With the possibility of the work-from-home arrangement discontinuing when the situation improves, organisations across Asia-Pacific region will carry on with the digital transformation of their customer experience (CX) and CX processes, as stated in a new report by global cloud communications platform Infobip.
The report titled A Year of Disruption: Managing Increasing Complexities in Customer Service surveyed 2,760 professionals across nine Asia-Pacific markets – Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea, China, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
The results showed that companies still face some challenges while implementing changes in future and these are:
- More queries amid uncertainty: 54% of respondents cited the increase in support enquiries as a top challenge faced in customer support last year
- Bridging the skills gap: The survey shows that 60% of APAC respondents said employee training is a top consideration when adopting a digital customer support system
- Evolving preferences: From Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp Business to Viber, online chat is a growing space for Business-to-Customer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B) communications.
The data indicates that the customer service support (CSS) and CX landscape is evolving and slowly departing from traditional channels. This is a key finding for one specific Asia-Pacific market. Thirty-five respondents from the Philippines agreed on the need to digitalise CSS.
Automation is the Future
Fifty percent of the respondents said the digitalisation of CSS is a permanent implementation moving forward. The long-term benefits of smart automation and implementation of a digital omni-channel hub will be the primary choice in the future.
Rating on a scale of 1-10, respondents gave an eight on average for the importance and necessity for CSS to be digitalised.
Charist Montenegro, Country Manager of Infobip Philippines, said:
“The convergence of business and information technology is an important investment that Filipino executives should make now. The changes that they will decide on to improve their operations, particularly in digitalising their tools to satisfy customer needs and demands, will enable to them to reap tangible benefits in the long-term even beyond the pandemic.”
According to Infobip, the respondents cited that the increase in and management of support channels were amongst their two greatest challenges. Customer support teams are encouraged to consider adopting an omni-channel approach or end up creating fragmented customer journeys.
The report also reveals top-level decision makers look at several factors before implementing their digital approach. The CX industry seems to be experiencing a skills gap, as respondents in all the markets listed employee training as the top consideration for adopting a digital support system.
Respondents in all the markets also say their customer support teams are ready for remote working. A deeper dive into Philippine data shows that the increase in support channel (56%) and unfamiliarity with new channels (37%) are among the top digital technology challenges that local companies face.
