2017 Aspect Agent Experience Survey
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A study conducted by Aspect Software revealed that 62% of customer service representatives are satisfied in their roles, but only 41% believe there are advancement opportunities. The growing use of chatbots is viewed positively by agents, with many believing it allows them to focus on complex issues, although consumers still prefer live agents for complicated inquiries. The survey highlights the contrasting opinions between agents and consumers regarding automated interactions, underscoring the demand for personalized service in complex situations.
2017 Aspect Agent Experience Survey
- 1. ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved Aspect Software, in partnership with Conversion Research, conducted a national study of 500 Active Customer Service Representatives aged 18-55 years old to uncover the attitudes, preferences and behaviors reps have about their jobs. 2017 ASPECT AGENT EXPERIENCE SURVEY ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved 1
- 2. ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved 2 Project overview & objectives The objective of this specific study was to investigate, from a variety of different perspectives (age, gender, size of customer support center, levels of engagement) the differing and similar attitudes, preferences and behaviors reps have regarding contact management software, the use of chatbots in customer service, workplace priorities and perceptions. Survey Methodology ⹠A custom-crafted online study with a minimum aggregate sample size of 1,000 Americans, aged 18-65, regionally representative and divided by gender as per most recent census projections (with ~25% oversampling of those aged 18-34) ⹠Survey fielded online to match the behavior and expectations of this population ⹠This study took place in March 2017. 2
- 3. ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved Nearly Two Thirds of Customer Service Agents Feel Satisfied in their jobs 77% 78% 61% 70% 72% 0% 50% 100% Total GenX/Boomers Millennials Full time Part time Male Female Higher Engagement Higher Empowerment Q1. How satisfied would you say you are currently with your job as a customer service representative? (1-5 scale) Most Satisfied: âȘ Males âȘ Millennials âȘ Part time agents 70% 61% 62% 62% Not as optimistic: âȘ Females âȘ GenX/Boomers âȘ Full time agents 3 But only 41% feel there are opportunities for promotion. 62% Of agents said they are satisfied in their current customer service role.
- 4. ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved And a healthy number of agents plan to stay where they are 37% 61% 36% 56% 71% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% Total Male Female 3+ Years 1-3 Years 3-12 months Older Millenials2 Younger Millenials 63% 71% 4 75% at contact centers with less than 100 agents plan to stay put. 65% of customer service agents intend to stay where they are currently employed. 65%
- 5. ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved But only 41% of customer service agents are optimistic that there are opportunities for advancement in the contact center where they work: Most optimistic: âȘ Males âȘ Agents in larger contact centers âȘ Older millennials âȘ Empowered and engaged agents Q. Do you feel there are opportunities for you to be promoted and/or advance in your career at the customer support center or customer service center where you are currently working? 53% 49% 37% 47% 45% 53% 44% 31% 40% 47% 41% 0% 20% 40% 60% Higher Empowerment Higher Engagement GenX/Boomer Older Millennials Younger Millennials 1000+ Employees 100-1000 Employees <100 Employees Female Male Total Not as optimistic: âȘ Females âȘ Agents in smaller contact centers âȘ Boomers 5
- 6. ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved 6 And then come the chatbots to steal their jobs
- 7. ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved âą According to Gartner, the use of virtual customer assistants (chatbots) will jump by 1,000% by 2020. âą Juniper Research forecast that bot interactions in the banking sector (those completed without human assistance) will move from 12% currently, to over 90% in 2022. âą Itâs the end of the contact center agent as we know it. Or is it? Customer Service Agents and Chatbots 7 Gartner Predicts 2017: CRM Customer Service and Support http://ow.ly/qT5r30bJOlv Chatbots: Retail, eCommerce, Banking & Healthcare 2017-2022 http://ow.ly/pmv430bJOxN Chatbot interactions in banking 2017 2022 90% 12%
- 8. Key consumer attitudes about automated interaction in customer service feel really good about both the company and themselves when they are able to answer a question or solve a problem related to that company without having to talk with a customer service agent. And most of those folks (61%) think chatbots will allow for faster resolution/question answering. 65% of consumers ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved 8
- 9. Q25. Based on your experience as a customer service representative, what ONE type of question or issue do you prefer to handle â easy, moderate or complex? Sales Easy - 46% Moderate - 40% Complex - 12% More importantly, what kinds of questions do customer service agents WANT to get on an average day? Today at least, chatbots are designed to be able to answer easy, frequently asked questions. So how many easy/hard questions do customer service agents get on an average day? TASK TYPE BREAKDOWN Q24. Thinking about the total number of customer questions and issues you handle in a typical week as a customer service representative, what percentage would you say are âeasyâ, âmoderateâ and âcomplexâ? + Easy tasks less prevalent as size of shop
- 10. ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved How easy/hard are the questions customer service agents get on an average day? A question that can be answered or issue resolved in 2-3 minutes and is a single issue call. EASY A question that can be answered or issue resolved in 3-10 minutes and needs some discovery on customer history and company policy, and contains multiple questions/ concerns. MODERATE A question that takes 10 minutes or more to be answered or issue resolved and takes troubleshooting and/or the assistance or several company resources to be handled. COMPLEX 10
- 11. ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved©2017 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved 11 The larger the customer service center, on average, the fewer easy customer questions 11 100 person of smaller contact center 54% Contact center between 100 â 1,000 agents 45% Contact center over 1,000 agents 40% Q24. Thinking about the total number of customer questions and issues you handle in a typical week as a customer service representative, what percentage would you say are âeasyâ, âmoderateâ and âcomplexâ?
- 12. ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved The larger the contact center the more agents are up for handling challenging questions Agents in large contact centers are 61% more likely to want to handle complex questions vs. agents in small/medium sized contact centers. Agents in large contact centers are also 13% more likely to prefer handing moderate questions vs. those agents in small/medium sized contact centers Conversely, agents in small/medium contact centers are 23% more likely to prefer handling easy questions vs. agents in large contact centers. 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 Percent of Complex questions agents WANT to handle in a given week Percent of Moderate questions agents WANT to handle in a given week Percent of Easy questions agents WANT to handle in a given week Large Contact Centers Small/medium contact centers 12
- 13. Customer service that uses âintelligent assistantâ or âchatbotâ technology⊠Key Consumer Attitudes About Automated Interaction in Customer Service ©2017 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved 13 Of consumers feel that chatbots would be good for complicated trouble shooting 29% Should always have an option to transfer to a live agent 86% 42% Prefer live agents to help them handle complex questions and requests. 61% Will allow for simple to moderate requests to be handled more quickly
- 14. ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved How Do Agents Feel About Their Contact Center Using Chatbots for Customer Service? WHAT IF YOUR CENTER STARTED USING CHATBOTS TO SERVICE CUSTOMERS? Q27. Please tell us how likely you feel each of the following results would be if the customer support center or customer service center where you currently work started to use chatbot technology to help handle the most frequently asked. 35% 36% 44% 0% 20% 40% 60% Will give me a certain degree of autonomy and responsibility I will feel more satisfied and committed to my job I'll be handling less mundane questions and applying my intellect 14
- 15. ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved As employees, they feel more satisfied in their jobs and more committed to the company 59% Feel that handling more complex customer issues improves their skills 79% 72% Makes them feel that they are having a bigger impact in the company 64% Will enable them to provide more personalized service experience for customers Customer service agents have surprisingly positive attitudes about chatbots in customer service ©2017 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved 15
- 16. ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved Q26. Please tell us how much you agree or disagree with the following statements about handling more complex customer questions or issues More Engaged employees vs. the average on handling complex customer service issues 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Improves my skills Makes me feel like I'm making an impact Makes work more interesting Feel more satisfied and committed Improves my prospects for career advancement Average More Engaged 16
- 17. ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved Q26. Please tell us how much you agree or disagree with the following statements about handling more complex customer questions or issues Generational Breakdown on handling complex customer service issues Gen Z ⹠Most likely to feel its helps them make an impact ⹠Most likely to feel it puts them more in touch with customers ⹠They feel better, more satisfied/committed ⹠Most likely to feel it will improve prospects for advancement But⊠⹠Makes them feel frustrated because they are measured for speed. Millennials ⹠Feel it improves their skills ⹠Believe it provides an opportunity to provide a more personalized customer experience ⹠See it as an opportunity to shine for management But⊠⹠Least likely to feel better, more satisfied/committed ⹠Least likely to feel they are making an impact ⹠Least likely to feel its helps them make an impact Gen x/Boomers ⹠Most likely to say it improves their skills ⹠Group most likely to feel it makes work more diverse and interesting ⹠Least likely to get frustrated ⹠Feel it provides an opportunity to give more personalized service for customers But⊠⹠Least likely to say it as an opportunity to shine for management 17
- 18. ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved Self-service and automated interaction on text and messaging apps present a great opportunity to deliver an exceptional customer experiences Learn More at www.aspect.com/self-service-solutions ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved 18
- 19. ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved ⹠61% of consumers surveyed in the 2016 Aspect Consumer Experience Index feel chatbots will allow for simple to moderate requests to be handled more quickly ⹠But 42% said they prefer live agents to help them handle complex questions and requests. ⹠An overwhelming majority (86%) of consumers feel that they should always have an option to transfer to a live agent if there. ⹠Only 29% of consumers feel that chatbots would be good for complicated trouble shooting and just 32% felt automated interaction would work well in solving a complex request. Here is where agents and chatbots come together: Consumer preferences indicate that personal assistance is still in demand for complex issues: 19
- 20. Coming Soon Part II: Agent Engagement 20 ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved
- 21. Coming Soon Part III: The Software Experience: The Agents Perspective 21 ©2015 Aspect Software, Inc. All rights reserved