Why conversational support is now a must-have

The pandemic has changed customer support for good—and it’s made messaging essential
Before the pandemic, support teams said messaging was their fifth-most-used channel, after agent-led calls, email, in-person support, and self-service calls. But now, customers turn to digital channels to resolve their issues, with messaging coming in second. Email is first, mobile apps third, agent-led phone calls fourth, and web-based live chat is fifth.
These changes in customer support will last past the pandemic
With COVID-19, 55% of support teams say customers now prefer digital channels. In addition, 49% are seeing more complex customer queries.
These shifts look like they’ll last—71% of teams said the pandemic will have a large or enormous long-term impact on customer support.
But most teams lack the tools to provide personalized support to all their customers
These changes mean companies will have to adapt quickly. 54% say they can’t reliably provide personalized customer support with their current tech stack.
Some of the biggest challenges for support teams? 58% can’t resolve customer issues in time. 51% have less bandwidth than ever before. And 50% waste time jumping between different tools.
That's why companies say conversational support will help them stay competitive
Since the pandemic, companies report that their customers now expect personalized support to be available on any device, right when they need it.
That’s why 71% say they need conversational support to stay competitive. When asked about the benefits of conversational support, support leaders reported higher customer retention (60%), better business efficiencies (58%), and more customer satisfaction (58%).
So Forrester recommends that support teams start adapting now:
Companies must seize this opportunity and modernize operations to deliver support that is friction-free, yet personal; increasingly delivered via conversational messaging channels; and in the context of the customer’s actions.
A commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting, April 2021
Personalized, messenger-based support is critical to stay competitive. See why—and how—world-leading companies are moving to conversational support.

Personalized, messenger-based support is critical to stay competitive. See why—and how—world-leading companies are moving to conversational support.