ServiceNow Research Shows Changing Consumer Brand Loyalty in Canada, Reveals Potential for AI-Powered Customer Service
• 74% of Canadians are less loyal to brands than they were two years ago
• Majority (92%) want quick, real-time support and more than half (53%) want 24/7 customer service by 2025
• 85% want flexibility to choose how they interact with a brand’s customer service
Poor customer experiences are estimated to cost organizations
“In a competitive market, businesses must deliver standout service to capture and maintain customer attention. Seamless experiences are paramount,” says
Key findings from the ServiceNow Consumer Voice Report 2024 report include:
Balancing AI and Human Connection
The report shows that consumers are increasingly more receptive to using AI in customer service – as long as it leaves some room for human interaction. By strategically integrating AI with human expertise and personal interactions, businesses can offer a seamless and powerful customer experience.
- Humans are best suited to solve complex problems. When looking to solve a complex issue or troubleshoot, 61% of Canadians will prioritize turning to customer service agents, whether by phone, chat, or in-person. However, 44% would choose to use AI-powered services such as a chatbot or intelligent search engine.
- Consumers want to self-serve. Most Canadians (72%) want a company to offer self-service options. Consumers especially want to self-serve when looking for general information, preferring self-help guides (34%) or an intelligent search engine (35%).
- Chatbots are a must when interacting with brands. Having a good chatbot service is deemed important by more than half (55%) of Canadians, with this number increasing to 70% for those ages 18-34. Some (7%) even prefer to use chatbots for all their customer service needs.
- Preserving the human connection. Nearly half (49%) would never want to see fully autonomous, AI-driven customer service. Additionally, 36% of Canadians hold back from engaging with AI for customer service because they do not like the lack of personalization, further underscoring the need for a balanced approach.While 73% of those ages 55+ want to see a return to human-based customer service by 2025, less than half (47%) of those ages 18-34 say the same.
- Personalization is paramount. 87% of Canadians say it’s important to be offered their choice of engagement method (e.g. online vs. in-person, chatbot vs. human) while 61% want companies to know their past purchasing habits and offer tailored recommendations. For those that are hesitant to engage with a company using AI, leading reasons are due to disliking the lack of personalization (36%) and wanting a genuine rather than formulaic response (35%).
Customer Service Needs to be Fast and Flexible
Canadians (95%) prioritize swift customer service responses, yet many are facing prolonged call times across industries. In good news for businesses, AI can help speed up issue resolution.
- Canadians on the line for 30+ minutes. Canadians are facing prolonged customer service calls with nearly half (46%) saying they are on the line for at least 30 minutes or more regardless of the industry.
- Government services lead in lengthy call times. Canadians experience the longest average call times for federal government services with 61% of Canadians spending an average 30.5 minutes on the line.
- Industry rankings: retail prevails, fintech trails. Canadians have the best customer service experience with retail companies (35%), followed closely by traditional banking (34%) and healthcare (30%). At 4%, financial technology (fintech) companies have the most room to improve.
- Demand for always-on customer service. More than half (53%) of consumers expect all companies to be offering full 24/7 customer service by 2025.
For more information about the ServiceNow Consumer Voice Report 2024: Tackling the brand loyalty crisis, please visit here.
Methodology
The study was commissioned by
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