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Survey Reveals Customer Service Employees' Experience as Consumers and as Employees Supporting and Selling in the Contact Center
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lucidworks, the provider of next-generation AI-powered search applications and pioneer of the Connected Experience Cloud, shared results from a survey of more than 800 contact center employees regarding their experience working in customer service and their own experiences as consumers when trying to get help. The survey explores how consumers seek out information and connect with the contact center, the transformation of the contact center into a revenue center, which tools agents want in their tech stack, and contact center employees’ access to mental health resources. The survey reveals that consumers are eager to problem-solve across multiple channels, agents see upselling as part of the job, and employees want more support for their mental health. Consumers Want to Self-Serve; Calling In Is a Last Resort By the time customers connect with contact center representatives, they’ve likely exhausted their options across multiple channels. Nearly half of respondents say that the most common reason they’re taking the time to pick up the phone is because it’s their last resort and they’ve tried everything else. Upselling Is a Part of Customer Support; Consumers Appreciate Recommendations Selling practices vary across industries and geographies. Nearly 70% of respondents who work in software view upselling and cross-selling as part of their job, compared to only 40% of retail and healthcare employees. The contact center is tasked not only with delighting customers to foster loyalty during an almost two-year long pandemic, there’s also an additional remit to drive revenue and transform from cost center to revenue center. Consumers Want Efficiency and Ease; Employees Want Employers to Invest in Tech The majority of respondents identified internal chat as a valuable tool, followed closely by personalization. However, these tools don’t consistently perform well across organizations. Almost a third of respondents said that those same tools don’t work well for them. Companies must invest in technology that can deliver measurable results for the contact center and not just be yet one more window, chat box, or search bar for agents to navigate around. Entry- and Mid-Level Agents Feel Less Supported; “More Is Better” for Mental Health The survey also revealed that employees who work more closely with customers are feeling less supported. Entry-level and mid-level employees are more likely to report that they don’t feel like they get enough breaks in the day to have the energy to deal with customers compared to senior management and executive employees. “Customer service teams are operating with fewer employees and greater demand,” said Sathya Raghavendran, SVP Technology, Lucidworks. “That puts a lot of pressure on the contact center. Companies have provided customers with multiple channels to find answers, but innovation and upkeep must continue to meet changing demands and unanticipated challenges. Companies that can connect insights from the consumer side with the contact center employee experience can create compounding value across the entire organization to drive customer satisfaction, increase revenue, and support happy employees.” Other key findings from the survey include:
The Lucidworks survey was conducted in October of this year and limited to respondents who work in a contact center part-time or full-time. 401 respondents located in the U.K. and 408 respondents located in the U.S. participated. Download the full survey report today. About Lucidworks PR Contact Joel Richman [email protected] |