11 Customer Support Trends to Look for in 2020

Poor customer service leads to loss of customers and revenue. Implementing new trends and methodologies helps to boost revenue.

Here are the latest customer trends  to look for in 2020

Trend #1 Omnichannel experience

Potential customers find your products or services on any number of channels available to them.  Offering them the ability to continue their customer journey between platforms and devices will be extremely important in 2020 if you want to compete.  The multichannel experience customers currently know was a significant step up from the previous single-channel experience.  However, multichannel tends to be siloed, allowing for interaction with several platforms, but not a continued journey from one to the next.

In 2020, you’ll be more likely to hold on to a customer throughout their journey if you incorporate the omnichannel experience.  Make sure to identify and implement all of the platforms potentially used by customers.  You will be sure to increase your customer service ratings.

Trend #2 Connect through social media

Using social media in your marketing is not new for 2020.  However, it may be news to you to hear that you should no longer focus on numerous social media platforms.  Instead, scale them down to the ones that make the most sense for your business.  This will allow you to spend quality time on the few chosen platforms instead of losing sight of engagement on some of your many platforms.

Get to know your target audience and engage with them in their preferred media.  For instance, do they respond more to video, images or text?

Engage with them often.  Thank them for their feedback.  Apologize for them for any negative experiences and offer them more support by sending them to customer service.  They will be grateful you did and your other customers will see that you cared enough to make sure this one customer got the support they need right on your social media.

Trend #3 AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is getting smarter and smarter every day.  In 2020, look to implement AI in many of the customer interactions you have.  AI assistants are even changing we live our lives with Alexa, Siri and Google assistants.  Using AI to automate your processes will help you considerably.  Using AI to automate some of your customer interactions will help them exponentially.

Trend #4 Machine learning

Data-driven customer service will be much more prevalent in 2020.  Using algorithms to “learn” from data, machines are more and more able to understand how to connect with customers better and customer service teams are able to make better decisions.

Customer service chatbots are one of the intelligent outcomes of machine learning.  Real-time data required for machine learning also helps with fraud detection and prevention.

Trend #5 IoT

The Internet of Things (IoT) is going to help drive sales in 2020 much more efficiently.  Statista predicts that there will be over 30 billion connected devices installed worldwide in 202.  That’s twice as many as there were in 2015.   This makes leveraging any and all connected products to enhance the customer experience more important than ever.

You won’t want to underestimate the importance of the IoT in 2020.

Trend #6 Customer representatives

With all the technology we have as we near 2020, there will be a trend more towards remotely located customer service representatives.  This saves employers money on office space and on higher salaries required for big cities by hiring employees who can work from the convenience of their own home.

This trend will attract more recruits, giving your organization a much larger pool to choose from as well.

Trend #7 Real-time support

With customer service reps potentially available 24/7 from anywhere in the world and the previously mentioned chatbots, there needs to be an emphasis on real-time support in many different formats.

Real-time support will likely increase your conversion rates in 2020 with quicker response time and issue resolution.

Trend #8 Live video

2020 will see the rise of live video streams to reach more people on social channels and increase your brand visibility.  Live video can be webinars, contests, product giveaways, etc.  You’ll have the option to announce in advance or just go live whenever you want to, encouraging your followers to pay attention to your social media platforms.

Trend #9 Personalized content

With less human contact and more automated interactions, personalization will be more important than ever in 2020.  Luckily, it will also be easier than ever to accomplish with the assistance of AI.   Mail merges have made personalized content on communications such as email possible for decades.

In 2020, personalized content looks more like targeted advertisements that know your name, gender, location, likes, and dislikes.

Trend #10 Predictive analytics

Predictive analytics will be called upon much more frequently in 2020.  With predictive analytics helping to predict customer outcomes, you will be able to provide top-notch customer service.  It’ll even help you determine issues before they ever arise, alleviating before they ever become a problem.

Predictive analytics runs hundreds of thousands of scenarios based on data you already have to provide proactive and personalized customer service.

Trend #11 Security

Of course, with all of the security breaches in the news in the last couple of years, security is going to be extremely important in 2020.  Customers cough up a lot of information when they order your products or services.  Ensuring they are locked up tight will help them trust you.

In 2020, you’ll see more security measures such as voice recognition, fingerprint identification, and facial recognition in order to step-up data security measures.