30 Significant Contact Center and Customer Service Statistics

30-Significant-Contact-Center-and-Customer-Service-Statistics-for-2015

Contact Center industry is evolving every year with rapid changes in customer expectations, technological advancements, processes and intensity of competition. It is crucial to be proactive and well-prepared to sustain in this somewhat unpredictable industry.

Below I have compiled a list of Contact Center Statistics and Customer Service Statistics which would enable decision makers in shaping the future of their contact centers based on the facts, thereby making it easier to not just compete but dominate as a player.

Customer Service and Customer Experience Statistics

Customer service and customer experience is defining the reputation and bottom lines of brands. Its importance can’t be discounted as the customer expectations are higher and word of mouth has got a huge role to play. Take a look at these customer experience statistics in order to improve your business processes:

  • By 2020, customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator. (Source: Walker)
  • After a positive customer experience, 69% of Americans would recommend that company to others
  • 60% of consumers favour a balance of price and service and will not accept low service levels in exchange for a cheap deal. 
  • A 1% improvement in first Call Response = $276,000 in annual operational savings for the average call center (SQM Group)
  • Companies focused on providing a superior experience across customer journeys realized a 10-15% increase in revenue and a 20% increase in customer satisfaction. (Source: McKinsey)

Gamification Statistics

Engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave an organization than the disengaged. And in order to ensure that your employees (call centre agents) are engaged and satisfied and attrition is on the lower side, gamification could be one of the top contact center solutions you all have been waiting for.

Take a glance at the 5 compelling statistics on the use of gamification

  • By the end of 2015, more than 40% of the top companies will be using gamification to transform their business operations. (Source: Gartner)
  • By 2016, gamification will be an essential element for brands to drive customer marketing and loyalty. (Source: Gartner)
  • The gamification industry is expected to grow to over $2 billion in the U.S. by 2015, according to M2 Research.
  • According to a report by Aberdeen Research, organizations that deployed gamification have seen their annual revenue grow nearly twice as fast as their peers.
  • 70% of business transformation efforts fail due to a lack of employee engagement. (Source: Gartner)

Texting via SMS as a Communication Channel Statistics

Texting vis SMS is emerging as customer service channel and is turning out to be more important than previously thought.

  • 44% of consumers with texting capabilities would prefer to press a button to initiate a text conversation immediately, rather than waiting on hold to speak with an agent. (Source: The Harris Poll)
  • 64% of consumers with texting capabilities would prefer to use texting over voice as a customer service channel. (Source: The Harris Poll)
  • 77% of consumers with texting capabilities aged 18-34 are likely to have a positive perception of a company that offers text capability. (Source: The Harris Poll)
  • 81% of all consumers agree that it is frustrating to be tied to a phone or computer to wait for customer service help. (Source: The Harris Poll)

Multi-Channel Communication Statistics

Although customers want multiple options when it comes to communicating with an organization, voice still remains the most critical and predominant channel. Read the other facts here:

  • Almost 86% of today’s centers are multi-channel. (Source: ICMI research)
  • Phones still handle around 68% of all contact center communications
  • Research shows that 74% of customers are using 3 or more channels to access customer service. (Source: ICMI research)
  • By 2017, one third of all customer service interactions will still require the support of a human intermediary. (Source: Gartner)
  • 45% of consumers will abandon an online transaction (switching to Voice) if their questions or concerns are not addressed quickly. (Source: ICMI research)
  • 92% of organizations that view customer experience as a differentiator offer multiple contact channels (Deloitte)
  • Through 2018, the lack of support in mobile applications will lower customer satisfaction rates by 5%. (Source: Gartner)
  • More than 100 of the 500 largest global businesses will introduce video-based chat by 2018. (Source: Gartner)

Social Media and Online Space as a Communication Channel Statistics

While social media may not be a popular choice yet when it comes to customer service, but it can have a big impact on how customers perceive your brand.

  • Social media channels handle just 3% of all customer communications.
  • When companies engage and respond to customer service requests over social media, those customers end up spending 20% to 40% more money with the company. (Bain & Company)
  • Failure to respond via social channels can lead to a 15% increase in the churn rate. 
  • 52% say Facebook is the most effective social channel for customer service. Twitter follows at 25%, then LinkedIn at 8%. (Source: Salesforce)
  • 59% of 25-34 year-olds share poor customer experiences online.

Other Contact Center / Customer Service Statistics

  • In 2013, 62% of organizations were already using cloud-based contact centre solutions and this number is expected to grow by 25% in 2015. (Source: DMG Consulting)
  • 70% of contact centers plan to expand the use of virtual agents in 2015. (Source: Salesforce)
  • 55% of consumers are willing to pay extra for products and services from companies that are committed to positive social and environmental impact (Source: Nielsen)
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