2021 customer support report

Announcing our new report – “The Future of Support Has Arrived: It’s Conversational”

Customer support is evolving. But how are support leaders staying ahead of rising conversation volumes and sky-high customer expectations? Our new report reveals that conversational, messenger-based support is key. Discover five trends transforming the support industry along with tips on how to capitalize on them.

Today, modern customers expect both personal and efficient support. But under the weight of the pandemic and outdated tools of the past, overworked support teams are struggling to keep pace and achieve that seemingly elusive balance. So how exactly are forward-thinking support teams rising to the challenge and thriving in this new era?

We recently surveyed almost 600 support leaders to find out. Our new report reveals that many companies – across both B2B and B2C – are turning to conversational support to manage high conversation volumes more efficiently and exceed customer expectations.

Conversational support empowers support teams to deliver efficient, personal support through a messenger-first experience – bridging the gap between what customers want and what support teams can realistically deliver. Not only are support leaders already benefiting from conversational support, they also plan to invest more in its capabilities – including proactive support, chatbots, and automation – in 2021. As Intercom’s Senior Director of Customer Support Kaitlin Pettersen says:

“Even during turbulent times like the COVID-19 pandemic, conversational support is helping support teams enhance their customer relationships, increase their efficiency, and boost their CSAT scores.”

Discover five trends transforming customer support

In the report, we explore the key five trends that are shaping and redefining customer support today (and are set to accelerate in 2021). For example, the data reveals that:

  • Automation is helping to bridge the customer expectation gap. There is a huge gap between what customers want and what support teams can realistically deliver – 73% of support leaders say customer expectations are increasing, but only 42% believe they’re meeting those expectations. Automation is helping to bridge this gap as support teams turn to chatbots to deliver faster, more meaningful resolutions.
  • Chatbots are satisfying customers’ need for speed. Well-crafted chatbots satisfy customers’ need for speed by providing immediate resolutions at the right time, in the right place. Our study found support leaders whose teams use chatbots are 60% more likely to report an improvement in resolution times and 30% more likely to report an increase in customer satisfaction than those who don’t. Perhaps not surprisingly then, this is a top area of investment for 2021.

You’ll also get actionable tips on how to put each trend into practice and a proven framework for scaling conversational support. All of this will help you deliver a consistently world-class customer experience at whatever scale your business needs – without increasing headcount, budget, or hours logged.

Ready to regain control and steam ahead of the conversational curve for the year ahead? Grab the report today – better team efficiency and happier, more loyal customers await.👇

Customer Service Trends Report 2024 - Horizontal