NTT reports a rise in CX technology but still struggles to satisfy many

by Sam Oliquino / October 11, 2021

In NTT Ltd’s 2021 edition of the Global Customer Experience Benchmarking Report (GCXBR), the company has found improvements in customer experience (CX) systems during the pandemic that satisfied a number of consumers. However, many remain unsatisfied due to failures brought by limited technology.

This year, NTT interviewed 496 professionals across 34 global markets and 14 different sectors. For the first time, the research also included a voice of the customer (VoC) survey, supplementing evidence from professionals with opinions from a consumer panel of 1,402 respondents.

The positive outlook from the industry was only partially echoed by the new VoC survey. Encouragingly, 87% are happy to continue using digital channels at the increased levels triggered by the pandemic, while 38% said that the quality of automated CX systems had improved over the course of the pandemic.

In other areas, the research found warning signs about the amount of progress yet to be made to fully meet consumer expectations:

• 52% of consumers report digital channels failing them due to limited capabilities or services
• 44% experience failures due to digital channels misunderstanding their queries
• Just 35% say they are ‘very satisfied’ with automated CX solutions

Forecasts for 2022 show high rates of organizations expecting to have implemented voice-activated AI assistants (52%), robotic process automation (48%), web-based AI assistants (44%), and other new technologies. These developments hold a lot of potential for businesses to differentiate themselves by solving customers’ challenges more effectively.

“The addition of VoC data this year has shone a spotlight on a really interesting situation,” commented Rob Allman, Vice President, Customer Experience, NTT Ltd. “It’s allowed us to spot a – potentially growing – disparity between how businesses assess their own performance and how consumers perceive CX. The fruition of new technology in the CX space is exciting, but the ultimate focus always needs to be on people.”

The need for the human touch

When asked about human-led support, 93% of CX decision-makers agreed that it remains critical – but 49% agreed that they have the technology in place to fully support remote CX employees. Meanwhile, 38% in the VoC panel stated that their biggest reason for avoiding digital channels is that they would rather speak to a human.

“Of course, technology has always augmented human capabilities,” said Allman. “This year, the key message of the CXBR is to empower customers and employees through the use of data and AI-driven technology. People need to be at the center of any CX strategy, with technology in the service of superior customer and employee experiences that create value.”

Resounding positive signs for CX

In the context of a disrupted environment, responsibility for CX has been elevated to a significantly more senior level and confidence in it has followed suit:

• 77% of organizations now have ultimate accountability for CX held at the board level, up from 34% in 2020.
• The rate of organizations with ‘well advanced’ or ‘complete’ CX strategies has more than doubled to 71%, up from 29% in 2020.
• The rate of organizations reporting being ‘very satisfied’ with their CX has risen to 46%, up from 12% in 2020.

Organizations now expect that the majority of CX will be automated in 12 months’ time, with workloads handled by AI and robotics rising to 51% from 31% today, and almost a quarter of interviewees reported that their use of AI or robotics is delivering beyond expectations.

Further details of the research, together with an in-depth analysis and recommendations for the industry, can be found in the 2021 Global Customer Experience Benchmarking Report.

Read also

• IBM Watson’s new AI and automation features improve customer service experience
• NTT bullish on expanding global data center footprint
• New startup incubator to foster change in global hospitality