3 lessons in channel management from Customer Communications 2023

In April 2023, CX Network hosted All Access: Customer Communications Management, which brought together leading CX professionals to discuss the current state of customer communications and take a look at what is on the horizon.

In this article, we take a look at the key stats from our attendee polls and assess their significance with regard to the state and trajectory of customer communications.

RELATED CONTENT: Gen Z is changing omnichannel – here are 4 platforms to keep your brand relevant

Email and phone still the most popular contact channels

Email and phone were confirmed as the most popular customer contact channels for brands, each flagged by one third of delegates. This suggests that while digital channels are the go-to for day-to-day business with brands, when customers reach out to a brand they prefer to use more traditional channels.

This preference for email and phone channels suggests that when customers have a question or problem, they much prefer to deal with a human agent rather than self-serving through FAQs or chatbots.

While many brands may have believed that digital channels would slowly take over in the new normal this is clearly not the case. In a practical sense, this means a comprehensive, omnichannel customer contact offering is more important than ever and brands should ensure that they are meeting the demands of all customer segments across every channel.

RELATED CONTENT: What is omnichannel? A CX Network guide

The use of Whatsapp for customer support is on the rise

While phone and email remain the most popular customer contact channels, respondents from the event revealed that there is currently a focus on developing customer support offerings through WhatsApp. With more brands claiming support offerings through WhatsApp than any other channel (58 percent), it is likely that there is a prevalent belief among CX leaders that the channel will only grow in the coming years.

As this channel combines the convenience of near-instant responses to customer queries with the human touch that comes from speaking with a real person, it is unsurprising that brands are displaying confidence in the channel.

With data showing that the first half of 2022 saw an 80 percent increase in interactions through WhatsApp from the same period in 2021, there is clearly some merit in the approach being taken by brands to ramp up on WhatsApp customer support.

RELATED CONTENT: Keep up with the latest All Access events 

Many brands do not yet offer a digital front door

Survey results from the event revealed that most brands understand the need for a digital presence and 57.9 percent have already implemented a digital front door to provide a seamless, omnichannel experience for digital customers. A digital front door is the first point of contact for a customer attempting to interact with your brand through digital channels and allows brands to determine customers’ intent and guide them through a consistent experience that aligns with the brand.

That means 42 percent, of brands have not yet implemented a digital front door, which contradicts recent research showing that an extraordinary 93 percent of customer shopping journeys now begin online, the lack of an optimized digital offering that caters to the needs of customers from the first interaction and guides their journey, could be a serious issue in 2023.

Since the pandemic forced many of us online, consumers have become used to digital convenience in how they interact with brands and the availability of such convenience has only increased as brands have cottoned on to this. All of this means that if customers are not satisfied with your digital offering, they have plenty of options elsewhere and are not shy about taking them.

For the full range of insights shared by brands such as M&T Bank and TSB Bank, register for All Access: Customer Communications Management on-demand now.