“State of Service” report reveals that companies in the country have been betting on the automation of workflows and processes to increase efficiency
Salesforce, the world's leading customer relationship management (CRM) solutions company, has published the fifth edition of the report State of Service, for which more than 8,000 customer service professionals in 36 countries, including Brazil, were interviewed. The objective was to understand how priorities, challenges and service strategies are changing in the midst of new customer expectations, which are now prioritizing digital, and the uncertainties of the current economic scenario.
Even as industry strategies and tactics evolve, the challenges professionals in the field face in responding quickly to increasingly complex issues are becoming more intense. In light of this, 32% of the Brazilian organizations surveyed today have representation at a C-Level level for customer service, as the function has assumed even more strategic importance in the midst of the economic panorama.
Key insights from this edition of “State of Service” include:
Economic uncertainty results in a focus on efficiency
Most fulfillment professionals surveyed say it's difficult to balance speed and quality. But with inflation and high rates dominating the headlines, teams are leaning on new measures and technologies that promote productivity and efficiency — to do “more with less”. For this purpose, 66% of service organizations in Brazil are already betting on the automation of workflows and processes.
Globally, 65% of high-performing organizations (those with “excellent” customer satisfaction levels) use automation, compared to 41% of low-performing organizations (those with fair or poor customer satisfaction). In Brazil, 46% of service organizations already use artificial intelligence (AI).
Users cite saving time as the biggest benefit of automation, followed by connecting with other departments, reducing errors and focusing more on customers.
Digital-first service continues to grow
Customer migration to digital channels took off during the pandemic and shows no signs of slowing down. While phone and email remain the most common channels, other options such as social media and live chat are close to reaching parity. In Brazil, 70% companies offer assistance on social networks and 69% online chat.
Globally, video support saw the biggest jump in popularity of any channel, with 43% more organizations offering it in 2022 compared to 2020. The use of online communities and discussion forums — where customers can interact with their peers for advice — has also seen a significant increase over the past two years.
High turnover calls for attention to employee experience
With high turnover rates, service organizations are offering perks like remote work and better career development opportunities. Service organizations in Brazil experienced an average turnover rate of 27% last year.
Relieving employees of repetitive activities, freeing up their time to build truly connected customer relationships, and prioritizing their career development have all been key measures to curb employee attrition.
More information: To learn more about what customers are saying and how the industry is responding, read the full report: State of Service.
*Methodology: Data in the State of Service report is from a double-blind study of 8,050 customer service professionals in 36 countries across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia Pacific. Data were collected from May 6 to June 13, 2022. Countries surveyed include Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam.
