Inside the Fourth Edition of the “State of Service” Report

When customers do interact with different departments — such as when they receive an email to upgrade their device and then contact customer service to discuss the upgrade — 76% expect consistent interactions. However, in reality the majority (53%) of customers say it generally feels like sales, service, and marketing don’t share information. That means customers may find themselves repeating information or feeling as though the experience wasn’t personalized to meet their needs, which can negatively impact customer loyalty.

The rigidity of business policies and protocols can also be in direct conflict with customer satisfaction. This is particularly an issue now as customers face difficult and unfamiliar circumstances that are out of their control — and policies that were not designed with these situations in mind. As a result, 83% of service professionals say they’ve changed policies to provide more flexibility to customers.

Agents on high-performing teams (defined as service teams that have excellent customer satisfaction) are nearly twice as likely as underperformers (defined as service teams with fair or poor customer satisfaction) to have clear guidelines on how flexible they can be. Also, they are more likely to feel encouraged by management to be flexible with customers as well.

Flexibility empowers service teams to resolve each issue in the most personalized way, while helping customers out when they need it most. (For example, deferring a payment when a loyal customer needs additional time.)

As service volumes rise, 87% of service professionals say customers have increased their use of digital channels during the pandemic. This trend will only continue: Customers estimate that 60% of their interactions with companies during 2021 will take place online — up from 42% in 2019, according to the “State of the Connected Customer” report.

Service professionals recognize the critical role digital channels play to scale support: 81% of decision makers say they are accelerating digital initiatives. Self-service options like knowledge base articles, community portals, and chatbots all give customers the information they need quickly. At the same time, 77% of agents say automating routine tasks (for example, updating payment methods or password resets) lets them focus on more complex work. Seventy-eight percent of service professionals say customers have increased their use of self-service during the pandemic, and 66% say self-service reduces call volume.

Service professionals have also realized the importance of data to identify what, when, and where resources can and should be allocated as conditions shift: 74% of decision makers say they are more reliant on data than they were prior to the pandemic. But there is still a ways to go — only 30% of decision makers say they excel at using their data to make strategic business decisions.

Lastly, service professionals are taking a fresh look at their key performance indicators (KPIs). Seventy-one percent say they’ve changed or reprioritized metrics due to the pandemic. Customer satisfaction is still the top metric, but revenue has the highest adoption growth rate, up 57% since 2018. Customer effort has emerged as a new and exciting metric as well, defined as how much time and how many steps customers take to find an answer. A lower customer effort leads to increased customer satisfaction because the answer is available in a few steps, such as on your help center or customer portal.

A 360-degree view of the customer from a single platform helps service professionals deliver more personalized support, resolve cases faster, and make smarter business decisions. It’s important to note that service organizations with digital initiatives in place prior to the pandemic were able to quickly pivot to meet new customer needs and scale support.

Seventy-seven percent of agents say their role is more strategic than two years ago, up from 71% in 2018. Because of this, service agents are increasingly enthusiastic about their futures. Sixty-seven percent of agents see a clear career path, up from 59% in 2018. This coincides with an uptick in on-demand training; 54% had it in 2018, now 61% do. While product knowledge and digital literacy are essential, soft skills like communication style, listening skills, and adaptability are prized as service professionals broaden their scope.

Providing field service also remains a key differentiator for brands, even during the pandemic. Seventy percent of consumers say they still prefer in-person service appointments over alternatives, and 80% of decision makers say field service is a key part of their strategies. This puts safety for both employees and customers in full view: 80% of mobile workers say their employer has taken the necessary steps to keep them safe during the pandemic. The right tools, including mobile capabilities and a connected field service management solution, minimize time at job sites, and remote troubleshooting may reduce the need for a routine visit altogether.