90% of consumers expect service queries to be resolved within 24hrs

Nine out of ten customers now expect their service and support queries to be resolved within 24 hours by brands, according to new findings that demonstrate the extent to which consumer expectations have grown. 

The latest Selligent Global Connected Consumer Index underlines that the days when it was perfectly acceptable to wait a week or so before responding to a customer query have long gone. 96% of customers expect at least a response – as a bare minimum – within the 24 hour timeframe, and regardless of the channel.  

Back in August, MyCustomer published Delivering exceptional customer service – a 2019 guide alongside 8x8, who interviewed 2,000 UK adults to establish that nearly two-thirds (64%) of people said they were frustrated at the length of time it took a customer service agent at a company to resolve a problem.

But perhaps more pertinently – and highlighting just how important meeting expectations in relation to speed of resolution has become – over half (56%) said they would stop buying from a business if they experienced slow customer service.

Connected customer

The Selligent study – which surveyed 5,000 consumers from around the globe – also found that 71% of people now assume a brand will have all historic interaction information they require about them on first point of contact; highlighting just how vital it is that brands now have a unified customer data system to aide their customer support processes.

The complexity of this expectation is intensified by the fact that 64% of consumers now live in a near-perminent omnichannel state; merging research for products online with in-store purchasing and expecting a similar level of flexibility across both on and offline channels when raising service queries.

“Consumers want relevant experiences and interactions that take place on the right channel, at the right moment,” the report states. “Brands that do this deliver value to the consumer, and ultimately increase loyalty and retention.”

Research by BT Global emphasises that most customers will change how they contact an organisation depending on their situation. For instance, 73% like the autonomy that self-service tools offer them when trying to perform tasks such as updating their personal information with a business. Crucially though, 52% will still pick up the phone and expect fast access to a well-trained employee to help address a problem.

When speaking to MyCustomer for Delivering exceptional customer service – a 2019 guide, Chris Angus, senior director at 8x8 stated that how a business chooses its communication channels – and the service it delivers via those channels – now plays a central role in determining that business’s future success.

“Investing in the right channels is now a critical part of a business’s planning – customer service can no longer be seen as a cost to be avoided,” adds Angus.

“The great news is that the cost incurred is much less prohibitive now than it used to be. Technology can provide a much more bespoke, incremental route to success that aligns with the direction their business is taking.”