Customer experience is key to long-term success for retailers, according to a new study from Zendesk on Customer Experience (CX) Trends. 

The research shows that more than half of organisations in Apac plan to invest more into customer-service software this year. 

“We’ve seen companies in APAC embrace digitalisation at an incredible speed this year in response to the dramatic shifts in the operating landscape they’ve had to navigate,” said Wendy Johnstone, COO ar Zendesk Apac. “Customer experience has never been more important, and we think this accelerated adoption of technology is likely to continue this year.” 

As companies are adopting technology at light speed, it’s a matter of ‘adapt or get left behind’ according to the report. Organisations identified as ‘high-performing’ in Apac based on customer service metrics are more likely to have adopted omnichannel solutions. 

As customer behaviours changed since the pandemic, retailers should be a part of a more “conversational world” by trying new ways to get in touch with customer service. The recent surge in online channels puts pressure on companies to meet rising expectations as customer experience takes centrestage.  

Companies must also rethink how they work smarter across teams. More than 40 per cent of managers in Apac say they don’t have the right analytics tools to measure success for remote teams, and 49 per cent of agents don’t have the right tools to work successfully from home.  

“Organisations need to ensure they have the right strategies, processes and technology in place to empower customer support teams and drive business success,” Johnstone said