3 Tips to help Stay Ahead of Customer Expectations in 2021

In a recent Five9 webinar, an audience poll revealed that 62% of respondents feel that customer experiences (CX) have gotten worse over the past 10 months. This poll result is unsurprising due to the spike in contact center demand caused by the lockdowns and that many brands were ill-equipped to react to this dramatic shift in behavior. Despite these CX challenges brought on by the pandemic, another audience poll revealed 52% of respondents believe that consumers have become even more demanding in 2020.  

Thanks to technology, CX professionals have the tools available to overcome these challenges for a successful new year. Here are 3 tips to help you stay ahead of new consumer demands in 2021:  
 

1. Give agents the tools to solve issues the first time: In a digital-first world, your agents are on the frontline of your business. Therefore, it’s imperative to provide your agents with the right technologies they need to resolve customer questions the first time. The 2020 Five9 CSI report reveals that the factor which makes the best customer experience is when the agent gets the answer right even if it takes more time. Even though consumers don’t want to wait a long time to reach an agent, they don’t mind spending more time with an agent if it results in getting the information or answer they need. Learn more here.  
    

2. Engage customers through their channel of choice: The pandemic has put digital channels in the spotlight. With increasing long wait times, it's more important than ever to provide consumer with alternative channels, such as email, text or webchat. Less urgent questions can easily be resolved via chat or email, while more urgent questions should be resolved over the phone with a live agent. Although, phone continues to be most the popular channel of choice across all age groups, it’s still important to provide consumers with their channel preference. Learn more here.  
    

3. Start thinking how artificial intelligence (AI) can help your agents and customers: AI-powered customer service is truly the future of customer experience. A virtual assistant enables customers to get the information they want quickly without having to speak to a live agent. Not only can AI help solve frequently asked questions, but it can assist agents by taking notes in real-time and providing call summaries. By removing these manual tasks, agents are empowered to focus 100% on the customer in real-time. Even if you're not ready, start thinking about AI right now. Afterall, 71% of consumers agree that technology adoption (e.g. AI and machine learning) is important to improve customer service experiences. Learn more here.  
    

For deeper insights into how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted customer service and ways to stay ahead of new expectations in the new year, watch our latest on-demand webinar, What Does Customer Service Look Like in Pandemic Word. Contact Center Analyst, Blair Pleasant and Michael Rose, podcast host of That’s Genius! reveal the results of the pandemic edition of the 2020 Five9 Customer Service Index (CSI) report and provide insights to help businesses better meet their customers’ evolving expectations.