It’s a more efficient but somewhat impersonal world when it comes to customer service, according to a new survey sponsored by Genesys, the global leader in cloud customer experience and contact center solutions. Genesys gauged the sentiments of 5,000 adults in six countries: Australia, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom (U.K.) and the United States (U.S.). While a majority (71%) believe that customer service has become more personalized in the last five years through the use of technology, nearly half (48%) still note a distinct lack of compassion in their treatment.
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While many consumers say customer service experiences have become more personalized, others say they haven’t reached their full potential—showing an opportunity for companies to truly stand out. Just 21% say their customer service experiences have become “much more” personalized. Fully half of those surveyed (50%) say their experiences are only “somewhat more” personalized, leaving a lot of room for improvement.
Despite the perceived increase in personalization when contacting a company to resolve a support issue, just over half (52%) of survey respondents feel they’re shown empathy when they need help. What’s worse, participants sense this lack of commiseration from companies with which they regularly do business.
“Businesses that recognize the inextricable link between empathy and truly personalized experiences hold the key to establishing customer trust and long-term loyalty – especially as we navigate the longer-term impacts of COVID-19,” said Merijn te Booij, chief marketing officer at Genesys. “With Experience as a ServiceSM, we’re helping organizations leverage cloud and artificial intelligence technologies to individualize the service they deliver while showing customers they’re truly heard and understood.”
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