Consumers have long been discerning about the customer service they receive, but the prolonged effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated their need for excellence from businesses.
Consider the following statistics:
- 93% of customers are more likely to purchase again from brands with excellent customer service
- 64% of consumers find customer experience more important than the price of products or services when making a purchase
- American consumers are willing to pay 17% more from brands that offer great customer service
- The same study above found that more than half of American consumers canceled plans to purchase something after experiencing bad service
- A further 33% said they will switch companies after a single instance of poor customer service
All of these statistics show the importance of keeping customers happy. If customer service expectations are not met, businesses risk losing customers entirely.
This is why business owners must pay attention to what customers want, customer experience and service-wise, in 2022. We break each of them down below.
1. Customers Want Seamless Online Transactions
With virtually almost anything having an online counterpart these days, customers expect you to deliver them seamless online transactions. According to Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report, 65% of customers want to buy from businesses that offer a quick and easy online shopping experience.
The internet is where customers are at, so it’s only fitting for businesses to make their online services convenient and hassle-free. From when a customer visits your website up to the checkout page, they want you to offer easy browsing, buying, and payment experience.
2. Customers Want Multiple Communication Channels
Customer preferences vary, but companies that care for providing excellent customer experience will aim to provide for the needs of as many customers as possible.
With that said, it’s a good move for businesses to have as many contact options as possible. Apart from phone and email, plenty of customers also prefer to use live chat and social media channels to reach you.
3. Customers Want Self-Service Options
Another thing customers want when reaching out to businesses is self-service or contactless options.
Plenty of customers have issues that can be resolved quickly, so they don’t want to wait for days to receive an e-mail response or hang by the phone for hours while you get their problems sorted.
As a business, you can invest in self-service options for customers, such as chatbots or even Frequently Asked Questions pages.
These options also tick the box of another thing customers want from the businesses they deal with: being proactive. With FAQs and chatbots, customers can see that you’ve anticipated their needs and provided them with a way to resolve issues easily.
4. Customers (Still) Want Personalized Customer Service
One customer service expectation that’s evergreen? Personalization. It doesn’t matter what year it is, customers want a personalized experience.
According to an Epsilon study, 80% of customers are more likely to do business with brands that offer personalized customer experiences. For businesses, this means:
- Unifying customer information for easy access
- Using consumer insights to create relevant promotions for different customer personas
- Creating rewards and recognition programs for different customers
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Always Answer helps your business improve customer service with our live answering services. With these, you can provide timely customer support and other services customers need.
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