Three Customer Service Trends to Watch in the Coming Decade

 ICMI asked frequent contributors to attempt to predict the future in the quickly evolving landscape of customer service. In this post, Callzilla’s Neal Topf takes a shot at it:

 Here is my attempt to look into the crystal ball and see how customer service will change in the next decade. Check back with me in a decade and see if I was correct:

There will be a greater push to channel customers to non-Live Agent channels, including self-service FAQs, videos, web-based text-based Q&As, chatbots and voicebots.

The human component of contact center costs continue to generate large inefficiencies, and brands are forced to contemplate lower cost options to balance out these inefficiencies and stem bad experiences for customers. Time will tell if this will lead to better customer outcomes or these new channels will become one more additional focal point for customer rage.

There will be a rise in customized, tailored experiences.

These experiences will be cultivated by brands, and will cross over into customer care. Brands will make an attempt to remember customers’ communication channels of choice, and the way that customers interact with their customer care departments.

Customer rage will continue.

The last apparent study on this subject was conducted in 2017, and the market is overdue for an update. Armed with greater choice and more places to publicly voice displeasure, I believe the challenge to provide good service, to resolve customer problems, and to satisfy customers will continue to be elusive.

What do you think the future of customer service will look like? Send your ideas to our editor, Craig Idlebrook, at [email protected], or @ us at @CallCenterICMI.