Customers Have a Love-Hate Relationship with Messaging Apps

eGain have announced the findings of a consumer survey based on the use of messaging for customer service.

The survey revealed that consumers love the convenience of messaging but struggle mightily with its experience silo.

Conducted by YouGov on behalf of eGain, the survey was based on responses from 1,777 consumers who messaged a business for customer service in the last 12 months.

When we asked consumers about their struggles in using messaging apps for customer service, we found that:

• 43%  hated repeating information across agents or when escalating to other channels
• 28% struggled with the speed of response
• 23% were stumped by the relevance of response

Another interesting and somewhat expected finding was the higher adoption of messaging for customer service among younger consumers. The survey found:

• 39% adoption for the 18-34 age group
• 32% for the 35-54 age group
• 20% for the 55+ age group

Finally, younger consumers had a more positive view of messaging as a customer service channel compared to other contact channels like webchat, email or phone. The research found:

• 37% in the 18-34 age group were more satisfied with messaging than other contact channels
• 23% in the 35-54 age group
• 18% in the 55+ age group

“We believe our customer engagement hub enhances the value of our rich messaging solution with our omnichannel platform powered by AI and knowledge,” said Ashu Roy, eGain CEO.

“Our clients in the US are rapidly activating our messaging capabilities to deliver a connected customer experience on the eGain platform. Especially exciting is the high level of interest in using our AI-based virtual assistant via messaging.”

Author: Robyn Coppell