51% of CX Buyers Will Consider GigCX Workers in 2022, Survey Finds
CX executives embrace gig work to manage contact center operational inefficiencies. Domain experience, scalability viewed as chief benefits.
On-demand workforce technology company LiveXchange Technologies, Inc., today announced the results of the 2022 Front Office CX Omnibus Survey, which revealed that 51% of customer experience (CX) buyers would consider using gig-based customer service workers — referred to as GigCX — in 2022.
The survey, sponsored by LiveXchange, and conducted by Peter Ryan, president of Ryan Strategic Advisory, a CX and BPO consultancy, articulated the views of 668 enterprise executives, each with strategic decision-making authority over contact centers in their respective organizations.
According to Ryan, in 2022, almost half of enterprise CX managers have looked at the gig model for managing inefficiencies in their contact center operations.
“Since the pandemic started, business continuity planning has been a top-tier investment priority and pain point for in-house enterprise contact centers for the last two years,” Ryan said. “These findings suggest that COVID-19 may have shifted the importance of BCP on a long-term basis.”
The 2022 Omnibus Survey results varied by country, with the United States and France expressing the most interest (49% and 47% respectively). Interest among CX executives in France, Australia, Canada, and Germany was also notable.
“Plenty of CX executives have embraced the idea of GigCX due to its many benefits but still struggle to determine the best way to fit the model into their delivery strategies,” Ryan said. “The perception is that incorporating GigCX is somewhat of a heavy lift, which has led to many outsourcing providers abandoning the thought and ultimately missing out on its advantages.”
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The survey also revealed that CX enterprise decision-makers are primarily concerned about security and legal factors regarding deploying gig workers. Participants in Australia, the U.K., and the U.S. identified security as a significant problem. Legal matters were the principal inhibitor for those in France, Spain, and Canada.
“Companies that adopt GigCX have access to a readily available, on-demand pool of agents with specific domain expertise who can be activated when customer demand increases,” said Terry Rybolt, Chief Revenue Officer at LiveXchange, responding to the survey results. “It’s a way of balancing quantity and quality while maintaining efficiency, making it a strong champion for the next evolution in customer care.”
Rybolt advised companies wishing to begin the transformation process to take three steps:
- Look at GigCX as an opportunity, not a challenge;
- Educate teams about the GigCX model and update sourcing contracts to reflect its use;
- Find and integrate a GigCX platform in business continuity processes.
“Customer experience management is rapidly evolving, so CX executives that pivot quickly to adapt to the market will find the most success,” he said. “GigCX should represent a part of the transformation for organizations that want to gain a fresh foothold on the market.”
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The Omnibus Survey findings can be summarized as follows:
- Gig CX working is increasingly a viable model in the eyes of buyers. Enterprise CX managers are open to the gig working model, with a substantial number indicating a willingness to consider deploying gig workers by year-end. This conclusion validates that customer experience managers require more flexible ways of delivering support to consumers and are willing to consider non-traditional delivery to achieve their ends.
- Addressing concerns around gig working will be essential to gain broader CX acceptance. The only way to properly ensure that gig working achieves mainstream acceptance is for CX solution providers to confront prospective clients’ concerns regarding security and legal liabilities. Addressing these matters and correcting misconceptions will be of paramount importance for gig work solution suppliers.
Survey interviews were conducted via telephone during Q1 2022 in English, French, Spanish, Italian, or German (depending on the respondent’s country of residency). The revenue mix for respondents ranged from $10 million to over $5 billion (USD). Vertical markets included cybersecurity, green enterprises, banking, insurance, health care, government, retail, gaming, e-commerce, technology, fintech, travel/hospitality/leisure, telco, and others.
