While the service industry digitalizes with an emerging tempo, customers tend to engage with companies in cross-channel journeys. For instance, about 15% of customer support activities were carried out from mobile devices in 2015 and more than a half have visited the web before calling. By 2018, this number is going to increase and every 20th request will be submitted through different channels. With innovations in ecommerce and other industries, customers want to experience the ominchannel approach in customer support as well, so it provides the same convenience as the cross-channel shopping. Moreover, customers want to get their requests answered quicker and more efficiently, avoiding the disconnected experience which is one of the leading causes of high operating expenses and missed sales opportunities.

At the same time, analysts predict that the future is after the interplay of the customer service processes and smart metrics which help in keeping track of customer satisfaction index and CEC efficiency. These metrics include such essential numbers as the number of clients lost in a certain period, the percentage of customers lost in a certain period as well as the value of recurring business lost or percentage, first contact resolution rate, purchase frequency and others.

Just 57 percent of call centers remain voice only in 2015, therefore, in the nearest future call centers are going to be transformed into customer engagement centers, which have two more complex objectives: providing support through various offline and online communication channels and accommodating client’s individual preferences. This approach will help companies deliver results that are beneficial to both - the customer and the business and allow adjust processes without affecting the core systems and principles of the organization.

Apart from omnichannel communication, the “You have only one chance to give a good first impression” strategy will gain momentum in building a consistent and seamless customer and agent experience in the upcoming years. Though most clients are ready to give a company at least one more chance after receiving a poor service before they consider switching, 37 percent decide to switch immediately after the poor customer service experience. That’s why it is crucial to rationalize this process from the first point of interaction, regardless of the communication channel.

After conducting an in-depth analysis of the service industry trends, we carried out a metrics-based study, which will help you build an outstanding customer service experience and eventually increase loyalty. The study includes the research results that prove CEC to be most efficient solution for fast-growing companies. It also highlights the key benchmarking statistics of users’ behavior while interacting with companies.

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