Glia expects breaking customer stereotypes, evolving the customer service representative role and more widespread adoption of Digital Customer Service to be areas to watch next year
Glia, a leading provider of Digital Customer Service, today shared the primary trends expected to impact the financial services landscape next year. In 2022, a top focus will be reimagining how to effectively serve and engage with customers in a digital world to consistently facilitate five-star customer experiences. Areas to watch include:
Breaking the Millennial and Gen Z Stereotype. The stereotype of technophobic older consumers is outdated since social distancing, but on the opposite end of the age spectrum, it is a common misconception that Millennials and Gen Z hate talking on the phone. However, what they really are trying to avoid is being forced to interrupt their chosen digital experience to dial a phone number and eventually speak to someone. The problem with “the customer experience” when it comes to service is that the experience is not one thing, it’s two: the digital experience and the phone experience.
Next year and beyond, expect banks and credit unions to increasingly realize phone and voice are not the same thing and cater the experience accordingly. More will forgo encouraging calling into a call center, instead allowing for seamless voice options within the digital experience with an agent that already has full visibility into the current situation. Customers should never have to hear a generic ‘how can I help you?’ again.
Those that can break these stereotypes and determine how to effectively engage with these increasingly growing and potentially profitable segments can solidify a competitive advantage.
Shifting from Representative to Teacher. In 2022, more institutions and financial services companies will reevaluate the customer service agent role. This position has traditionally been one of low satisfaction and high churn, which is especially concerning as the country continues to experience The Great Resignation (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the quit rate reached 2.9% this past August, the highest ever recorded). However, as more representatives are empowered with the modern tools necessary to efficiently meet customers where they are, the tide is changing, making the role more enjoyable and attractive. Moving forward, customer service representatives will more closely resemble teachers, helping customers to become digitally self-sufficient.
Plus, as self-service and automation handle easier requests, representatives will continue to become more highly trained and specialized. This is all part of a broader trend toward contact centers becoming more like engagement centers, no longer requiring customers to disengage from the digital domain for clunky phone experiences.
Creating Seamless, Uninterrupted Customer Experiences within Digital Channels. This year, more institutions and financial services companies than ever before have started embracing a digital-first approach to customer service, meeting customers where they are in the digital domain and communicating with them how they prefer, whether it’s chat, video and voice –or guiding them using CoBrowsing. Such continuity and choice enhance the overall experience, improving efficiencies while forging loyalty that lasts. Next year, this journey will become widespread and mature as businesses put strategy and planning into action, creating personalized, meaningful interactions within digital journeys.
“We’ve seen significant progress this year in the Digital Customer Service space; however, there is still much to be done,” said Dan Michaeli, co-founder and CEO of Glia. “Financial services companies across the globe are modernizing their service and support strategies, and we predict that this will only accelerate next year. The ability to meet customers where they are is becoming a beacon for financial services organizations’ digital transformations. Those that welcome the shift will be well poised for success, no matter what next year may bring.”
About Glia
Glia is reinventing how businesses support their customers in a digital world. Glia's solution enriches web and mobile experiences with digital communication choices, on-screen collaboration and AI-enabled assistance. Glia has partnered with more than 200 banks, credit unions, insurance companies and other financial institutions across the globe to improve top and bottom-line results through Digital Customer Service. The company has won numerous awards for its innovation - most recently recognized by Gartner as a Cool Vendor for 2020, and raised over $100 million in funding from top investors. Visit glia.com to learn more.
