Retailers must deliver more personalised customer service

Consumers are willing to spend 9% more on a product if they receive superior customer service, according to research from Puzzel involving 1,000 Brits.

This also shows that in-store experiences remain a vital part of a retailer’s omnichannel offering.

In fact, 21% of shoppers selected in-store as their preferred channel for customer service, closely followed by email (18%), live web chat (16%) and voice calls (14%).

Further to this, 35% of respondents feel in-store customer service representatives are most trustworthy, with just one in four selecting online channels as their most trusted route for customer support.

During the Covid pandemic, millions of people used video every day to communicate with their colleagues, friends  and  family. Now customers are realising the benefits for shopping and customer service too.

54% of those surveyed who had used video calls for customer service reported a positive experience. However, 57% stated they had never used the channel in this way before.

Deliver face-to-face customer service anytime, anywhere, and on any device 😄

Puzzel Live Share enables contact centre agents to video chat with customers for a friendlier, more empathetic #customerexperience.

Contact us for a demo: https://t.co/p2GI32Iabh #contactcentres #cx pic.twitter.com/5wnCPIPNN2
— Puzzel (@Puzzelsolutions) August 11, 2021

Personalisation is key, but so is trust

76% of shoppers expected a personalised customer experience, with 46% saying it was frustrating when they had to repeat a request.

35% expected customer service agents to have immediate background knowledge on their query, and 23% wanted the ability to move between channels without disruption.

However, 55% were not comfortable granting brands and retailer’s permission to collect their data.

“The pandemic saw almost everything in-store move online and as such, customer behaviours and expectations around the retail experience and customer service changed,” says Jonathan Allan, Chief Marketing Officer at Puzzel.

“Despite largely positive experiences during the pandemic, our research reveals a clear requirement for retailers to deliver more personalised customer service, across a broad range of channels, in-store and online.”

“There’s also a clear appetite for more human experiences, demonstrating the potential value in re-creating that in-store experience across digital platforms.”

He concludes: “The future of retail is hybrid, and the brands that can provide these smarter, connected experiences, will thrive post-pandemic and beyond.”