Retail MARKET REPORT
54% of UK shoppers don’t care whether customer
service is provided by a bot or a human, as
long as their issue is resolved fast - Genesys
BOT VS HUMAN
Majority (54%) of UK shoppers don’t care whether customer service is
provided by a bot or a human, as long as their issue is resolved fast, a
new study from Genesys confirms. The research found that only 28%
of respondents say that they would never deal with a bot, while 48%
say that they use bots for solving simple and transactional queries,
such as checking a bank account balance. However, 57% said that
they would wait for 10 minutes to get help from a human customer
service agent rather than spend five minutes solving their issue with
assistance from voice or chat bot. UK consumers (51%) also say that
contacting customer services by phone still gets the best outcome.
boards with interactive ones.
By doing this you remove the
need for an information desk,
replacing it with a contact
centre out of sight, on a cheaper
real estate area, which can
communicate through the
information board.
So yes, digital is disrupting
the sector, but this provides an
excellent opportunity for the
channel to oer services they
may already be familiar with
into a new sector. I encourage
anyone to look outside of their
industry for examples and
work with clients to introduce
strategies they might not have
thought of.”
Vishal Chhatralia, Exertis
Group, Chief Digital Ocer
commented “Digital disruption
will continue to happen, an
existential threat for current
incumbents in the channel who
will either be digital prey, by
being disrupted, or transform to
become the digital predator and
therefore the disruptor. Digital
is the use of technology and
data to create more and new
value for customers. Already,
we have witnessed Facebook
disrupting media companies
without owning any media,
Airbnb disrupting Hilton
without owning any real estate,
Uber disrupting the taxi market
without owning any taxis but
between them all using the
power of delivering exceptional
customer experiences with the
use of data and technology.
ere are many exciting
things going on in the
channel to create more value
for customers by leveraging
>
Tony Rich, Head of Global Propositions & Industry Verticals
PABX, gone into the cloud to
try and reduce costs but this has
had a negative impact on their
business so they’ve moved back.
It’s all about trying to nd a
balance between how and what
cloud services they use and how
their telephony infrastructure
operates. Reliability issues are
the biggest factor whilst the
long term ownership of a PABX
can be signicantly lower too.
e key is to identify and adopt
the right hybrid solution rather
than the cheapest.”
Michael Bevan, CEO of
Duologi, said “Some retailers
are continuing to go through
a tough time, with the
struggles of the high street
well documented in the press.
However, the problems of
retailers, in particular small
and medium sized businesses,
are multifaceted and there isn’t
one simple solution to easing
their troubles, although, recent
research found that a lack of
payment options has been
shown to reduce online sales by
up to 30%.”
Transforming a sector
As the market for technology
in retail shifts the big question
remains, is the Channel
equipped to provide the right
services to digitally transform
the sector?
Rich says, “Yes, the channel
is equipped to transform
the sector. Yes, digital can
be disruptive but it is the
future and, as technology is
commoditised, the price comes
down, and more people come
on board.
We see disruption in a few
ways, whether that is the fastpaced
upgrading of technology
or the introduction of existing
technology into a space it wasn’t
previously associated with.
For example, we have
traditional clothes stores
adopting AI and app technology
with smart mirrors, giving
the customer an augmented
shopping experience.
Shopping centres are moving
on from traditional information
desks, with the introduction
of contact centre and NFC
technology. We’ve worked with
organisations on implementing
technology like this, replacing
digital signs and information
CAN YOU SOLVE THE RETAIL CX PROBLEM?
• Customers are willing to wait on hold, but only to a point. They expect
companies to respect their time.
• Customers hate repeating themselves multiple times. A study from
Genesys says 40 per cent of customers are most irritated by having
to say things more than once while 39 per cent are more frustrated
by listening to repetitive messages or annoying music while on hold.
• Customers want omni-channel. Whether you like it or not, customers
want to communicate in their preferred method not necessarily
by yours. They may also take multiple approaches to their
communications with brands.
• Retailers want ROI. If you are selling the next generation of
technology which will transform how a brand interacts with its
customers then you’ll need to be able to directly correlate how that
has turned into cold hard cash.
• Employee Experience matters. It’s not just about the customer, more
engaged employees will deliver a better service for brands, generate
more positive feedback and ultimately lead to more sales. Does your
technology cater for Employee Experience?
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