Announcing ‘The Intercom Customer Service Trends Report for 2023’

This past year has come with no shortage of challenges for support teams, but one thing is certain: they’ve shown a huge amount of resilience. Year after year, we see customer expectations continue to increase – and 2022 brought with it a whole new juggling act.

Last year, many teams were faced with the Herculean task of trying to balance headcount reductions and fewer resources with the ability to meet – and exceed – the growing expectations customers have of support. And now, with looming economic uncertainty, it’s more crucial than ever that these already-stretched teams are set up for success in the year ahead.

“For our third annual report, we surveyed 1,700+ support leaders in multiple countries”

To help support teams get ahead of the curve for 2023, we’re delighted to launch The Intercom Customer Service Trends Report for 2023. For our third annual report, we surveyed 1,700+ support leaders in multiple countries to find out how they’re planning to respond to the challenges and opportunities that the coming year has in store. It reveals the top five trends transforming the world of customer service and offers actionable insights to help set support teams up for success – and move the needle for their businesses.

A sneak peek at what’s inside

We worked with an independent research firm to survey more than 1,700 support leaders and decision makers. These customer service experts work in companies of all sizes in North America and Europe, operating across a range of industries, such as technology, finance, education and e-commerce. They shared which trends they predicted would shape customer service in 2023. Here’s what we discovered:

• Customer expectations continue to rise, with 83% of support teams reporting that they’ve seen customer expectations increase over the past year. The silver lining? We found that more teams are confident that they can bridge the gap and meet those expectations in 2023 compared to previous years.
• AI and automation is increasingly important to support teams, which need to do more with less due to headcount reductions and budget cuts. Our survey revealed that 71% of support leaders plan to invest more in automation (e.g. chatbots) in the year ahead to increase the efficiency of their support team, with 68% planning to do so to manage support costs.
• Personalization is critical to business growth. In fact, 89% of support leaders cited personalized support as being a key competitive differentiator. We found that support teams that provide personalized support are two times more likely to report increases in customer satisfaction and retention.
• Support team morale is low, but the right technology can help. Between the Great Resignation and headcount reductions, support teams have been stretched thin for quite some time – and it’s had a lasting impact on morale. Our research shows that support leaders are turning to tech to remedy this, with 81% of respondents citing that technology, such as automated support tools, will help to improve the employee experience and reduce attrition.
• Disconnected tech stacks are holding teams back. Over three-quarters (76%) of support leaders believe that their current customer service tech stack holds their team back from achieving their goals. To rectify this, 73% say that the interoperability of their tech stack will be a priority in the coming year.

Get ahead of the trends

With the right tools and strategy, your support team can be empowered to not only meet rising customer expectations, but exceed them. Grab a copy of The Intercom Customer Service Trends Report for 2023 to get ahead of the trends that will shape customer service in the year ahead. You’ll also discover tips and tricks for providing best-in-class support to drive increased customer loyalty and business growth – while keeping team morale high.