Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2021. Read them in this 13th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
2021: The Year of Automated Customer Service
By Mike Murchison, CEO and Co-founder of Ada
Last year, I predicted that 2020 would be the year that automation takes center stage in the context of customer service. At the time, I, and anyone else who made 2020 predictions, had no idea how much the COVID-19 pandemic would influence the year, which is part of the problem with predictions. That said, some of the lessons learned from COVID can give us a glimpse into what to expect in 2021.
The New-ish Normal
With an ongoing global health crisis and continued political uncertainty, businesses are feeling uneasy (at best) about the future. Companies around the world are scrambling to meet the changing needs of customers on a timely basis, maintain responsibilities to employees, and of course, try to stay profitable. The “new normal” for customer service teams in retail and ecommerce is that customers are more comfortable interacting with brands online. When COVID-19 lockdowns began, Ada saw conversation volumes explode as high as 145% above 2019 Black Friday volumes. We expect this has adjusted consumer behaviour, resulting in more customers continuing to shop online even after life goes back to normal.
One lesson learned during COVID-19 is that when customer inquiries spike, it is not feasible or financially efficient to scale using human support. The agent-first customer support strategy is an outdated model that can’t meet the breadth, depth, and speed expectations of today’s consumers. CX teams in 2021 will work to address this head on – we expect to see more automated conversational support solutions rolled out as the front line for human support teams. Given the realities of doing more with less, a conversational AI strategy using a proven ACX (Automated Customer Service) framework is the most efficient method for scaling support.
Changing customer behavior
Customers are not only ready for an automation-first experience; they now expect it. Forrester predicts that customers who used digital channels for the first time during the pandemic will continue to do so – and drive a 40% increase in the volume of digital interactions, while over 40% of customers consider 24/7 support, in real-time, a top component of a good customer experience.
Customers expect quick answers to basic questions. In fact, over half of online shoppers will abandon a purchase because they can’t find an answer to a question quickly. In 2021, we expect to see businesses increase the number of customer service channels they deploy, as well as ensure that those channels integrate with self-service chatbots.
Customers are also more connected than ever before. We have been talking about multichannel and omnichannel customer support for years, but the pandemic has shown how truly digitally connected we are. Third-party and OS-based chat services support billions of consumers daily, and we’ll see more companies providing seamless engagement across all the digital channels their customers use.
Evolution of CX
As customers evolve, CX teams will follow. We expect that traditional CX teams will adopt digital-first operation models and investments in AI will rise to help businesses grow. We also expect to see more ACX departments built out, completely new teams dedicated to owning a conversational AI-first strategy from end-to-end. These teams will leverage easy to use, no code or low code platforms to deliver a differentiated service experience.
The rise of ACX will also put an end to this persistent idea that automation replaces humans. For customers, ACX delivers the convenience, personalization and speed they love. For CX teams, ACX enables agents to power more of the customer journey by focusing on proactive, complex and rewarding high-value opportunities that help build long-term relationships. We expect ACX certification programs to take hold and help CX experts differentiate themselves in a tough job market.
There’s no Crystal Ball
2020 has demonstrated that predictions are just that, but one truth that still applies-companies that provide personalized and useful customer experiences will stay competitive, and businesses that utilize an automation-first strategy in CX can scale to have more of the customer conversations that matter, without sacrificing on quality.
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About the Author
Mike Murchison is CEO and Co-founder of Ada. Before Ada, Mike answered tens of thousands of customer service inquiries manually firsthand. Using this experience, he set out to build Ada’s platform that puts the benefits of AI into the hands of non-technical support teams to build, manage, and track ROI-driving automated customer experiences.
