Following the Covid-19 pandemic, automation, such as the use of chatbots, is at an all-time high - some jobs were more difficult to do away from an in-person office environment. The drive to replace humans with machinery is accelerating as companies struggle to reduce absenteeism and keep operating costs low. The US shed around 40 million jobs at the peak of the pandemic, and while some have come back, others will never return, with one group of economists estimating that 42 per cent of the jobs lost are gone forever.

Brands must find a balance between humanity and automation and ensure that they do not lose the personality of their businesses by cutting out face-to-face communication indefinitely. While many firms have a chatbot responding to some FAQs from customers, most consumers are still reluctant to trust responses. Human customer service is still an essential requirement for any brand looking to grow and support the initiative of having a positive customer experience.

Customer frustration leads to churn

Seventy-two per cent of customers are likely to share their positive experiences with six other people. However, when they are not satisfied with a brand, they will share their negative experience with 15 potential customers.

The dark side is that those unsatisfied customers complain to friends rather than directly to the business; only one in 26 customers send a complaint when customer service is not up to scratch.

Therefore, we must assume that lack of complaints does not necessarily mean that customers are wholly satisfied. Even one third of loyal customers are likely to leave after just one bad experience.

These three customer experience trends, as we have observed through our work with clients across the USA, Canada, UK and South Africa, represent very real opportunities - and risks - for businesses.

Speak to us here at Credico to gain more real-world examples and key trends that will shape the future of your business and maintain a high level of customer satisfaction.