13 Stats that Prove Great Customer Experience Starts with a Smooth Agent Experience

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There’s a cyclical relationship between agent experience and customer experience because the customer service journey begins behind the scenes.

Here are 13 stats that prove investing in your agent experience will pay huge dividends toward your customers. 

AX=CX

  • 1 in 3 customers will walk away after just one bad customer experience 

Customer experience correlates with customer retention. Losing one third of customers because of poor customer service is absolutely avoidable.

  • 95% of customers say great customer service is required for brand loyalty

Customer loyalty is no longer solely based on price, product or services. Customers see their experience with companies as indicators of how valuable they are. 

  • 60% of customers said they would stop doing business with a company if they receive unfriendly service 

It has been said that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. As it turns out honey also keeps customers around. 

  • 88% of contact centers say investing in customer experience is top priority 

Customer service is the bottom line for customer retention. It also helps in areas like revenue and new customers. 

Increasing the fluidity and accessibility of agent’s desktops makes their job easier. This in turns decreases the chance of a negative experience for both agents and customers. 

What is agent experience?

Agent experience encapsulates the sum of an agent’s interactions, emotions, and perceptions throughout their journey within a contact center. It’s the intricate tapestry woven from every engagement, training session, and collaboration, profoundly influencing the quality of customer interactions.

At its core, agent experience hinges on empowerment. When agents feel valued and equipped, their confidence radiates in conversations with customers. This empowerment stems from comprehensive training, access to tools and resources, and a supportive work environment that fosters growth. A content agent, armed with knowledge and confidence, naturally imparts a sense of ease to customers, thereby laying the groundwork for a great customer experience.

Recognition and appreciation form another vital thread in agent experience. Acknowledging an agent’s contributions fuels motivation and dedication. Feeling seen and valued, agents are more likely to approach interactions with enthusiasm and authenticity, creating genuine connections that resonate positively with customers.

Technology, when harnessed effectively, also elevates agent experience. Intuitive interfaces and integrated systems minimize friction in processes, allowing agents to focus on what truly matters: the customer. The ease of navigating systems reflects in interactions, ensuring a seamless customer experience.

A collaborative culture amplifies agent experience. When agents can readily seek guidance from peers, supervisors, or specialized teams, they can confidently address complex inquiries. This camaraderie indirectly influences customer experience by enhancing agent competence.

What is agent experience? Put simply, it’s the cornerstone of customer experience. It shapes the dynamics of every interaction, setting the tone for customer satisfaction and loyalty. By fostering a culture of empowerment, recognition, seamless technology, and collaboration, contact centers lay a foundation for agents to flourish, ultimately translating into extraordinary customer interactions and a thriving brand reputation.

Empowering agents for improved customer service

  • 70% of agents say that empowerment to take action when a problem comes up is important to their engagement at work

Agents are empowered to take action to solve a problem when they feel ownership. Issues are more likely to resolve the first time around. Giving agents tools that improve their ability to solve a problem, like CRM integrated desktops,  empowers them to take initiative. 

  • 80% of customers are willing to pay more for more efficient service 

The more efficiency that is achieved, the more your customer is satisfied. A system that takes into account how agent experience plays into increased efficiency is beneficial.

  • Agents who use their strengths during customer interactions are 6 times more likely to be engaged at work and 8% more productive

Knowing your agents strengths and utilizing them in the correct situations keeps your employees engaged and your customers happy.

46% of customers will jump ship if they think agents are not knowledgeable 

Customers need to trust you. If they perceive you or your agents are not knowledgeable about something they are trusting you to do, they will go to someone else that seems more competent. Investing in training your agents is beneficial to your agents as well as customer experience. 

Agent experience drives revenue

  • 73% of people think that customer service is important in purchasing decisions

Agents can easily hit all marks of a positive customer experience if they are given the right tools. These tools make their experience better and the service they provide informed. 

  • 65% of customers find a good customer experience to be more effective than ads 

Agents have the opportunity to speak one on one with customers. The customer experience can be personalized, and speaks to the individual. When agents have the right tools to make providing a great customer service journey, it can absolutely be more effective than ads. 

  • 49% of customers have made impulse purchases after a great customer experience

Being treated well makes customers feel appreciated. When agents also feel appreciated they are more likely to give a better customer experience. Appreciation is a natural feedback loop. 

Agent retention is key

  • Agents that feel engaged in the contact center are 15% less likely to head for the door

If you have a high turnover rate of agents, your customers will not receive consistent customer service. When agents stay on they bring experience to the customer service journey. 

  • 31% of workers report high or extremely high stress levels on the job

Customer experience suffers when agents suffer. Stress can cause agents to be unfriendly as well as to leave altogether. If you can reduce the amount of stress you agents feel you can improve customer experience as well as agent retention. 

So, how can you improve the agent experience? 

  1. Make sure agents receive continuous feedback, coaching and training
  2. Show agents their value by sharing survey and QM results
  3. Take time to find out what your employees think. Conduct employee surveys on a regular basis, share the results and put agent’s suggestions into action
  4. Give agents tools to make providing great customer service a breeze. 

In a recent LiveVox survey of Customer Care C-Suites, we found that the biggest challenge impacting agent experience is data integration. 

Poor integration with existing systems and lack of integration with other channels are the areas contact centers most need to improve. As customer behavior and expectations have changed, contact centers should be working to respond and deliver a better customer experience by investing more in behind-the-scenes areas like agent experience. An easy way to do this is with platforms that enable combined data views to meet the full range of customer needs.

Focusing on a smooth and seamless customer experience

In the realm of customer interactions, a smooth customer experience stands as more than a goal; it’s the bedrock of outstanding service. Contact centers wield immense influence in shaping this experience, with their ability to ensure an unobtrusive journey for customers taking precedence.

Start by investing in comprehensive training for your contact center agents. These individuals personify your brand, the connecting link to customers. Equipping them with extensive product knowledge, adept communication skills, and conflict-resolution strategies enables them to adeptly navigate any interaction. This, in turn, cultivates a smooth customer experience.

Integrating technology is also paramount. Unified communication platforms, AI-driven chatbots, and CRM systems streamline agent-customer interactions. Access to customer history and preferences empowers agents to personalize conversations, displaying an authentic grasp of customer needs. This personalization profoundly contributes to a smooth customer experience.

Another valuable tool is real-time agent assistance. Implement a support system enabling agents to seek guidance from supervisors or experts on complex matters. This collaborative approach curtails wait times, lessening customer frustration and enriching the overall experience.

Be sure to use feedback loops efficiently to help your agents improve. Regular performance evaluations and customer feedback analysis pinpoint improvement areas. Agents can refine their approach based on these insights, fostering continual evolution toward excellence.

Seamless customer experience persists beyond calls. Post-interaction surveys afford customers an opportunity to provide feedback, underscoring their opinions’ significance. This proactive stance underscores dedication to enhancement, further solidifying the commitment to a smooth experience.

Within the intricate web of customer relations, a smooth customer experience weaves a narrative of trust, reliability, and care. Nurture contact center agents, harness technology, and relentlessly pursue refinement to craft a journey that consistently delights customers.

 

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About LiveVox

LiveVox (Nasdaq: LVOX) is a proven cloud CCaaS platform that helps business leaders redefine customer engagement and transform their contact center’s performance. Decision-makers use LiveVox to improve customer experience, boost agent productivity, empower their managers, and enhance their system orchestration capabilities. Everything needed to deliver game-changing results can be seamlessly integrated and configured to maximize your success: Omnichannel Communications, AI, a Contact Center CRM, and Workforce Engagement Management tools.

For more than 20 years, clients of all sizes and industries have trusted LiveVox’s scalable and reliable cloud platform to power billions of omnichannel interactions every year. LiveVox is headquartered in San Francisco, with international offices in Medellin, Colombia and Bangalore, India.

To stay up to date with everything LiveVox, follow us @LiveVox, visit www.livevox.com or call one of our specialists at (844) 207-6663.

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