Singapore – 80% of APAC customers are likely to take their business elsewhere as a result of poor experiences, and 61% of consumers will not tolerate bad experiences and will walk away after just one or two bad encounters, according to the data cloud communications agency Vonage in their ‘Global Customer Engagement Report’ for 2024.
In connection to this, the report stated that APAC consumers claim that their poor experiences are mostly consisted of long wait times when speaking with an agent (63%), no way to speak to customer service via voice/phone (59%), lack of 24/7 support availability (48%) and lack of self-service support (46%).
These findings are especially important, given that the global data revealed that APAC consumers continue to prefer a range of channel options when communicating with businesses, with mobile phone calls (36%), messaging/non-SMS apps (31%) and phone calls via apps (29%) ranking high in preference. However, less than half (42%) indicated they are “very satisfied” when communicating with businesses.
As such, these findings underscore opportunities to leverage AI. With tools like AI-based virtual assistants, businesses are equipped to provide quick resolution, reduce frustrations and ultimately provide a more targeted and personalised experience for the user.
With AI, businesses can specifically address urgent customer inquiries, provide smarter self-service at scale, and deliver smart interactive voice responses and skills-based routing to connect customers with an agent best suited to handle their query, preventing and mitigating a bad customer experience.
Lastly, report findings demonstrate that consumers are embracing AI to make their experiences better. In fact, responses show a likelihood that chatbot and video chat usage will more than double within the next year, with 10% using chatbots today and 23% expected usage in the next six to 12 months. Additionally, 13% indicate they’re using video chat today, with 26% expected usage in the next six to 12 months.
Talking about the findings, Joy Corso, chief marketing officer at Vonage, said, “This data underscores that, to differentiate on customer engagement, businesses need an omnichannel communications strategy that allows customers to contact them seamlessly across their preferred channels.”
“Those that do will also benefit from the ability to leverage the powerful capabilities of AI across communication channels, such as voice, video, messaging, and chat, enabling them to augment live customer support. This goes a long way to ensuring personal and real-time customer engagement at every touchpoint,” she added.
