Business & Money | Wednesday 2 November, 2016 7:20 am |

A new study from BoldChat by LogMeIn (Nasdaq:LOGM) and Ovum reveals that customer experience has worsened over the last two years despite investments in new engagement channels. The report, which surveyed hundreds of contact centre managers and consumers globally, found that the consumers surveyed believe it takes six different interactions to resolve an issue, while the surveyed contact centre managers believe it takes only one to two touchpoints. This disconnect could be largely due to the fact that 72% of consumers surveyed search for information online before contacting an agent, but the majority of contact centre managers surveyed (52%) do not track digital behavior. The increased disappointment with customer experience is threatening customer loyalty, sustainability and revenue growth: 82% reported they would stop doing business with a company following a bad experience.

 

The report further reveals that while 86% of consumers reported using five-plus channels for support, 43% of consumers noted that they believe access to agents has worsened over the last two years, with 50% citing frustration with automated response systems. While 68% of participating consumers still believe phone calls provide the highest odds of resolution, 78% would choose a channel other than voice if they were convinced a resolution on the first attempt would be likely. In line, 60% of consumers reported wanting organisations to improve access to web support channels, including social media, communities and live chat.

 

“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, LogMeIn. “Most contact centres struggle to meet these expectations because they are limited by disjointed, legacy systems. We see many forward-thinking businesses overcome these challenges by prioritising investments in solutions that unify their engagement strategies across traditional and digital channels.”

 

Additionally, the report provides insights into how consumers prefer to engage with brands including:

 

• Increased adoption of live chat: The use of live chat has increased from 33% in 2014 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 smartphones (58%) than landlines. 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.