As the pandemic persists and consumer behaviors change to compensate, customer support and experience will continue to evolve and present interesting challenges and opportunities for brands and organizations. As we approach 2022, we’ve curated 22 statistics that showcase support trends, how customer experience (CX) is evolving, what consumers want and the role technology can play. Read on.
 

SUPPORT BY THE NUMBERS

• Companies are still averaging a 14% volume increase in call centers
• Overall customer satisfaction is up ~2%across most channels over 2020, despite increased demand and challenges

Small businesses do better:

• 48% of global consumers said small business got better at customer service
• 71%of consumers said customer service at large businesses stayed the same or got worse

Top challenge and goal:

• 45%of companies are experiencing skills/labor shortages, according to our 2022 trends survey, which is unsurprising given the ongoing Great Resignation
• At 38%, improving service levels is the top goal for contact centers going into 2022

t’s the ultimate question: what do customers want? In a complex global marketplace, companies are competing not only for that first sale, but also the opportunity to engage in a loyal, ongoing relationship with consumers. Here are some insights to help:

• 50%of U.S. consumers say that COVID-19 has increased their prioritization of customer service as a factor when deciding to do business with a brand
• 80%of consumers feel more emotionally connected to a brand when customer service solves their problem
• 30%of customers are willing to pay more for excellent service, a 6% increase over 2019

Consumers value empathy and quick resolutions:

• +42%increase in valuing helpful, empathetic agents and a +20% increase in valuing quick resolutions in 2021 over 2020

Live phone support still ranks #1 in support options, but other channels are making gains:

• Customers who prefer phone call: 69%; email: 54%; online chat: 46%