Consumers Not Optimistic About Holiday Customer Service

Thanksgiving leftovers are long gone. Trees are getting cut down, lights are being put up and “Cyber month” deals are well underway. Consumer behavior during the pandemic is leaning heavily on digital channels. Moving into what is expected to be a record breaking holiday shopping season, how are consumers feeling?

Customer experience platform provider Simplr unveiled the results of an October 2020 consumer study that underscored the importance of customer service in consumer holiday shopping behavior.

Online holiday shopping is expected to see an increase of 60 percent from last year, but as Simplr CMO Daniel Rodriguez notes, “If CX leaders think they’re ready for the digital stampede, they should know that more than half of consumers we surveyed don’t share that optimism.”

Of those surveyed, 90 percent noted customer service being critical in choosing where to shop, and moving a step further nearly two-thirds stated giving a retailer more business if they deliver exceptional customer service.

In terms of exceptional customer service, the top five components as stated by consumers include: Fast response time (60%), 24/7 customer service (47%), Connecting via live chat or email (37%), online chat with a person 24/7 (33%) and complex questions handled professionally, with empathy and respect (30%).

“The expectation from consumers of immediate responses delivered anytime, across multiple channels, in an efficient yet empathic manner defines what Simpr calls the NOW Customer,” continued Rodriguez.

The contact center has long served on the front lines of customer service. The modern, “NOW” customer isn’t asking for too much, but if call centers don’t treat every customer as they would Veruca Salt this holiday season cloud leave businesses out in the cold.

Edited by Maurice Nagle