Aspect Software, a company devoted to helping to break down walls between processes, people, data, and systems, recently released new research into the state of consumer communications in the buyer journey. As experts in the world of client engagement, Aspect knows what they’re talking to when it comes to customer experience (CX), and their recent study shows that people are no longer happy with the standard method of communicating with companies via telephone.
The Aspect Consumer Experience Index found that consumers would rather go without internet or visit the dentist than call a call centre over the phone. Around 59% of modern customers prefer to express their frustrations to companies on social media. In simple terms, the study shows that today’s clients want new ways to communicate with their preferred brands.
Is the Call-Centre Phone Call A Thing of the Past?
According to the Senior Vice President for Africa and Europe at Aspect Software, Stephen Ball, the rise of new technology innovations like chatbots, AI, and virtual voice assistants has finally pushed modern brands to adopt new, more dynamic approaches to consumer service. Today’s organisations need to be willing to embrace the digital revolution and invest in a broader range of automated engagement tools to strengthen relationships with their consumer base.
Importantly, we might not be seeing the death of phone conversations just yet. Although more customers are actively avoiding telephones when it comes to connecting with businesses, 45% of respondents said that they would be happy to use a phone if it meant getting a rapid response to a complicated problem in the future.
In other words, while today’s clients might not prefer the phone to other channels like instant chat and email, that doesn’t mean that voice communications are obsolete. There’s always going to be a benefit in talking directly to another human being, particularly when people need to express their concerns about a complicated query or deal with a complex problem.
Time to Embrace an Omnichannel Strategy?
If Aspect’s research proves anything, it’s that there’s never been a more important time to embrace a multi-channel approach to communications. Of course, if brands want their omnichannel solutions to be a success, then they’ll need to think about how they can put powerful platforms in place, where customers can quickly and effectively report issues and receive suitable support for their needs.
Today’s customers want a consistent experience regardless of where they interact with service representatives. If companies are unable to provide this streamlined path to success, then they might struggle to maintain a good relationship with their customers – leading to a loss of sales and revenue. Those struggling to connect with clients in the most versatile ways may need to think about investing in new suites of customer engagement tools specifically designed to make it easier to manage interactions in the digital world in a more holistic manner.
In a world where customers are more demanding and less forgiving than ever before, brands that fail to join their clients on the channels they choose could fall behind their competition.
