20% of inbound contact centre volume will come from machine customers
A fifth of inbound customer service contact volume will come from machine customers by 2026, as advances in Conversational AI, Automation, and Low Code Resources impact ways customers and reps interact. Machine customers are nonhuman economic actors that obtain goods or services in exchange for payment. In customer service and support, they will resemble virtual […]
‘Connected Rep’ strategy will improve contact centre efficiency by 30%
Customer service functions that implement the “connected rep” will improve contact centre efficiency by 30% by 2026. The connected rep is a strategy that enables customer service reps (CSRs) to perform high-quality assisted service at scale. It bridges technology and talent, using context, guidance, and design to reduce rep effort and increase consistency across interactions. […]
Demand for a blended omnichannel customer experience grows
While almost half of consumers (47%) preferring to visit the high street to shop for clothing in person, new research indicates consumer readiness to shop in-store now comes with a new set of expectations when it comes to ongoing engagement. That’s according to NTT DATA, which says that over the past couple of years, consumers […]
Half of customer service reps avoid adopting new tech
Forty-five percent of customer service reps (CSRs) avoid adopting new technologies by relying on legacy systems and tools. A Gartner online survey of 888 CSRs and support specialists from August 2022 revealed access to legacy systems is the main barrier to new technology adoption. “Many leaders believe that certain groups are less likely to adopt […]
148 million extra customer support calls: How the cost of living crisis is impacting customer care
UK households will make an extra 148 million customer service enquiries this year as the cost-of-living crisis continues and consumer spending tightens. That’s according to analysis by Firstsource Solutions, which says higher interest rates, inflation, and rising energy costs mean UK households are more likely to cancel subscriptions, downgrade packages, query bills and charges, and […]
Customer data and analytics ‘top priority’ for achieving customer service goals
Customer service and support leaders cited customer data and analytics as a top priority for achieving organisational goals in 2023, according top new research. In a Gartner online survey of 283 customer service and support leaders from August-October 2022, 84% of customer service and service support leaders cited customer data and analytics as “very or […]
Global government IT spending to grow 6.8%, fuelled by TX demand
Worldwide government IT spending is forecast to total $588.9 billion in 2023, an increase of 6.8% from 2022, fuelled by demand for consumer-like Total Experience (TX) strategies. “Government organizations are continuing to modernize legacy IT and invest in initiatives that improve access to digital services as constituents increasingly demand experiences that are equivalent to online […]
EU businesses fined over 830m euros for GDPR violations in 2022
As of December 2022 companies based in the EU paid a total of €2.83 billion in 1,401 cases for violating various data protection laws. Out of that, GDPR fines in 2022 total €832 million, which is 36% lower than the €1.3 billion paid in 2021. However, according to the latest data analysed by Atlas VPN last […]
Digital customer engagement solutions: 2022/23 buying trends revealed
Live Chat, AI Applications and Self-Service top the list of solutions the UK’s leading customer engagement professionals are sourcing in 2022/23. The findings have been revealed ahead of this week’s Digital Customer Engagement Summit, which takes place on October 20th. Delegates registering to attend the event have been asked which areas they needed to invest […]
Less than 10% of CFOs plan to decrease customer service spending in the next year
Only 7% of CFOs plan to decrease customer service spending over the next 12 months, according to a July 2022 poll of 234 finance leaders by Gartner. Twenty-one percent plan to increase customer spending and 72% to maintain spending, despite economic pressures. “In response to inflation, supply chain disruptions, and a tight labor market, CFOs […]
