22 Customer Service Statistics To Know in 2021

Customer service is continuously changing – both in terms of tech, and the methods companies employ to improve customer experience, pre-, during, and post-purchase. 

For businesses that want to keep up, it pays to follow the latest research. What do people expect from you? How do other companies connect with their customers? What’s the next big tech solution out there?

To answer these questions and more, we collected the 21 most intriguing customer service statistics that can help you plan for better service in 2021.

21 Customer Service Statistics

The nuts and bolts of customer experience

1. Nearly one in three c-commerce buyers (people who’ve placed a final order via online chat with a business) say they chat with businesses in order to determine if they’re trustworthy and credible. (Facebook)

2. About 70 percent of people have a more favorable view of brands that offer proactive customer service notifications. (Microsoft)

3. An overwhelming 95 percent of respondents cite customer service as important in their choice of a brand. (Microsoft)

4. Forty percent of customers think that customer service can improve if companies take care of their needs more quickly. (American Express)

5. The most important aspect of a good customer service experience is for the customer to get their issue resolved in a single interaction. (Microsoft)

6. Forty-six percent of shoppers confirm inventory online before going to a store. (Think with Google)

Personalization and customer loyalty

7. Personalization is the strongest pillar in driving Customer Loyalty in 19 of 27 markets surveyed, whilst Integrity leads across six markets. (KPMG)

8. 'Message Personalization' is the number one tactic used by email marketers to improve performance. (HubSpot)

9. There was a 15 percent increase in purchase intent for ad content tailored to be meaningful compared to ads with basic personalization. (Think With Google)

10. Forty-eight percent of consumers expect specialized treatment for being a good customer. (Accenture)

11. Ninety percent of customers are willing to pay more for ethical retailers. (KPMG)

12. 30% of consumers will not give brands more than one chance after a bad customer service experience (Hiver)

The tech on people’s minds

13. Eighty percent of video marketers say video has directly helped increase sales and 43 percent say it has reduced the number of support calls they’ve received. (Wyzowl)

14. In 2020, 62 percent of Americans age 12+ used voice-operated assistants. (Edison Research)

15. The most commonly-created types of video are explainer videos (72 percent) presentation videos (49 percent) testimonial videos (48 percent) sales videos (42 percent) and video ads (42 percent). (Wyzowl)

16. Thirty-nine percent of men and 36 percent of women age 12+ in the U.S. are monthly podcast listeners. (Edison Research)

17. By using chatbots for customer service, businesses and consumers will save a combined 2.5 billion hours by 2023 in the industries of retail, banking, and healthcare. (Juniper Research)

18. Seventy-seven percent of customers say chatbots will transform their expectations of companies in the next five years. (Salesforce)

19. Fifty-nine percent of shoppers say that being able to shop on mobile is important when deciding which brand or retailer to buy from. (Think with Google)

What do businesses think?

20. Small business owners say the two most common platforms for building brand awareness are social media and email. (Campaign Monitor)

21. Ninety-three percent of US and UK organizations consider AI to be a business priority, but 51 percent acknowledge they don’t have the right mix of skilled AI talent in-house to bring their strategies to life. (SnapLogic)

22. Sixty-four percent of agents with AI chatbots are able to spend most of their time solving complex problems, versus 50 percent of agents without AI chatbots. (Salesforce)

5 important takeaways of these customer service statistics

• You can’t lose by investing in customer experience. CX is fast becoming the most important reason customers buy – even more so than product or price. Creating a positive customer experience means making sure the customer’s journey through discovery, research, purchase, and use of your products and services is smooth, relevant, and appealing.

• Personalize where possible. Being relevant means knowing your audience and providing them with personalized customer service – be it product recommendations, content, tailored services, or other offerings. 

• Technology is the key. Most customer journeys have a digital element, and many even happen exclusively online. This means it’s important to choose and implement the right tech (like chatbots and live chat), as well as the right methods (e.g. video, podcasts) and mediums (desktop and mobile). That way, you can ensure you reach your customers and truly engage them.

• Remember the loyal. Appreciating your loyal customers is key if you want them to stay that way (and also give you a significant boost via word of mouth). Create personalization strategies specifically for long-term customers and connect them with your loyalty programs.

• Acquire the right skills. The right skillset is needed, especially for implementing AI and other technologies, but also for executing personalization strategies and readying your team to provide excellent customer service. Hire the right people and train them properly – customers can tell the difference.

Nikoletta Bika

Senior Content Specialist

Nikoletta Bika is an experienced content marketer, writer, and editor, with degrees in business and people management. She writes about data, tech trends, AI, and more.