Decision-makers in India are turning to new customer service technologies as customer demands shift, according to insights from the latest State of Service Report from Salesforce.
According to the report, 87 per cent of service decision-makers surveyed in India said that they have invested in new service technology during the pandemic.
“Insights from the survey suggest that a new digital-first playbook is emerging as customer expectations shift. Customer service teams are struggling to deal with the increasing complexity of consumer demands,” Salesforce said in an official release.
However, field service still remains one of the most important aspects of customer service.
“Consumers say they still prefer in-person service appointments over alternatives,” as per the report.
94 per cent of service decision-maker participants from India said that field service is a key part of their overall business strategy. Field service also drives significant revenues for the company, according to 90 per cent of service decision-maker respondents in India.
Increased importance of agents
Apart from this, decision-makers also leveraging customer service agents to expand flexibility means of communication, and success measures to improve customer experiences.
“While automation is helping teams to find relief from increased demands of customer service, the skills required of agents are becoming broader and more complex than those traditionally associated with the role,” as per the report.
This has led to an increased demand for employees with soft skills such as communication, adaptability and empathy. In India, 93% of service decision-maker respondents are said that organisations were making significant investments in agent training. From an agent perspective, 87 per cent of service agent respondents said that they saw a clear career path for career growth at their job.
“The pandemic has challenged service teams by creating radically new standards of engagement between businesses and their customers,” said Deepak Pargoankar, VP, Solution Engineering at Salesforce.
“Sharply shifting business models have created new working environments, including distributed workforces, and a host of new and evolving customer needs. Decision-makers are now increasingly adopting technology to mitigate its implications on customer service and how their teams are able to function efficiently despite the challenges. This is an opportune time for businesses to embrace digital transformation,” Pargoankar added.