The pandemic threw customer service into the spotlight, even as the industry faced challenges alongside the rest of the world.
But as the pandemic starts to subside and the dust starts to settle, companies can move from survival mode to preparing for the future and adjusting to changes and trends in the post-Covid world. Chief on that list is updating customer service efforts.
These 15 stats show how customer service has changed because of the pandemic and answer the big question: what comes next?
1 . 93% of customer service teams say customers have higher expectations than ever before. (Hubspot)
Customers know brands have the technology tools to automate and personalize many aspects of customer service, and they expect it to happen. As leading brands continually improve their customer service efforts, customers expect the same experience from all brands.
2 . 58% of consumers say their customer service expectations are higher than they were a year ago. (TalkDesk)
Customers may have been understanding of the challenges brands faced during the pandemic, but that tolerance has lessened, and now customers expect more than ever. We’re living in the new normal, and brands have to find ways to adapt and evolve.
3 . 75% of consumers say the pandemic will drive long-term changes in their behavior. (Forrester)
Customers are fundamentally different post-Covid, including what they expect and value. Brands can’t blindly continue the same approach to customer service and hope that it will work with changed customers.
4 . 50% of consumers say the pandemic caused them to rethink their purpose and priorities. (Accenture)
Customers are coming out of the pandemic with new priorities and values and want to connect with brands that reflect those values and treat them like humans. They’ve realized that there are options and won’t stick with brands that don’t provide excellent service.
5 . 75% of consumers say customer service worsened during the pandemic. (NBC)
Staffing shortages, supply chain issues and a host of other challenges plagued customer service during the pandemic. But as we leave the pandemic behind, too many companies are still using it as an excuse for poor service instead of finding new ways to serve customers.
6 . 78% of consumers have contacted a company multiple times to address a single concern. (NBC)
A great customer experience should make customers’ lives easier, even if it makes the company’s life harder. That hasn’t been the case recently, and having to work harder has made customers frustrated and less loyal.
7 . 53% of support teams have seen an increase in support queries since the start of the pandemic. (Forrester)
Contact centers are under more pressure and doing more work than ever before, which likely won’t slow down in a post-Covid world. Providing alternative customer service options, including self-service and in-person, can ease the strain on contact centers.
8 . Customer service agents are managing 7.2 more calls per day. (Calabrio)
The uptick of calls shows the importance of the contact center. To continually provide great service, companies need to ensure agents have the knowledge and technology they need.
9 . 55% of customer service teams report an increased customer preference for interacting over digital channels. (Forrester)
So much of our lives has turned digital over the past two years, and customer service is no exception. Customers realize the convenience of digital channels and now expect them to work smoothly for all brands.
10 . Before the pandemic, messaging was ranked fifth in customer service channel usage. Now, it’s second. (Forrester)
Customers want to interact with brands differently now, which requires updating the customer service strategy and investing in the right tools to match demand.
11 . 45% of customers are more likely to use self-service than before the pandemic. (Acumen)
Self-service is the future of customer service, especially after the pandemic. Customers want the convenience of getting help on their schedules from knowledge centers, bots or communities.
12 . 22% of contact centers say improving self-service is their number-one priority going forward. (Contact Center Pipeline)
Self-service is a win for customers and companies. It allows agents to focus on more complex issues and empowers customers to solve their own problems.
13 . 87% of contact center agents report high or very high stress levels at their call centers. (Cornell)
Contact center jobs have always been stressful, especially with more calls and frustrated callers. Burnout is a real threat for agents, and companies need to bolster their experience.
14 . One-third of contact center agents were actively looking for a job in 2021. (Gallup)
The Great Resignation hit customer service hard. Brands need to prioritize employee experience and invest in technology to automate as much as possible.
15 . 70% of customer service employees want to continue working from home. (Gartner)
The initial shift to working at home was difficult for many employees, but they saw the benefits once they settled in. It used to be unthinkable to have contact center agents work from home, but now brands need to address it as a real future.
Customer service has undergone significant changes over the past two years, both in how customers interact with companies and manage their expectations and in the technology and experience of employees. Going forward, companies need to adjust their strategies to continually deliver outstanding service in a changing world.
Blake Morgan is a bestselling author and customer experience futurist, in addition to being the founder of CustomerExperienceCommunity.com.