Customer service research: more self-service, but consumers not enthusiastic

The corona pandemic has changed the way Dutch consumers interact with companies. For example, consumers have started to make more use of self-service: tools that consumers can use to resolve their request for help themselves and which mean that contact with the company is no longer necessary. For example, the FAQ pages of companies or portals with information and resources to solve the problem yourself. However, satisfaction with self-service has declined. Our country also scores relatively poorly in this area compared to other countries. This is evident from the latest edition of the Global CX Survey by CX Lab, Teleperformance's research agency.

Use and appreciation of self-service

In just over a year and a half, the corona pandemic has shaken up consumer spending and purchasing behavior. More than half of Dutch consumers indicate that the way they interact with companies has changed since the corona pandemic. This is evident from research by Teleperformance's CX Lab.

The use of self-service by Dutch consumers has increased due to the pandemic. Despite this increase, the Netherlands has the second lowest percentage of consumers who use self-service. The rating for this channel is lower than before the pandemic. This applies to virtually all sectors studied. This decreased appreciation is the strongest contributor to the lower general customer satisfaction of Dutch consumers. A possible explanation is that a relatively large number of people started using self-service for the first time, for example because the preferred channel for customer contact was not easily accessible due to crowds.

Transition in customer contact

Globally, voice remains the dominant channel in customer contact, followed by email, web form and live chat. However, the use of the speech channel decreases the most; the use of other channels continues to grow, especially among younger generations. This group of consumers uses click-to-call, social media and chatbots almost twice as much compared to older generations. Millennials prefer live chat as the first alternative after the phone. There are a few exceptions where people prefer to speak to a chatbot rather than an employee, for example when delivering meals via an app (19%). In general, the preference remains for contact with human employees.

Tom Mac-Kenzie, Digital Development Director at Teleperformance Benelux & Suriname: “Despite the preference for personal contact, the advance of digital customer contact continues unabated. That is why it is becoming increasingly important for companies to continue to improve services through digital channels. Companies must optimize both new and traditional customer contact channels to satisfy consumers. Making an inventory of consumer preferences and wishes in contact channels and service models is essential.”

About the research

The latest edition of the Global CX Survey, an initiative of Teleperformance, was conducted at the end of 2020 in thirteen countries, including the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and the United Kingdom. The research is aimed at mapping consumer preferences when it comes to interacting with companies from 19 different sectors. 3.995 consumers were surveyed from October to November 2020. The results of the Global CX Survey are representative for age and gender by country. In this edition of the Global CX Survey, additional questions were posed to a group of respondents about changes in purchasing behavior choices. In the Netherlands, 1.340 consumers were questioned about this.

TP has compiled a concise white paper containing the most important insights for the Netherlands from the latest edition of the Global CX Survey 2021 by CX Lab, Teleperformance's research agency. You can request the white paper here. 

Customer Experience Teleperformance