The role of Customer Service has been evolving for years, with technology reshaping the industry to be able to meet increasing demand and customer expectations. Modern day customers are spoilt for choice in almost every industry, and as a result have come to rely on brands to deliver outstanding customer service.
COVID-19 saw this demand accelerate more than anyone could predict, with businesses and consumers alike, thrown into the unknown as the world went into lockdown. During a time of isolation, companies who were able to make customer interactions more human and relatable were the ones who stood out amongst competitors. Customer Service teams were pivotal to this, acting as the voice for brands who were trying to assure customers while not knowing what the future had in store themselves.
18-months on from when the UK was forced into lockdown, we’re asking the question – has the pandemic changed Customer Service forever?
Response and resolution
As consumers, we have all come to expect instant responses when we need support from a company – so much so it has become seen as a consumer right to have this level of service. This expectation has increased during the pandemic and looks set to become the standard.
Lockdown saw more consumers take to social media and live chat to seek support. This, combined with call centres running at reduced capacity due to homeworking, put an immense strain on many customers service teams. One of the biggest shifts we have seen over the course of the pandemic has been how customers want to communicate with customer service. According to a Forrester’s report, messenger was previously ranked fifth in terms of channel usage, now it is second.
Companies need to be prepared for this change in behaviour to be around for the long term and have the infrastructure in place to be able to respond and resolve issues timely and accurately.
We’ve explored here how the customer service landscape is changing in a post-pandemic world. Within these changes are opportunities for your business to support your customers and provide the service they need and expect.