Large customer care organizations in major English-speaking countries now consider measurements of customer satisfaction as the main gauge of their contact center and help desks rather than the traditional metrics of cost savings and efficiency.
A new survey by LogMeIn and Ovum found that 90% of respondents are measuring the success of their service and support organization based on customer satisfaction metrics. Also, 62% cited customer satisfaction as the number one priority for their contact center today, outranking average handle time and first call resolution metrics. This group is expected to grow 11 percentage points to 73% within the next two to three years.
The findings -- which reveal a shifting mindset among telecommunications operators when it comes to measuring the success of their contact centers and help desks -- come as operators and device manufacturers seek to differentiate themselves in the crowded, rapidly changing mobile market.
Conducted by telephone calls, the survey that was conducted from December 2011 to January 2012 covered telecommunications companies, technology companies (including device manufacturers), retail and wholesale companies, as well as government and education organizations.
The survey also found that nearly 70% of over 100 respondents in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia cited investments in online technologies -- including live chat and social media -- as key contributors to boosting customer satisfaction.
Of those interviewed, 69% cited investments in online customer engagement channels – live chat, social networks, forums, etc. – as key contributors to improving customer satisfaction. The same proportion said they quantify or are actively in the process of quantifying direct financial benefits of improved customer satisfaction.
“The data suggests that this customer-centric approach will become more prevalent over the next few years, as companies invest in analytics and mobile applications in order to improve service across all devices and touch points,” said Ovum analyst Aphrodite Brinsmead.