Customer experience becomes a Singapore priority

The global Zendesk Customer Experience (CX) Trends Report 2021 has shown that half (53%) of organisations in the Asia Pacific region (APAC) are planning to invest more in customer experience (CX) software this year. Meanwhile, 77% of local companies - the second highest in the region - say their organisation prioritises CX more than they did a year ago, the research has found.

Source: Zendesk website. Illustration for the
Zendesk Customer Experience (CX) Trends
Report 2021.

Since the start of the pandemic, Singapore witnessed a 22% increase in average weekly support requests and nearly half of customers (49%) in Singapore say that experience is more important to them now compared to a year ago.

“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. Customer experience has never been more important, and we think this accelerated adoption of technology is likely to continue in 2021. 

“Organisations need to ensure they have the right strategies, processes and technology in place to empower customer support teams and drive business success,” said Wendy Johnstone, COO, APAC, Zendesk, a customer relationship management (CRM) company.

 Research highlights include:

Stay ahead of the digital curve

Companies are adopting technology at light speed, and it’s ‘adapt or get left behind’. Organisations identified as ’high-performing’ in APAC based on customer service metrics such as CSAT and reply speed are more likely to have adopted omnichannel solutions, with over half (54%) offering self-service in addition to other key channels including phone, email or messaging, compared to just 20% of low performers.

Be part of a more conversational world

The popularity of messaging apps has opened the door to more streamlined, conversational experiences. Sixty-nine percent of customers in APAC have tried a new way to get in touch with customer service in the last year. For many, that includes using messaging for support requests over apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, which have spiked significantly during the pandemic - social messaging is up 117% in APAC since February 2020. In Singapore, half of customers (50%) also prefer to use embedded messaging when they engage with businesses, such as on websites or mobile apps.

Realise the power of employee experience

Zendesk said companies must rethink how they work smarter across teams. Many employees still don’t feel they have the right tools to succeed, whether it’s keeping track of their performance indicators, staying connected with their colleagues, or feeling supported by their companies. 

Forty-one percent of managers in APAC say they don’t have the right analytics tools to measure success for remote teams, and 49% of agents don’t have the right tools to work successfully from home. Singapore is slightly ahead in the region, as one out of five managers (21%) and one out of four (27%) of agents feel the same way, fewer than elsewhere. Most believe they have the right tools to help them succeed in a distributed workforce.

Emphasise agility

Facing continued volatility, service and support organisations must find ways to keep up with their customers. Customer experience leaders cited the ability to quickly adapt to the evolving needs of customers as their biggest challenge in 2020 and the highest priority going forward.

Make it easier for customers

The recent surge in online channels has put pressure on companies to meet rising expectations. This is extremely crucial in markets such as Singapore, where 81% of Singaporeans are willing to spend more with a company that offers a good customer experience - the highest in the region. The CX Trends Report 2021 also shows that 83% of Singaporeans will take their business elsewhere following bad experiences.

Details:

Read the interactive report.

Visit the CX Trends 2021 virtual event.

*This annual look at the top trends in customer experience combines analysis of the Zendesk Benchmark, a unique data index on how more than 90,000 companies use their support solutions, with the results of surveys gauging the attitudes of more than 8,000 consumers, customer service agents and managers, and technology buyers, in 15 countries, including US, UK, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Spain, Japan, Mexico, India, Singapore, Korea, Italy, the Nordics, and Benelux.