Cloud contact centre provider Genesys has released its State of Customer Experience report, looking into how businesses are approaching customer experience.
Having first been conducted in 2017, the report analyses trends in consumer expectations to identify the areas where businesses are getting customer experience right and wrong.
Among the key findings was that the biggest disconnect between consumers and businesses is the desire to solve an issue the first time a customer contacts a company – with 54% of consumers wanting their issues solved at the first interaction versus only one-third of businesses prioritising first-contact resolution.
Instead, the global survey of 690 CX executives and 2,629 adults over the age of 18 between April and May 2021 found that businesses are focusing on professionalism and friendliness – at 48% of respondents – and quick responses to requests at 38%.
“Businesses are missing the mark when it comes to fully understanding what it takes to meet customer expectations, especially of first-contact resolution,” said Ginger Conlon, Customer Experience Advocate at Genesys.
“We’re in a reality where consumers expect a company to know who they are and engage with the best agent that’s equipped to meet their needs. Moving beyond efficiency and focusing on delivering the right data and orchestrating the next-best action in the ideal moment and channel are paths to success.”
Other findings of the report included the fact that:
- 90% of repeat customers scored a business’ ability to listen as their most important attribute
- Voice remains the most-used channel (68%), but digital channels such as messaging, mobile apps, chatbots, social media and video calling more than doubled in popularity since 2017
- 64% of businesses are hiring more agents for their contact centres
Genesys recently launched the BeyondCX elearning programme for contact centre employees and supervisors, intended to teach soft skills to contact centre employees.
“With Genesys BeyondCX and the latest WEM innovations, businesses can create engagement and development experiences employees want and delivered in a familiar way that fosters a sense of community, enjoyment and professional growth,” said Merijn te Booij, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Workforce Engagement Management at Genesys, at the time.
