Consumers Want Customer Service to Follow Their Lead

Fast, timely solutions, the first time, are also ideal

According to a new survey, internet users want customer service solutions to happen how they initially reached out—especially when it’s a digital request.

A February 2018 survey from Conversocial found that 17% of respondents (85% of whom were located in the US and 15% in the UK) said remaining in the channel where the request was initiated is the most important piece of a good online customer service experience.

Although there are a number of contact methods, these respondents don’t want to be shuffled from channel to channel to solve an issue. If support is requested via social, for example, they don’t want to be told to contact a call center.

Meanwhile, almost four in 10 respondents said the most important aspect of a positive customer service experience is having an issue resolved in a single interaction. When a brand’s support team starts in one channel before moving to another, it could frustrate consumers seeking a fast solution.

It's worth noting that, as an online customer service platform, Conversocial’s findings may favor digital methods more than traditional interactions.

An Aspect survey from November 2017 found nontraditional customer service contact methods, often digital in nature, to be the least appealing to US internet users. Aspect, which provides customer contact solutions, found consumers tend to dislike social (35%), chatbots on mobile (32%) and messaging apps (27%) when faced with a customer service issue.

For many consumers—especially older ones—the phone remains the preferred way to reach customer service. Nearly one-third (31.9%) of internet users surveyed for the “eMarketer Ecommerce Insights Report,” conducted by Bizrate Insights in March 2018, identified the phone as their favorite method of interacting with customer service.

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