 3. 4.
What is empathy in customer service?
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Informing + inspiring better decision making
Genesys partnered with Savanta, our trusted market research partner, to study the human connection.
Savanta conducted online research with more than 11,653 adults aged 18+ worldwide from December 10, 2020 to April 21, 2021.
The audience is a representative sample of the general population in each market by age and gender.
Savanta is a fast-growing data, market research, and advisory company. We inform and inspire our clients through powerful data, empowering technology, and high-impact consulting. All designed to help our clients make better decisions and achieve faster progress.
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Gender
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2,048
2,058
4,5393,008
United states
Latin America Europe
Asia-Pacific
410West
410Midwest
818South
410Northeast
506Brazil
515Chile
510Colombia
527Mexico
1,018France
1,000Germany
506Italy
505Netherlands
510Spain
1,001Australia
500China
503India
501Japan
503Singapore
1,000UK
15%
Gen Z30%
Millennials29%
Gen X27%
Baby Boomers
51%
Female 49%
Male