#26: you could be waiting up to 9 hours for customer service...

Happy Friday and welcome! We're bringing you our roundup of industry news summarised in an exclusive LinkedIn newsletter. For more detail on any news featured here, check out 'This week in CX' on the?Customer Experience Magazine (CXM)?website.

In the news this week is a focus on customer service issues - are CX agents lagging behind? There's also news about consumers' changing buying habits following price hikes from inflation. Let's dive in.

The average UK customer service issue takes 9 hours to be resolved!?

? Answers Company? Yext ?released a survey that revealed the?average UK customer service issue takes nine hours to be resolved. Despite?83% of Brits making an online purchase at least once a month, company websites are failing to provide consumers with accurate support.

The report surveyed 3000 consumers across Europe, including 1,000+ consumers in the UK. It shows the extent to which consumers are struggling to find accurate information online from brands.

It’s clear that many customer websites aren’t up to scratch. Over half (54%) of respondents reported that they have become frustrated searching on a company’s help site in the past month. When it comes to resolving their customer service issue, 60% are unlikely to trust an answer from a third-party blog or website.

Nearly half of customer service reps avoid adopting new technologies?

???? A Gartner online survey of 888 CSRs and support specialists from August 2022 revealed access to legacy systems is the main barrier to new technology adoption.

Reps who have consistent access to outdated tools use them 20% more frequently than reps who have less access to them. Half report still having access to legacy systems and tools seven to 12 months after a new technology rollout, given the difficulty that comes with removing such.?

Key findings include:

• Age, years of experience and other demographic factors are not the reasons reps are more likely to resist new tech;?access to legacy systems that serves as the main barrier
• Reps who have consistent access to outdated tools use them?20% more frequently?than reps who have less access to them
• Half of reps report?still having access to legacy systems and tools seven to 12 months after a new technology rollout?

Over 3 in 5 consumers buy essentials in bulk to afford what they love

?? Criteo released the findings of?a study of over 1000 consumers in the UK. It revealed that a majority are still finding the means to purchase the goods and experiences they want most. This is?despite spending more on non-negotiables like mortgages or food.?

According to the survey, 63% say they are buying essential items such as detergent and tissues in bulk to get more value for their money. To find the very best offers,?67% report they are spending more time online.??Cost cutting measures are enabling many consumers to continue buying similar volumes of non-essentials.

Now more than ever shoppers want great products that are made to last. Product quality is the most important factor for shoppers (88%). This is ahead of free shipping (86%) and discounts/coupons (79%).?

• Grocery price inflation hit a record 16.7% in the 4 weeks to 22 January 2023 according to? 凯度 . This is the highest level since it started tracking the figure in 2008.??Overall take-home grocery sales rose by 5.7% during the 4 week period and by 7.6% over the 12 weeks.?
• Retailer JD Sports Fashion has been hit with a worrying cyberattack. It has left 10 million consumers worried about the integrity of their data.?The incident impacted 10 million people who placed orders between November 2018 and October 2020. Customer names, delivery, billing, email addresses, phone numbers, and the last four digits of bank cards were potentially exposed.?It includes people who shopped at JD as well as the group’s Size, Millets , Blacks, Scotts, and MilletSport brands.
• Lightspeed Commerce ’s?Global State of Hospitality Industry Report for 2022?has been released. It has found that?staffing issues in the UK hospitality sector are not as stark as widely reported.?While all economies are suffering to some extent, staffing in the UK is in better shape than many had anticipated.
• Nearly half (44%) of global consumers are frustrated by the dominance of the English language on the internet and technology, a new report by RWS Group has revealed.?88% feel strongly that brands must show their understanding and appreciation of national identity, culture and languages.?But only 23% feel brands understand their cultural needs and priorities.

Finally, we have exclusive commentary?from Mahesh Ram, Head of Digital Customer Experience at Zoom.

Zoom has announced?Zoom Virtual Agent?which is an intelligent conversational AI and chatbot solution that uses natural language processing and machine learning to accurately understand and instantly resolve issues for customers.

The technology will transform the way businesses assist their customers and employees. With Zoom Virtual Agent, organisations can deliver better, faster web and mobile support, helping leaders meet their customers’ ever-increasing expectations for outstanding service in a highly cost-effective way.

“With Zoom Virtual Agent, the next evolution of intelligent customer experiences is on the Zoom platform. Zoom Virtual Agent brings advanced capabilities and broader market coverage that encompasses both customer experience and employee experience, built with the security, scalability, reliability, AI expertise and deep integrations that come with the Zoom platform. Zoom Virtual Agent uses advanced AI to understand customer intent, then guide the customer on the ideal journey, whether that’s self-service resolution or a smooth handoff to the right contact centre agent with context. As always, the focus remains on delivering more effortless and efficient customer experience“

CXM articles of the week

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Thanks for tuning into CXM’s weekly roundup of industry news. To find out the new coverages in full and more, remember to?check?this week's post. Check back next Friday for the latest updates of the week!