Don’t Hang Up! Why Phone Support is Crucial to Customer Service

In today’s digital landscape, it's easy to dismiss phone support as a relic of the past. With Millennials and Gen Z reportedly experiencing higher numbers of phone anxiety, many organizations might prioritize digital and AI-powered tools for customer support. 

Here's the surprising truth: according to the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Cross-Industry Customer Service Experience Study, phone support remains the most utilized first contact channel across industries. This highlights a critical disconnect between customer preferences and how businesses approach support, suggesting a need to re-evaluate traditional methods in the digital age.

Hold the Line! 

Phone support, while popular and valuable, can also be expensive. As a result, resolving issues on the first contact, regardless of the initial channel, becomes crucial. When a customer issue is not resolved during the first contact, customers are more likely to demand a swift resolution during this second interaction. Analyzing all customer service channels can help you identify and eliminate friction points that hinder the customer journey. These inefficiencies can be incredibly costly, impacting both your profitability and customer satisfaction. In fact, satisfaction drops over 200 index points across channels with repeat contact. 

The Takeaway? Service organizations should not rely solely on digital tools for their customer support. With nearly half of customers utilizing the phone as their first contact channel, investments should also be made in improving call center operations. Analyze all of your channels to ensure that customers can quickly and efficiently resolve their issues. 

If you’re struggling with understanding gaps in first contact resolution or want help to explore your channel performance, contact our customer service experts today.