While the pandemic either jumpstarted or accelerated digital transformation, the latest Infobip report shows companies believe the process will continue even as the pandemic rages on.

Infobip, a global cloud communications platform, surveyed 2,760 professionals across nine markets: China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The report titled “A Year of Disruption: Managing Increasing Complexities in Customer Service” indicates that even if working from home is not continued after the COVID-19 situation improves, digital transformation will carry on for organizations.

Along with digitizing their back-end systems, companies also digitized customer experience (CX) and its processes.

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Half of the respondents reported that the digitalization of customer service support (CSS) is a permanent implementation moving forward, considering the long-term benefits that come with automation and implementation of a digital omnichannel hub. On a scale of 1-10, respondents rated an 8 on average for the importance and necessity for CSS to be digitalized. This is a key finding for the Philippines, with 35% of respondents agreeing on the need to digitalize CSS.

Digitalization

“The convergence of business and information technology is an important investment that Filipino executives should make now,” said Charist Montenegro, country manager of Infobip Philippines. “The changes that they will decide on to improve their operations, particularly in digitalizing their tools to satisfy customer needs and demands, will enable them to reap tangible benefits in the long-term even beyond the pandemic.”

According to Infobip, the respondents to its research report that the increase in and management of support channels were among their two biggest challenges. With different strategies employed for different channels, CS teams are encouraged to consider adopting an omnichannel approach or end up creating fragmented customer journeys.

But there are still some challenges to overcome.

The report found 54% of respondents cited the increase in support inquiries as a top challenge faced in customer support last year. It also shows 60% of APAC respondents said employee training is a top consideration when adopting a digital customer support system.

From Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp Business to Viber, online chat is a growing space for Business-to-Customer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B) communications.

Automation

Infobip encourages employers to train their CX workforce for digital transformation and invest in communication channels that are relevant to their markets by finding the best solutions to simplify their communication needs.

Based on Infobip’s latest research, top-level decision-makers look at several factors before implementing their digital approach. The survey shows that the CX industry seems to be experiencing a skills gap. In all the markets, respondents listed employee training as the top considerations when it comes to adopting a digital customer support system.

Respondents in all the markets also say their customer support teams are ready for remote working. A deeper dive into Philippine data shows that the increase in support channels (56%) and unfamiliarity with new channels (37%) are among the top digital technology challenges that local companies face.