ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY ADOBE STOCK

DESCENT OF U . K . CUSTOMER SERVICE THERE IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET IT RIGHT .

BY KEITH GAIT , CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE FOUNDATION

Despite all our similarities , we in the United Kingdom ( U . K .) tend to do things differently , and customer service is no exception .

The U . K . customer service score has fallen , according to our CX Tech Leaders Council – Autumn 2023 report , yet the U . S . A .’ s score not only started higher , but it also rose considerably .

Why is this when the U . K . also has endless possibilities offered through technology to improve the experience for customers ? The world is teeming with technological possibilities and the perception of customer service is complicated and multi-faceted .

Despite the creation of innovative solutions , there is a growing perception ( and many surveys that validate this ) that customer service quality is on the decline in the U . K .

According to KPMG , 2023 saw the fastest collapse in “ customer experience excellence ” ( or how happy consumers are with the service they receive from companies they spend money with ) in a decade . In addition , “ The UK Customer Experience Decision-Makers ’ Guide 2022-23 ” from Contact Babel shows that the percentage of calls that are complaints is at a 12-year high .

The decline of joined up and consistent customer service experiences seem to have worsened in the last few years . A contributor of that could be the consequence of customer service applications that were put in at speed for the pandemic .

These applications remain disjointed and are still causing disharmony . Joined up customer experiences ( CXs ) are falling through the gaps created because of throwing digital channels together in an ad hoc way .

RISING AGENT EXPECTATIONS

Throughout this tumult there has been a clear change in agent demographics . The traditional perception of contact center agents as order takers or complaints handlers is gradually fading .

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