According to the 2020 State of Customer Service Annual Report by HubSpot, as many as a third of customer service professionals believe that their organisations do not hold the customer experience as a prime opportunity for growth. This is a 23 percent increase from the same research conducted in 2019.
More than 85 percent of CX experts claim that customer expectations are at an all-time high. This is especially so considering that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused wanton disruption to businesses and supply lines. His poses a challenge for modern businesses to invest more in customer service.
The report surveyed over a thousand customer service professionals across UK, US, Canada, and Australia in the wake of the pandemic, showing that 86 percent of service teams globally agree that customer expectations are higher than ever. 91 percent of UK service teams agree on the surge in customer expectations, while 29 percent of them still think that customer service is an additional expense.
Results reveal that high growth companies tend to be more perceptive of customer thoughts, feedback, and feelings towards their business. On the other hand, up to 40 percent of businesses are not tracking their customer satisfaction at all. Conversely, about 69 percent of high growth companies claim to make an extensive effort to track customer satisfaction. These businesses are able to stay ahead of competition though seamless and effective service.
When it comes to using tools and data to improve CX, UK customer service experts are at the top of the list, with 37 percent of UK businesses using CRM, 52 percent using help desk systems and 36 percent using live website chat. The overwhelming majority, at 93 percent, agrees that CRM is key to managing data in order to improve customer service.
Inken Kuhlmann-Rhinow, Marketing Director, EMEA at HubSpot, commented: “The evidence in this report shows that the ability of customer service to drive business growth is being undervalued. It’s important we focus on our customers and take care of them by investing in the correct tools to listen to their feedback. This can no longer be perceived as a burden for companies, but a real growth opportunity and perhaps the most significant way to ensure sustainable growth. Remember that customer retention is also a two-sided long game that requires persistence and strategy, so as a growing organisation, it’s important to scale both the employee and the customer.”
