Exclusive Research Insights Unveiled: Creating a Frictionless Customer Experience and Retaining Talent are Top Priorities for Customer Contact Leaders in 2023-2024

According to the Customer Contact Executive Priorities annual survey from CMP Research, a division of Customer Management Practice (CMP), a leading market intelligence firm for the customer management industry, creating a frictionless customer experience and retaining talent are the top two priorities for customer contact leaders in 2023-2024. A roundup of global customer contact function heads led their voices to identify movements and shifts within the industry, preparing business executives for upcoming customer experience challenges.

“Our survey underscores the importance of prioritizing customer experience and employee engagement in today’s customer service landscape,” said Nicole Kyle, Managing Director of CMP Research, CMP’s research and advisory arm. “Our data shows that businesses are investing in technology infrastructure, upskilling employees and upgrading employee experience, and providing customers with efficient and personalized experiences to ensure they thrive.”

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Creating a Frictionless Customer Experience and Retaining Talent are Top Priorities for Customer Contact Leaders

CMP’s annual organizational priorities survey found that managing technology transitions is the third most urgent priority for customer contact leaders, followed by increasing the adoption of the self-service channel. These priorities have become more important relative to last year’s rankings, indicating the growing need for companies to embrace digital transformation and provide customers with seamless yet cost-efficient experiences, especially as technology remains a significant obstacle for leaders. Only 40 percent of executives feel that current contact center technology offerings meet their needs as a function, and furthermore, the large influx of programs, apps, and tools causes agents to feel bouts of burnout as the expectation to learn and understand a variety of technology continues to grow. Increasing customer education is paramount as more than three-quarters of executives plan to increase investment in customer-facing technologies, such as automation and chatbot features, as early as 2024.

CMP’s findings also demonstrate that reducing agent burnout emerged as the fifth highest priority for customer contact leaders. To address this challenge, many companies are looking to upskill managers with the right competencies and provide them with technology that enables proactive monitoring of agent burnout. Companies can improve customer service delivery by prioritizing employee well-being and job satisfaction.

According to Mario Matulich, President and Managing Director at CMP, “The stress and pressure that customer contact agents face daily is a significant issue that needs to be addressed. With more than half of agents planning to leave their jobs due to unmanageable stress levels, it’s clear that more needs to be done to retain these employees. The issue of agent retention is familiar, and it’s clear that businesses need to take action to prevent it from becoming a constant problem. With the high levels of stress that contact center agents face daily, it’s no wonder that many of them are looking for a way out. Our research indicates that mitigating agent burnout is key to retaining talent in the industry. As companies look to improve their customer service operations and maintain a competitive edge, it’s important to remember that the people interacting with customers daily are the backbone of these operations.”

As more businesses pivot to the needs of call center agents, customers can expect a higher quality experience across various industries.

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