Consumers have more choices than ever before. When one of the few things separating you from your competition is your customer service, the commitment you show your customers become more important than almost anything else. With the dawn of a new decade comes the opportunity to excite and impress your customers in fresh and unexpected ways. Staying current isn’t an option in this fast-paced, ever-changing landscape! Join us for a look at five of the most highly-anticipated customer service trends for the year ahead:
Omnichannel Availability
There was once a time when a busy signal or voicemail machine marked the end of the line for customers trying to get in touch with businesses. Now, customers demand attention on social media, via text message, and over instant chat applications. If they’re not getting you on one channel, they may try another – or call your competition instead.
In 2020, more and more retailers and service providers will make their presence known across channels. Of all the 2020 customer service trends, this is the one that is most likely to make a permanent impact on the way our society does business. No longer content to wait around for a callback, customers are ready and eager to address their questions and concerns or move on entirely.
Omnichannel availability means your singular customer service department won’t cut it any longer. Instead, customer service should be mission-critical for every department within your organization. It’s one of the main 2020 customer service trends that will drive success for companies large and small, so be sure not to be left behind the curve.
Personalized Shopping Experiences
Along with 24/7 availability on the channel that they prefer, consumers will be expecting a more personalized shopping experience than ever before. The proliferance of custom-tailored advertisements has shifted customer expectations in unexpected ways. Rather than just clicking through banner ads for things they’ve already searched for, consumers will demand a personalized approach to all their shopping trips. Both in-person and online retail will have to rise to the occasion in new, inventive ways.
This 2020 customer service trend has been on the rise for some time. The popularity of subscription boxes by mail has led to a natural demand for more a more custom-tailored approach to shopping. We’re used to these services curating our wardrobes, menus, and health plans, so our expectations for customization have evolved, too. No matter your industry, 2020 should be about fostering a personalized experience for your clientele.
Voice Commerce Takes Over
You can’t utter the name Alexa without triggering a purchase these days. Virtual assistants have made it easier to do everything from adjust your thermostat to purchase more dog food, and our reliance on them has only just begun. As the technology continues to evolve, we’re likely to see an increase in the amount of voice commerce as a 2020 customer service trend.
More and more brands are working to make their offerings voice command-friendly. Even if you don’t sell on Amazon, consider optimizing your website content for voice search. The web is shifting away from keywords and towards phrases instead. Voice searches rely on natural language, so your content marketing team will be extra important in 2020!
Bot-Assisted Customer Service
Chatbots were all the rage throughout the 2010s – much to the dismay of consumers. Though they were designed with customer service in mind, most of these bots were limited in capability and ultimately left consumers more excited to speak with a real, live human being than ever before. When looking at 2020 customer service trends that will drive success, you’ll quickly discover that chatbots are still around, but are being used in different ways.
Connecting with actual humans will remain a priority for customers across industries in 2020, but chatbots will help support the efforts made by employees to serve consumers. AI-powered chatbots can ease administrative headaches and make the process of serving customers more straightforward. While you may see less chatbots on the consumer side of business in the coming years, rest assured that their impact is being felt behind the scenes.
Increased Security Demands
For better or for worse, our personal data made its way onto the web in the 2010s. Expect 2020 customer service trends to reflect this change in the form of increased security. No longer just a passing concern for shoppers, data security has taken center stage in recent years. Americans don’t trust institutions to protect their sensitive information, but they also neglect to follow industry best practices themselves. It’s a paradox that online retailers and service providers will continue to wrangle within the new decade.
No matter how confusing the state of modern cybersecurity might look from the outside, businesses must show their commitment to data protection if they hope to grow in the 2020s. Cloud security has become more automated in recent years, but companies hoping to take security seriously must go beyond the preset protocols. What’s more, consumers want total transparency about each organization’s efforts to protect their data, so you’ll want to develop a primer on your strategy that speaks to the average reader. Data security is a complex, ever-evolving challenge – one that won’t be going away any time soon.
Stellar Service Remains a Priority
No matter the channel, customer service will remain a priority for consumers in 2020. To put your best foot forward in the new decade, consider partnering with MAP Communications. Our free, week-long trial is a great way to preview our customer care call center services with zero commitments. Sign up now!
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