Customer service agents who can easily respond to queries and help solve problems rank high among consumers interviewed for the recent research conducted by software firm Amdocs. The study highlights the predominant role of highly skilled and knowledgeable contact center and retail store agents in delivering superior customer experience.
The research found 87% of the consumers interviewed across the Philippines and Singapore have rated highly skilled agents as key to excellent customer experience. Also, the decision-makers at CSPs see agents as pivotal to sales growth (95%) and brand success (75%), despite digitalization and the growing role of AI and unassisted self-service channels.
“The Filipino population is tech-savvy and digitally-forward. From ordering goods and services online to resolving issues on live chats, they make most of the digital offerings,” said Deepak Talwar, regional vice president and Customer Business Executive, APAC at Amdocs. “Digitalization has transformed customer experiences across the telecom industry, but we cannot discount the critical role of human interaction.”
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Amdocs survey reveals Filipino consumers want more personalized services from CSPs
The Give the Agents Wings report, based on research carried out for Amdocs by Coleman Parks Research, surveyed 3,000 consumers across Asia- Pacific, North America, and Europe. 73% of consumers in the Philippines and Singapore said they would likely switch brands if they were offered better customer service by another provider, compared to 67% in North America and 70% in Europe.
Agents themselves, however, are often too overwhelmed to provide the ‘wow’ moments that today’s savvy, demanding, the empowered consumer expects. They say they are being held back by challenges including the growing number of services on offer (76%), the need to be knowledgeable across multiple products, platforms, and technologies (68%), and the increase in customer interactions (40%).