Research tells us that consumers like to make additional purchases from a company after a positive customer service experience. We all know that consumers choose or recommend a brand that offers a personalised service or experience.

Everyone loves great customer service. As a business, you know that service excellence builds brand loyalty and advocacy. As customers, we've all had that warm feeling when someone in a call centre or physical store gives us an amazing customer experience. And the concept of customer service is nothing new, dating back hundreds of years. (1)

Research in the retail industry supports the above statements. "In general, a positive customer experience is hugely meaningful to a retailer's success: it yields 20 per cent higher customer-satisfaction rates, a 10 to 15 per cent boost in sales-conversion rates, and an increase in employee engagement of 20 to 30 per cent."(2)

So, considering the longevity and wide recognition of the value of the customer experience provided by customer service, how can companies continue to provide a good experience in an increasingly demanding market? Customers expect faster service, across multiple channels and at any time. Or; want to find solutions to their queries themselves. While demand can be met by increasing customer service capacity, the question is whether this is sustainable. Other solutions need to be looked at. Such as improving data-driven customer service and artificial intelligence to provide excellent customer experience.

With the current focus on improving the customer experience, Capgemini, in collaboration with Microsoft, launched a benchmark study with the main question: How can automating your customer service contribute to a better customer experience?

Participation in this survey provides insights into where you stand in improving your customer experience compared to your peers in the market. The survey is conducted among customer service and contact centre managers / directors of leading companies.

Sources:

1. Christian Schacht Global Offer Lead Augmented  (2020, Capgemini) https://www.capgemini.com/services/customer-first/customer-experience/augmented-service/
2. Julien Boudet and Kai Vollhardt, "Personalisation at scale: First steps in a profitable journey to growth," August 2018, McKinsey.com