Ten Predictions Of Customer Service For 2019

According to Forbes, we are in a moment of boom for innovation in all business areas. The results of numerous surveys conducted in the last two or three years have revealed that customer service and, consequently, customer experience will be a priority for most companies.

A Gartner study four years ago predicted that by 2019 more than 50% of organizations would invest more money in customer service and experience. They were right about the trend, but today’s figures indicate that even more organizations are making the customer experience a priority.

Ten Predictions Of Customer Service For 2019

1) Customers Are More Demanding

They know what they want when it comes to customer service. Increasingly, the customer experience becomes more important. Users no longer compare organizations with their competitors, but with the best service they have received from any company with which they have had a relationship.

2) Customers Want More Facilities

Clients appreciate the ease and convenience when it comes to making arrangements and consultations with companies. Policies and customer service processes should not create any friction for the customer. Currently, customers will do more business with organizations that are easier to work with. And, for that, they are willing to pay more.

3) The Customer Experience Will Rise To The Top Of The Marketing Agenda

While companies spend more on customer experience and make it a priority, the real impact is in the marketing department. Customer service and customer experience has been, and will continue to be, one of the best marketing investments a company can make.

4) Personalization Remains Key

People are surprised with the way the companies they do business with seem to know about them. The ability to use data to analyze buying patterns, and then use them to adequately promote or provide a personalized experience, is becoming easier. In the short and medium term, more organizations will do a better job segmenting their customers in groups to provide a more personalized experience.

5) Customers Expect Self-service Options

A large portion of clients want, and expect, a quick response or resolution to a query or problem, and unlike a previous generation (such as Baby Boomers), they do not want to make a phone call to obtain it. Therefore, organizations must provide the self-service solutions that their customers want and will appreciate.

6) Omnichannel Is Still Present

Customers do not care about the terminology; all they care about is being able to connect with the brand through the channel they prefer. It does not matter if it’s chat online (or a chatbot), a social channel like Twitter, a messaging application or even the traditional phone. For the client it is the same. They just want the most convenient way (for them) to connect with the company and get what they want, quickly and easily.

7) The Employee Experience Will Be As Important As The Customer’s

What happens inside an organization is reflected abroad by the client. While a good employee experience can create a better experience for the customer, it can also create a culture that makes an organization unbeatable compared to other companies that could “steal” their best talent.

8) The Mobile Is More Than A Telephone

The mobile phone is not just a telephone. Some people just use the part of their smartphone’s phone. However, they use applications to connect with their friends, family, businesses and other organizations. They read, buy, learn and communicate using applications, not voice-to-speech communication. Organizations have to find a way to access their customers’ mobile devices.

9) The Phone Is Not Dead And Will Not Die

It seems that today’s rumors make us believe that the phone is dead for customer service. On the contrary, the phone is not dead … yet. Undoubtedly, the growing trends of self-service options and digital solutions, such as chatbots powered by artificial intelligence (AI), are reducing some of the direct communication, but customers will always want the option of reaching a human connection when they need it.

10) Artificial Intelligence Continues To Evolve

AI capabilities are progressing at an accelerated pace. What artificial intelligence can do to improve customer service and customer experience is incredible compared to a few years ago. But we are not yet ready for a world in which robots make decisions and make employees obsolete. Currently, the AI is used to offer customer support for lower level requests and questions, such as a change of address, checking the status of an order, etc.

The AI is also gaining popularity as a means to support the agent that offers customer support. The agent knows how to ask the right questions of the machine to get the best answers for the customer. In addition, AI can help the agent by sharing information about the customer based on past problems, purchases and others. And, by comparing the customer with similar clients, the AI can provide information to proactively address problems that have not yet occurred. It can also help the agent make sales to the customer (and that is one aspect of good customer service).