Customer Service Trends in 2023
With 92% of consumers expecting to continue to contact customer service at or above pandemic-era rates, we are facing a future where companies that aren’t customer-centric will have a hard time surviving. [1] This is why companies must keep up with customer service trends so that they’re able to cater to these evolving customer needs.
For instance, even though customer service has been influenced and aided by technology, it has been observed that customers still value human interaction. Customers have reportedly also shared that they are less likely to use a brand if a human customer service representative is not available. Therefore, your customer service team should work hand in hand with technology trends to stay aligned with the company’s culture.
Here are 7 trends in 2023 that your customer service strategy should take into consideration:
#1 Omnichannel customer service is the way forward
We have known omnichannel customer service to offer support across email, chat, phone, web widgets, messaging, social media, and mobile apps – a recent PWC survey found more than 80% of respondents reportedly shop across at least three of these channels.
However, the most recent development is that one in three respondents reported using virtual reality (VR) channels to make their purchases. Virtual reality is the newest addition to the list of support channels available to customers, especially in purchasing retail products and luxury goods. The newest challenge faced by teams today is integrating those interactions into their existing omnichannel customer service strategy.
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It should be noted that omnichannel support always comes with the responsibility to stay up-to-date with your offerings and maintain a presence across channels, whether new or old. However, which channels to be available on, which to skip, and how to maintain a unified record of your customer data across all channels for a seamless customer service experience continues to be a critical priority for business leaders.
Tips for customer service trend #1
- Deploy an omnichannel helpdesk software to manage customer queries across channels.
- Monitor and analyze customer interactions to optimize frequently used channels for higher queries.
- Make your brand visible across channels to facilitate omnichannel customer service.
#2 Chat: The most preferred channel for customer service
The past two years have highlighted the opportunities in customer service via chat. Even though customers leverage at least three channels during their purchase journey, chat has become one of the most frequently used contact channels. Chat, also referred to as conversational messaging, has the potential for faster problem solving and facilitating easier contact with customer service. Organizations have shifted their focus to live chat, chatbots, and mobile applications.
These channels support real-time interactions and proactive customer service. As a result, consumers prefer social media mentions and private messaging channels to get quick responses from companies. Verint’s research reported consumers under 45 engage with companies through social media twice as much, while 50% of consumers in that demographic prefer using private messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, SMS, or WhatsApp.
Tips for customer service trend #2
- Engage with customers across messaging channels like website live-chat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Apple Business chat, etc.
- Deploy a ticketing software that converts these chats into a new ticket or tags them to an existing conversation from the customer.
- Use an omnichannel chat software like Freshdesk to enable a unified and contextual conversational engagement across teams.
#3 Step up your digital-first customer service
According to the recent McKinsey report, e-commerce sales rose by about 35% YoY since the onset of the pandemic, and online penetration remains about 30% higher than pre-pandemic levels. If you are a digital-first business, your products and services are available to your clients 24/7, and you must have witnessed a substantial rise in online customer queries. However, post-pandemic scenes saw customers returning to brick-and-mortar shops and continuing to shop online. Even though some customers preferred physical stores, they found it more convenient to raise a request or enquire online through various digital platforms. This transition requires you to address incoming customer queries much earlier than other businesses operating through traditional channels.
By prioritizing a digital-first customer experience, companies can analyze how their customers want to interact with them. They can automate interactions across channels using robust omnichannel helpdesk software. As a result of this transformation, businesses have started expanding their support reach to digital-first engagement channels. This allows customer service representatives to have contextual conversations with the customers with complete access to customer information. Digital customer service has enabled seamless collaboration across teams, improving resolution times and customer satisfaction.
Tips for customer service trend #3
- If you’re a digital-first business, learn more about digital transformation.
- Create your customer experience strategy using the CX Design toolkit.
- Get all the resources you need to run your digital-first business successfully.
#4 Build a smarter supply chain for effortless customer service
Companies are leaving no stone unturned in ensuring transparent communication and customer convenience. With effortless experience being a key factor in ensuring a higher customer lifetime value, organizations want to eliminate unnecessary processing times. They have identified factors like limited operational visibility, communication gaps between support teams and external vendors, and the information lag between customers and customer service representatives.
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That’s where the need for a transparent supply chain steps in. Organizations need to allow an intelligent supply chain management system to self-regulate the supply chain, offering absolute transparency to all stakeholders to help them optimize their processes and help customer service representatives collaborate and resolve customer queries timely.
End-to-end visibility will be the number one requirement for effective supply chain management, and digital enablement will be key in evolving the supply chain.[3] Organizations are investing in digital supply chain management solutions so that businesses can be more responsive to evolving consumer expectations.
Tips for customer service trend #4
- Deploy a customer service software that improves supply chain visibility.
- Unify customer communications and access historical customer information to offer quick and efficient solutions.
- Stay connected with service providers on the go and collaborate with third-party vendors for end-to-end visibility of consignments.
#5 Personalized customer service will win over more customers
When it comes to customer service, consumers want fast, relevant, and personalized solutions. In fact, 42% of customer service decision-makers say that customers now expect faster customer service. It was also found that approximately 40% of customers expect brands to solve their problems on their preferred communication channels, giving them the liberty to customize their entire purchase journey.
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Per the Deloitte survey snapshot above, personalized customer service from your agents has been reported as the most critical factor that leads to high customer satisfaction. The same research shows that per customer service managers, every third customer expects a personalized service. Hence, it becomes important for organizations to deploy customer service software to keep tabs on customer service metrics and optimize processes or incorporate trends that may directly impact CSAT scores and overall customer retention.
Tips for customer service trend #5
- Create a customizable helpdesk using Freshdesk’s extensive customization capabilities.
- Optimize customer support workflows by creating customer segments within our helpdesk.
- Use these 11 customer care tips to show your customers that you value their support.
#6 Self-service is the way to empower modern customers
The Future of CX 2023 report by Freshworks highlights that around 78% of leaders are investing more in self-service options, allowing customers to help themselves with self-help portals and AI-powered chatbots. Bots help customers solve their problems on their own. However, companies must deploy automation capabilities that allow bots to sync with the information in your well-designed, comprehensive, and up-to-date knowledge base.
On further deep dive, Freshworks reported a 7% increase in CSAT scores due to successful bot implementations. While customer satisfaction was seen to rise due to the timely resolution by customers taking the lead to find answers on their own, employee satisfaction was attributed to not having to repeatedly solve similar customer queries.
Tips for customer service trend #6
- Create a knowledge base for customers to find answers to their problems conveniently.
- Revisit your self-service portal. Get inspired by the hand-picked collection of customized support portals.
- Use answer bots and help customers get the best answer from your knowledge base content whenever they want.
#7 Go proactive with social media customer service
According to Facebook IQ insights, 53% of the respondents said they are more likely to buy from a company that provides customer service via chat on WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger than one that does not. Social media has become widely popular among customers to interact with brands, pre, during, and post-purchase. Brands have realized the need to have an active presence across social media platforms, and today, social media customer service has become even more important than ever. Prompt replies to customer queries, reviews, and feedback on social media have become an integral aspect of the purchase journey.
As much as brands must do the hard work of delivering social media customer service, it is a two-way street. Customers are more willing to use social media to inquire about products and eventually purchase them. As a result, small businesses create their social media profile as the first step to gaining a customer’s trust and improving brand visibility. With increasing social media usage, customers expect instant responses, which may be a factor in staying loyal to the brand.
Tips for customer service trend #7
- Get your guide to winning social media customer service in 2023.
- Ensure that your business has an active social media presence.
- Integrate your social media profile with your helpdesk to manage customer queries.
Customer Service Trends: Adapt to win
We hope the above customer service trends help you stay ahead of your competitors. Don’t forget to use the tips to master these trends and exceed customer expectations whenever they interact with your brand. Since your customers trust you with their time, money, and personal information, it is your responsibility to adapt to the customer service trends to ensure they continue contributing to your business.
Do you foresee any new customer service trends beyond 2023? Please let us know in the comments below.
Updated on April 26, 2023.
