‘In 2022, customer service was a driving force launching business to new records’

Today, the expectations for business are higher than ever before. “Good enough” won’t cut it anymore, as customers expect resilience, superior service, and top response speed. The customer support branch is the focal point of this change, and it rapidly becomes the key center that can make or break any business.

The latest landmark study by a CX software company Zendesk covered almost 5,000 business leaders around the world to discover what it takes to deliver superior service. The 2022 study highlights the crucial importance of customer service for modern business and outlines the most efficient ways of bringing your CX to the next level.

It’s all about strong relationships with customers

During times of economic instability, stronger relationships with customers can help companies thrive. They are a huge part of business resilience, and today resilience needs to be incorporated into every corner of the organization.

Zendesk’s study shows that in 2022, pleasing the customers was more important than ever for businesses of any size. Over half of the participants in the study believe that customer service plays a critical role in driving better business outcomes:

• 60 per cent say that customer service impacts customer retention
• 64 per cent of companies say that customer service has a direct impact on their business performance
• 49 per cent say that customer service impacts cross-sell revenues

A difficult, but crucial goal

However, the mission of pleasing the customers is also much harder than it was before. Customer expectations are at an all-time high as they demand quicker, more resilient, and more convenient service.

In the Zendesk study, 66 per cent of companies report that customers are less patient when interacting with agents or service teams. In 2022, companies were 18 per cent more likely to report that customer satisfaction is somewhat or significantly below expectations. The number of companies that had more than 10 per cent of tickets unresolved was also alarmingly up 157 per cent compared to 2021.

Time to act

In the face of a slowing economy, companies are under pressure to do more with less and customer service is no exception. Zendesk’s study outlines targeted and scalable solutions that can boost efficiency, add functionality at low cost, and create new opportunities for revenue growth.

The authors of the study argue that now is the crucial time to implement these smart strategies that accelerate customer service growth. The moment is especially opportune for starter businesses that can pull ahead thanks to the more affordable and scalable solutions on the market.

Download the full Zendesk study to discover the solutions that will help your business improve the relationships with the customers, increase resilience, and drive better business outcomes.