You know how they say the only thing constant in life is change? Well, that applies to the world of customer service too. As customer expectations continue to evolve, we are witnessing some changes in customer service trends as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And contributing more to these changes in customer service in recent years is the Covid19 pandemic. The pandemic really dealt with the customer service department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After analysing over 1 million customer service calls, Harvard Business Review<\/a> found that there has been a dramatic increase in customer frustrations and anxiety since the pandemic of 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To address these challenges, customer service reps need to be armed to the teeth with sophisticated customer service tools<\/a> that let them deliver their responsibilities effectively. You can find examples of such tools here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having said that said, what are the new trends that are sweeping over customer service in 2022? There are a whole lot of them, but these 7 customer service trends 2022 caught our attention:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When a customer has a challenge today or wants to make an enquiry, they don\u2019t call or send a mail first. Instead, they turn to Google or any other search engine to see what they can find. Basically, customers are becoming more self-dependent when learning more about a company or resolving an issue. Contacting customer service is fast becoming the last resort for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over 69% of customers would try to resolve their issues by themselves. As a result, more businesses are paying more attention to self-service as a crucial part of their customer service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n FAQ Page and a comprehensive knowledge base are among the quickest way for a business to offer self-service to customers. To contextualize, Harvard Business Review found that 88% of US customers expect a self-service support portal from organizations. That should tell you all you need to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If a customer complains about something, chances are that more customers would complain about the same thing over time. That\u2019s simply because customers are humans with more in common than not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The implication of this is that there will be a lot of repetition of the same message to multiple customers. That can be draining and tiring for anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is why automation through AI (artificial intelligence) is now so crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chatbots, auto-responder emails, and FAQs are fast becoming the order of the day. This not only makes sure your customers get all the help they need on time, but it also reduces the workload on your customer service team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Omnichannel ticketing is a very popular trend in customer service these days. Customers want to reach out to you through different channels and they expect the same experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The emergence of new digital and communication channels daily make provides new options for businesses to relate with customers. But with every advantage is a bit of an advantage, as there is a new challenge of managing all the messages coming through these various channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Omnichannel, you can sync all customer communications from multiple channels to one platform, providing a consistent experience irrespective of the channel they choose. Learn more about Omnichannel and its benefits here.<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Improve Customer Experience with Omnichannel<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In customer service, response time is the time it takes you as a business to respond to complaints and queries from customers. A key component of excellent customer service these days is responding to customer messages as quick as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If they have their way, customers want to get a response before they finish making their enquiry. That\u2019s how high their expectations are these days. More than ever before, customers want a next-to-instant response to their questions and enquiries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There have been varying results from different findings on this topic, but what\u2019s constant is the growing need for faster response from companies. For instance, a survey found that 90% of customers consider an immediate response time as \u201cvery important\u201d and \u201cimportant\u201d. The same survey revealed that for 60% of people, 10 minutes or less is \u201cimmediate\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, 71% of customers expect real-time communications from an organization every time they interact with them. In other words, they want to feel like there is someone at the other end responding waiting for them to finish typing and follow up with an answer. That is they want to have an actual conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Social media is no longer one of those customer service options; it\u2019s fast becoming the most popular and primary communication channel customers use. And the reason is not far-fetched – customers these days discover brands on social media, so they just go on to start the conversation right there.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSelf-Service<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Automation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Omnichannel<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Quicker Response Time<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Social Media<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n