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Customer Service
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In 2022, the retail industry will have to significantly improve its customer service and customer experience (CX), which were severely impacted by the pandemic. Customer service is often the frontline for a companyโs brand and reputation, and a third of consumers say that itโs worse now than prior to the pandemic. Weโve all been impactedโฆ
If weโve learned one thing over the last two years, itโs that predicting the future is nearly impossible. After all, few of us could have anticipated a need to stock up on face masks and basics such as toilet paper before March 2020. While the specifics are difficult to foretell, there are trends that weโฆ
A recent Clickatell survey showed that the typical customer spends 13 hours a year on hold โ hours they would rather be relaxing (58 percent), doing chores (46 percent) or spending with family (36 percent). Additionally, one-third of those respondents said spending even five minutes to nine minutes on hold can lead to negative feelings towards a brand. Even withโฆ
Around half of customers would switch to a competitor after just one bad customer service experience. Just one. Thatโs not a lot of room for error. To compete in todayโs e-commerce world, retailers must invest in robust and talented customer service teams. Unfortunately, a rapid increase in online shopping plus a decrease in the laborโฆ
Creating an exceptional customer experience is the mandate for todayโs brands. Time and time again, consumers have made it clear that they expect personalized, fast and frictionless service at every step of the customer journey. Recent Kustomer research found that 85 percent of U.S. consumers expect contacting customer service to be faster, and 67 percentโฆ
There were a host of difficulties plaguing retailers this past holiday season, including inventory shortages, production issues and shipping constraints, to name a few. The most notable shortage, however, was on the labor front. As of July 2021, the number of retail job openings peaked at 1.2 million, compared to 876,000 during the same periodโฆ
Holiday e-commerce sales will grow 11 percent to 15 percent this season, per Deloitte, with retail sales right behind at a 7 percent to 9 percent increase. In total, people will spend about $1.49 trillion to $1.52 trillion dollars holiday shopping. Thatโs a lot of spending โ and 83 percent of people say they would stopโฆ
Some of retailโs busiest days are coming up fast, and contact centers everywhere are going to be stretched to their breaking point as shoppers log on and call in to ask about offers, seek recommendations, chase packages, and organize returns. Whether itโs Black Friday, Cyber Monday or the first day of January sales, the contactโฆ
This year, a different type of grinch looms over the holiday season: global supply chain shortages. The same gremlin that earlier emptied out appliance stores and caused the price of microchips to skyrocket now threatens retailers still trying to rebound from the throes of the global pandemic. And this time, no industry is safe. Withโฆ
For some of the most customer-centric retailers, artificial intelligence will be hard at work this holiday season. While there are many applications of AI for the e-commerce industry year-round, there are a few that are uniquely suited for the holiday rush this year. The global pandemic squeezed budgets for more established retailers, while influencer andโฆ