Important Customer Support Trends for 2022 for Your E-Commerce Project – BootstrapBay

Trends in customer service and support expectations have undergone major changes. Learn more about 2022 trends and get ahead.

The e-commerce space presents unique challenges for business owners. Without personal interactions in physical stores, companies have to work harder at maintaining client relationships.

Staying ahead of the latest customer service trends and support expectations is one way for businesses to differentiate themselves. Knowing the top customer support trends in 2022 is essential for every ecommerce project. With that in mind, based on statistics and customer behavior research at Support-as-a-Service company SupportYourApp, I wanted to share some interesting insights about what we can expect in 2022.

What are the Top Customer Support Trends?

Top on the List of Customer Service and Support Expectation Trends

This may come as a surprise, especially since our “new normal” requires us to avoid people. However, 47% of consumers prefer to use human support. Some people believe that it is easier to resolve their questions through direct human consultation.

90% of clients value high-quality service above all other factors when determining brand loyalty. They don’t believe that emotionless bots are capable of providing the empathetic service they deserve.

Be Clear When You Use AI

This doesn’t mean that consumers aren’t interested in AI-based solutions. 62% of clients approve of the idea if it improves service delivery. Companies should implement such solutions carefully and inform clients that they have done so.

39% of clients are concerned about AI because they do not believe companies are honest in implementing the technology. Given the various AI-fueled data harvesting and fake news scandals, this is not surprising.

Video Chat Will Become One of the Major Customer Support Trends

While only about 6% of clients prefer video chat for support, 47% find it very useful for first contact resolution. The Oracle study that revealed this information ended before COVID-19 emerged.

With the rapid use of video apps, this pandemic has become important; we can expect video chats to move to service channels. Being face to face with clients makes it easier for consultants to connect with them. It is also reassuring for consumers to see that they are dealing with a person.

Not all clients are comfortable with video chat, so companies must provide alternatives.

Luckily, there are great options that will help you roll out full chat functionality in your web and mobile apps, like Instamobile’s great React Native chat.

Moving Towards a Seamless Omnichannel Experience

Going forward, 91% of consumers expect companies to provide a consistent experience at every touchpoint. As an ecommerce provider, you have an advantage. You don’t need to coordinate your online and physical efforts.

You can create a single point of contact for client contact. At this center, clients can ask everything from stock availability to technical difficulties on the website. The ideal setting brings together all modes of communication, such as:

• Calling
• E-mail
• Social media comments
• Requests in the portal

Why not Create Separate Departments?

Conventional approaches don’t work for modern consumers. 59% of clients feel that companies fail to provide a consistent omnichannel experience. Clients want to feel unity within the company, no matter which department they contact.

Services Through Social Media

Clients spend a lot of time on social media. They share and like your posts, but they want more from you in the future. Consumers often find it easier to communicate with your company via social media.

Businesses should put more effort into managing their pages. They need to value all client comments, especially the good ones. Making fans feel appreciated will pay dividends in the long run.

Go Mobile Support

More than half of the global population uses mobile devices to access the Internet. Companies that ignore this fact are making a big mistake. Companies should consider adding messenger apps like WhatsApp to their support options. If they haven’t already, they can also create apps for their clients to use.

Customer Success is the Buzzword of 2022

Companies conventionally provide reactive services. In other words, when clients have a problem, they initiate contact. With 60% of consumers willing to look elsewhere after just one bad service experience, reactive service is a luxury you can’t afford.

Going forward, companies need to actively look for potential obstacles for their clients. They should also reach out to affected clients and ensure that they understand the solution. If there are no problems, the company should still contact the client as a courtesy.

By doing things like this, companies ensure that they get the best benefits from their products. They don’t need or want to look for other alternatives.

Co-Browsing

We most often associate co-browsing with IT support. In the future, we hope this can become a useful service tool. Your support consultant might shop the website with your clients, showing them items that might be a good fit.

This is the equivalent of having a sales force in an online store. Your clients get personalized service, and closing sales becomes easier.

Top Self-Service Customer Support Trends

One of the top self-service customer support trends we see in the future is clients wanting to find their answers. Forms should make it easy to do so by providing an easily searchable knowledge base. Incorporating AI-based search tools to interpret client questions may also be useful here.

Customer portals must increasingly be able to handle more complex tasks. Companies should also consider simple messaging systems and self-service menus that allow clients to get the information they need quickly.

Clients should always have the option to forward questions to the support desk within each system. By providing a good combination of self-service and real-time professional support, companies win.

Final Note

Client expectations entering 2022 are higher than ever. Companies must focus on providing support in a way that is convenient for customers. Those who miss this opportunity will quickly fall behind their competitors.

Customer loyalty is no longer a safeguard against poor service delivery. If you disappoint your clients, they will look for a more reliable company.

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