Consumer Behavior
Self-service gains traction among consumers
June 3, 2020
A good majority of consumers, 83%, will use self-service options when available, reflecting a spike of 7% from 2019.
A prime reason, according to a CFI Group and Radial report, is the retail landscape change due to the coronavirus pandemic as more consumers are relying on virtual channels for purchase. It also proves retailers need to prioritize digital transformation within customer service, according to a press release on the data findings.
According to the study, technologies continue to heighten consumer expectations. Here several key trends growing among retail customers, including:
- Increasing comfort with self-service: Only 30% of all retail customers had contacted customer service directly without at least some attempt to self-serve.
- Reaching out through multiple channels: One-third of consumers say they used more than one channel of communication with customer service (e.g., chat and phone; social media, email and phone; etc.) for an overall average of 1.6 channels.
- Agents are more prepared with customer interactions: Three-quarter of agents are prepared with past customer interactions, including their purchase histories and other prior contacts, and 66% of respondents value agents' ability to refer to this. Majority of respondents said that they actively seek out brands with these capabilities.
"It's long been clear that agents armed with customers' account histories and prior interactions with a brand lead to better service experiences," said Sheri Petras, CEO of CFI Group, in the release. "The new data from our most recent survey show that this goes much further, though, with a significant proportion of our respondents telling us that they actively seek out brands that have these capabilities. That has implications that extend well beyond smooth customer service experiences."
