Accenture-NASCA: State Chief Administrators Can Help Improve Government Customer Service

Citizens wish for new and improved digital services from their governments, and the chief administrators in each state are uniquely positioned to help meet evolving customer service expectations, notes a new report from professional services provider Accenture and the National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA), a nonprofit association representing public officials in charge of departments that provide support services to other state agencies.  

Offering a framework for reimagining government customer service, the report found that more than half of respondents (51%) rated their digital interactions with government positively. The most common digital channels for connecting with government were websites (74%), mobile apps (29%), and digital assistants (11%). Yet nearly one-third of respondents (31%) said they prefer to interact with government in-person or via telephone rather than through digital channels.

Related Article: OMB and GSA Designate $100 Million to Improve CX for the Public Sector

Asked what aspects of business they would like the public sector to better emulate, respondents said their favorites included faster and more helpful customer service (70%), simple and intuitive processes (58%), and simplicity in apps and other online services (52%). Queried about points of friction when accessing government services via digital channels during the past year, respondents identified as their chief concerns slow or unclear processes (74%), unavailable or ineffective customer support (59%), and digital tools not working well (34%).

The report advises state chief administrators to invest in continually monitoring the evolving mindsets and needs of citizens and to coordinate resources for seamless service options across digital and in-person channels. “Customer service channels and expectations are evolving rapidly, and government leaders should be gearing up to embrace new opportunities for how they operate and serve stakeholders,” says Ryan Oakes, head of Accenture’s global public sector practice.

Replicant: Voice Automation in Contact Centers is Likely or Inevitable

Automation is quickly becoming a critical part of a modern contact center, according to a new report from contact center automation provider Replicant, with voice automation having the highest perceived value and deemed to be likely or inevitable within the next two years.

In its 2022 benchmark report, Automation in the Contact Center, San Francisco-based Replicant says automation is the top contact center solution for addressing various challenges facing the industry, including the hiring and retaining of agents, spikes in call volumes, and high or increasing costs. And with close to 80% of survey respondents for the report listing customer satisfaction as their top priority, call centers are continuing to automate the channels most preferred by customers. Already, a total of 95% have adopted or are planning to implement an automation solution, with 87% of study participants indicating that voice channels have the highest perceived value of automation compared to any other channel they use. For call centers that have allocated a budget for automation, 83% indicate they are investing in voice automation, and 76% have listed voice as an implementation priority.

“Automation has the power to transform the industry, as evidenced by the accelerated adoption of the technology,” says Gadi Shamia, CEO and co-founder at Replicant. “This survey confirms what we’ve seen in the market: automation, especially natural-sounding voice automation that resolves customer challenges, will soon be standard in every contact center.”

Newgen: Few Enterprises Have Finished Digital Transformation Efforts

Less than 30% of the world’s enterprise firms have completed their digital transformation (DX) journey, and the most successful DX efforts are those that involve end-to-end change, according to a new report from Newgen Software, the provider of a unified digital transformation platform.

In its 2022 State of Digital Transformation Research report, Newgen says most enterprises are still at the early stage of their DX initiatives. Nearly a quarter (24%) are at the discussion stage, and almost half (49%) are currently undergoing transformation, with the remainder (27%) representing the share of enterprises that have completed the DX process. Firms undertake DX to attain growth, gain competitive advantage, and provide a better CX, but achieving DX is not easy, the report says. The top three challenges cited by survey respondents include lack of management support, cybersecurity concerns, and lack of in-house DX experience.

Other key findings from the report indicate that enterprises focus transformation nearly equally on front-end processes (68%)—i.e., customer-facing processes (68%)—as well as on back-end processes (61%). Enterprises undertaking end-to-end transformation involving both front-end and back-end processes make up less than two-fifths (38%) of the total. However, a related key finding indicates that the enterprises deemed most successful in their DX efforts are more than seven times as likely to be focused on end-to-end change and not just on either the front end or back end (80% vs. 11%).

Conducting the survey for Newgen was Eleven Market Research, which canvassed 301 senior business and IT leaders within enterprise organizations of 1,000 or more employees in North America, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific.

Centrical: Gamification to be Added by Contact Centers to Improve EX

More than 50% of contact centers worldwide plan to add gamification to improve EX and reduce attrition in center operations, reveals a new report from Centrical, the multinational provider of an employee success platform blending artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced gamification.

The 2022 Trend Report, which compiled feedback from more than 245 contact center leaders around the world, shows that 54% of respondents plan to add gamification in the next 12 months. Gamification is the application of game mechanics to non-game experiences, and in the contact center, consists usually of managers rewarding team members for achievement in competitive activities as a means to improve EX and employee morale.

Related Article: Why Turnover of US Contact Center Agents is So High

Gamification is important because 90% of contact center leaders indicate improving employee experience as a top priority for 2022-23, according to the report. Gamification engages employees emotionally, rewards behaviors that drive success, and creates excitement that lasts, notes Centrical.

Another key finding of the report cites attrition as problematic for the contact center industry. However, more than half of the respondents (52%) believe that employee attrition is directly correlated with employee-manager relationships. With employees doubling down on expectations and customers being more demanding than ever before, businesses must invest in their frontline employees to remain successful, the report notes.

Mitto: 90% of Americans Will Not Fly or Stay with an Airline or Hotel After Negative CX

After a negative customer support experience, 90% of US consumers will choose not to fly with an offending airline again or stay in the same hotel committing the transgression, reveals a new report from Mitto, the Zurich, Switzerland-based provider of global omnichannel communications solutions. Poor customer support has the potential to drastically affect an airline or hotel brand’s bottom line, and a strong correlation exists between the standard of customer support provided by a brand and the attitude of consumers toward the brand, the report points out.

Amid travel disruptions, brands should prioritize quality CX. For airline customer support, two-thirds of travelers (64%) desire quick fixes, followed by those prioritizing fast communication and short wait times (50%). A majority (54%) do not want to wait on hold for more than 10 minutes. Where communication channels are involved, SMS is the top choice (40%) for travelers to communicate with an airline. In the past year, the majority of brand conversations were conducted in person or over email, with only a small portion among respondents (15%) saying airlines offered SMS as an option.

For hotels, mostly positive experiences were reported during the past year, with 95% of Americans having a positive or neutral experience. For travelers, the biggest factors in having a positive hotel experience with a hotel are helpful representatives (66%) and fast interaction (61%).