Customer Service Makes a Strategic Shift for ANZ Organisations

The service landscape in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) is evolving at a breakneck pace. The Sixth Edition State of Service report provides a pulse check on the priorities, challenges, and opportunities of over 5,500 service professionals worldwide. 

As customer service trends reveal that customers are setting their expectations sky-high, organisations are under more pressure to deliver personalised service at scale while delivering more value to the business. But there’s good news, too. The introduction of artificial intelligence and enhanced data capabilities are transforming how quality service is delivered, offering exciting opportunities to boost agent productivity and generate revenue.

ANZ Customer Service Trends: Everyone Wants More, from Customers to Executives

In ANZ, the stakes are high and climbing higher. 81% of service professionals in the region report that customers are more demanding than ever, with expectations of fast, personalised service at every interaction.

The biggest priority for ANZ service decision-makers is improving the customer experience, while their biggest challenge is the pressure to reduce costs to serve. 

Multiplying the burden on service, the surge in customer demands correlates with an anticipated increase in cases, with 69% of service professionals in ANZ bracing for higher volumes in the coming year. 

These projections underscore a critical challenge: delivering personalised service at scale – a requirement for maintaining customer loyalty and satisfaction. Self-service, including knowledge-powered help centres, customer portals, and AI-powered chatbots, stands out as a win-win solution.

There’s a growing desire for self-service in ANZ, with 61% of organisations already using it, and 22% piloting or planning to use it within the next 18 months. While self-service now solves 47% of customer issues at organisations that use it, the pressure is on to get it right. 72% of customers won’t reuse a company’s chatbot after just one negative experience, so there’s little room for error. 

Adding to these growing demands is the awareness that customer service has evolved far beyond a simple support function and cost centre. Today, it’s at the forefront of revenue generation. In ANZ, 79% of service organisations are expected to ramp up their contribution to the bottom line. 

This dual pressure requires organisations to not only maintain but amplify service quality, so they can meet the expectations of customers and revenue.

Customer Service is Expanding – in Budget, Headcount and Channels

To meet these soaring demands, service departments in ANZ are ramping up their resources. About 69% of service professionals in the region anticipate an increase in budget, while 67% expect to expand their headcount, suggesting that organisations are preparing to scale up operations to rise to the challenge of today’s customer service trends.

A diversification in service channels – now averaging ten different modes of customer engagement for organisations in ANZ – indicates a strategic move to interact with customers across multiple platforms.
There’s a clear trend in favour of an omnichannel service experience. High-performing organisations provide service across a broader range of channels than underperformers, making it more important than ever to meet customers where, when, and how they want to engage. Live chat, in particular, has been adopted by 9 in 10 high performers globally – but only among 60% of underperformers.

Customer Service AI & Data Promises Scale

Artificial intelligence’s role in transforming service operations is becoming increasingly critical as organisations look to technology as the solution for tougher workloads and more demanding customers. 

With 29% of organisations fully implementing customer service AI, and 39% exploring or experimenting with the technology, AI’s rollout in ANZ’s service landscape is well underway. 

The benefits are clear: 90% of service professionals in these AI-equipped organisations acknowledge the time-saving benefits of AI, while 89% see cost reductions. 

Service organisations are using AI to increase agent efficiency and productivity, which increases their ability to provide customers with prompt and personalised experiences. The top three use cases for AI in ANZ are automated summaries and reports, customer-facing intelligent assistants, and service responses, with plenty more exciting applications emerging.

As service organisations commit to AI, they’re also putting a focus on trustworthy and connected data. 86% of service professionals in ANZ say better access to data from other teams would improve the support they provide, pointing to the importance of a comprehensive data strategy to underpin AI.
In response, 79% of these service organisations report an increase in investment in data integration efforts next year, pointing towards a strategic push to enhance the efficacy and responsiveness of service operations through better data accessibility and connected, efficient service systems.

How Does Your Service Organisation Stack Up?

The trends are clear and the data is compelling: service in ANZ has been forever changed by new customer demands, organisational imperatives, and AI capabilities. 
These are just a few insights into the nature of service today. To learn more about what your customers want and how you can wow them with a strategic approach to customer service – from self-service to the contact centre to the field – read the Sixth Edition State of Service report.