Hotter times for customer support in 2021: reports, trends in 2022

Customer support was busier in 2021: ticket volumes increased for all channels compared to the year before. Consumers also have higher expectations of customer service.

Customer’s questions on WhatsApp even more than tripled compared to 2020. Requests via phone calls and social media increased around 20 percent according to research by Zendesk. More than 80 percent of customers expect to continue contacting customer care at this rate, while 10 percent expects to contact support even more, Salesforce reports. These are just a few conclusions from Salesupply’s latest Ecommerce Customer Care Guide.

New increased expectations

In addition to higher ticket volumes, online retailers face some unique challenges. Firstly, shoppers have higher expectations: 55 percent of consumers say they expect more from customer service compared to 2020. For example, a majority wants their issue to be resolved during the first contact.

Customer support has also become more digital. For the first time in 2021, more than half of British customer service experiences were digital, according to The Institute of Customer Service. Contact took place, for example, via e-mail, chat and social media. These channels can still be improved though: of all online channels, chatbots scored the lowest in customer satisfaction.

Service only in their own language

Besides, cross-border ecommerce is on the rise. The market is expected to reach over 4 trillion euros by 2030, according to Fatpos Global. That is a sixfold increase compared to 2020. Although consumers increasingly shop cross-border, they prefer service in their native language.

CSA Research shows that 40 percent of consumers will never buy from a website in a different language. If customer support does serve in their mother language, 3 in 4 shoppers say they are more likely to buy from that website again.

Self-service options appreciated

Another post-pandemic expectation from customers is self-service. More than 40 percent of customers are choosing digital self-service options, a survey by Shep Hyken found, like Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), video tutorials and chatbots. Do-it-yourself options such as knowledge bases and community forums are thus gaining popularity.