The 2022 State of Service — connection

The new State of Service 2022 report from Salesforce – with four key findings. Quoting ZDNet:

1. Connection Is the Heart of Service – Customers’ expectations mean service professionals need visibility into the entire customer journey in order to engage empathetically and efficiently. Sixty-two percent of service pros say all departments use the same CRM software.
2. Digital Engagement Becomes the Norm – The pandemic sent an increasing number of customers to digital channels. As their expectations rise and habits change, they aren’t turning back. Adoption of video support has increased by 47% since 2020.
3. Customer Service Extends to the Doorstep – The contact center remains critical but physical, onsite service is an increasingly important factor in delivering customer success. Eighty-six percent of decision makers at organizations with field service says it’s critical to scaling their business.
4. Labor Dynamics Put Focus on Agent Experience – As job mobility spiked over the past months and years, service organizations have a renewed focus on skill sets and perks even as economic headwinds signal future challenges. Service organizations have experienced an average reported a turnover rate of 19% over the past year.

Let’s pair that with CompTIA’s recent posting on Tech Buying Trends.  Quoting the blog.  

62% of respondents in CompTIA’s latest research, SMB Technology Buying Trends, say the use of technology today is a primary factor in reaching their strategic business goals. Thirty-one percent deem tech a secondary factor in those critical efforts, with only 5% calling it a non-factor. 

Three in 10 SMBs agreed that their company was thriving this far in 2022 by increasing revenue and profitability. That compares with 22% that said so last year. Most firms describe their health as holding steady in terms of revenue and profit levels, which is similar to last year (51% in 2022 and 48% in 2021). The number that reports struggling this year, a net 19%, is down from 29% that said so in 2021.

With technology at the heart of a modern business, it’s also commonplace, and the differentiator is service delivery.

I wanted to call out the adoption of video support and that call to connection.     It would be straightforward to say customer service is about “relationships” or “service” when the subtlety is that it’s actually about delivering results.    “Delivering customer success” is code for “drive their business”, and the only way to do that is through measurement of impact.  

And note, business owner, you’re doing it in a world of 19% turnover.