ANN ARBOR, Mich., Apr. 4, 2019 – CFI Group’s 2019 Contact Center Satisfaction Index (CCSI) slipped to 68, as measured on a 0-100 scale, down 3% from 2018. Private sector CCSI historically has run a few points higher than has the public sector. Although the gap had closed in 2017, it has now broadened again in 2019.

Part of the drop is attributed to the effectiveness of online self-serve tools available on the company website, mobile apps, and other digital properties. Ironically, the better the customer experience is with these online resources, the worse the score can be for the contact center. Less complex problems are getting handled online, while more difficult issues still require the help of a customer service agent.

“In the world of self-service, customers now reserve only the toughest problems for the contact center agents,” says Sheri Petras, CEO of CFI Group. “Many simple questions are now handled by the customer on the company website, saving the complicated, frustrating questions for contact center agents. Organizations must implement the systems and processes needed to provide effective online self-serve tools to customers, while also ensuring that customers easily can reach an effective and empowered agent when needed.”

According to the study, contact center managers should consider three areas of opportunity to improve the overall customer service journey:

1. Empowering agents to solve customer problems

Those who reach an agent directly are 27% more satisfied than those who first reach an IVR

2. Designing better IVR flow to reach live agents

44% reach some version of IVR when they call customer service

3. Making chat available for mobile devices

48% of those who try the company website before customer service visit with a mobile device

To effectively monitor the effects of these improvements, contact center managers need to implement a rigorous data measuring and modeling system across the entire customer service journey.

To obtain the complete 2019 Contact Center Satisfaction Index (CCSI) report, visit: https://cfigroup.com/resource-item/contact-center-satisfaction-2019