Sixty-two percent of customer service channel transitions are “high-effort” for customers, according to Gartner, Inc. Less than half of customers who experience a high-effort transition will use self-service again for their next interaction.
A Gartner survey of 1,492 B2B and B2C customers in December 2022 found that a seamless transition between channels is a key driver of positive customer experience (CX) outcomes and future self-service adoption. When the transition is high-effort, meaning that switching channels did not lead to resolution, the probability of positive CX and loyalty outcomes is dismal.
“Many customer service and support leaders worry that creating easy transitions to assisted channels will undermine their self-service goals,” said Eric Keller, Senior Director, Research in the Gartner Customer Service & Support practice “Our research shows the opposite is true: 74% of customers who experience easy transitions to a customer service rep say they’ll return to self-service next time.
“Despite resolving their issue in assisted service, these customers are just as likely to use self-service in the future as those whose issues were fully resolved using self-service.”
Seamless Transitions Boost CX and Reduce Costs
The survey highlights the benefits of promoting seamless transitions between self-service and assisted channels. Seamless transitions improve CX across a range of metrics (see Figure 1) and boost loyalty, but they also save time and resources. In fact, 93% of respondents reported high customer satisfaction (CSAT) when there was a seamless channel transition. The survey found customers who experience seamless transitions from self-service to a rep spend 27% less time in assisted channels.