New research Reveals 75 percent of Customers Still Favor Live Agent Support for Customer Service vs 25 Percent Self-Service &...
December 06 2018 - 3:58AM
Business Wire
The research underscores the need to be
purposeful when using chat bots; notes sharing sensitive
information, lack of understanding and inability to solve
issues among top concerns when using chat bots for service
interactions
New research from NewVoiceMedia, a Vonage Company (NYSE:VG) and
leading global provider of cloud contact center and inside sales
solutions, reveals that three-quarters of consumers prefer to have
their customer service inquiries handled by a live agent over
self-service options or a chat bot.
Chat bots can provide customers with quick answers to frequently
asked questions or issues, and the survey notes the benefit of chat
bots for certain interactions, such as 24/7 service. When it comes
to handling sensitive financial and personal information, however,
most customers are more comfortable with a live agent, and just 13
percent say they’d be happy if all service interactions are
replaced by bots in the future.
According to the survey¹, top concerns for using chat bots for
service include: lack of understanding of the issue (65 percent);
inability to solve complex issues (63 percent) or get answers to
simple questions (49 percent); and lack of a personal service
experience (45 percent). Though 48 percent of respondents indicated
they would be willing to use chat bots for service – versus the 38
percent who wouldn’t – 46 percent also felt that bots keep them
from reaching a live person.
When asked about transactions for which they would not feel
comfortable using a chat bot, a significant majority of respondents
said large banking (82 percent), medical inquiries (75 percent) and
small banking (60 percent). For frequently asked questions or
common issues, however, chat bots can add efficiencies to the live
agent’s day, freeing them to provide the extra care and time to
more complex issues and to the customers who really need it.
“When a situation becomes emotional or complex, people want to
engage with people,” says Dennis Fois, President of NewVoiceMedia.
“As businesses add more customer service channels, conversations
are becoming more complex and higher value, and personal, emotive
customer interactions play a critical role in bridging the gap for
what digital innovation alone cannot solve. For this reason,
companies must find the right balance between automation and human
support to deliver the service that customers demand. Frontline
contact center teams will continue to be the difference-makers on
the battlefield to win the hearts and minds of customers, and
organizations deploying self-service solutions should ensure that
there is always an option to reach a live agent.”
A cloud contact center solution presents businesses with the
opportunity to take advantage of emerging technologies such as bots
and AI technology, without losing that personal touch, creating a
better customer experience. The key is providing customers with the
right balance of personalized, white glove service by a live agent
when they have the need for deeper, more complex customer care,
while also giving them the ability to get quick answers to basic
questions provided by chat bots through a variety of communications
channels – chat, voice, SMS, or social messaging.
Customers prefer live agents for technical support (91 percent);
getting a quick response in an emergency (89 percent); making a
complaint (86 percent); buying an expensive item (82 percent);
purchase inquiries (79 percent); returns and cancellations (73
percent); booking appointments and reservations (59 percent); and
paying a bill (54 percent). However, when asked about buying a
basic item, 56 percent would choose a chat bot over a live
interaction. The top benefit cited for dealing with chat bots was
24-hour service.
Younger respondents (aged 18-44) were more open to using chat
bots overall and across the individual scenarios compared to older
consumers (aged 45-60+). In fact, 52 percent of those aged 60 and
older would be unwilling to use chat bots for service at all.
This research follows NewVoiceMedia’s Serial Switchers Swayed by
Sentiment study, in which nearly half of respondents (48 percent)
indicated calling as their preferred method of communication with a
business and 56 percent considered calls to be the quickest way of
resolving an issue. The survey also found that the top reasons
customers leave a business due to poor service are feeling
unappreciated (40 percent) and not being able to speak to a person
(33 percent), but that 86 percent would be more likely to return to
a business if they felt they’d made a positive emotional connection
with a customer service agent.
For further information, download the research whitepaper at
www.newvoicemedia.com.
Dennis Fois talks more about finding order in a world that
merges the benefits of cutting-edge technology with the need humans
have for conversation and connection, in CONVO, NewVoiceMedia’s
first-ever magazine, which celebrates the art of great
conversations. Download your copy here.
¹Survey conducted via the SurveyMonkey Audience market research
tool, with a sample of 1,040 US adults, age 18-60+.
- ENDS –
About NewVoiceMedia
NewVoiceMedia, a Vonage Company, is a leading global provider of
cloud contact center and inside sales technology that enables
businesses to create exceptional, emotive customer experiences to
serve better and sell more.
Its award-winning platform joins up all communications channels
without expensive, disruptive hardware changes and plugs straight
into your CRM for full access to hard-won data. With a true
cloud environment and proven 99.999% platform availability,
NewVoiceMedia ensures complete flexibility, scalability and
reliability.
NewVoiceMedia's 700+ customers include Canadian Cancer Society,
Ebury, FCR Media, FlixBus, JustGiving, Kingston University,
Lumesse, Paysafe and Vax. For more information, visit
www.newvoicemedia.com or follow NewVoiceMedia on Twitter
@NewVoiceMedia.
In November 2018, NewVoiceMedia was acquired by Vonage
(NYSE:VG), a business cloud communications leader.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181206005294/en/
NewVoiceMedia PR contactRuzanna TantushyanTel: +1
608-335-2571Email: ruzanna.tantushyan@newvoicemedia.com
Vonage (NYSE:VG)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2024 to May 2024
Vonage (NYSE:VG)
Historical Stock Chart
From May 2023 to May 2024