GBS WORLD NEWS | WEEK 3 | MARCH 2023

Americans are fed up with customer service, as indicated by 74% of surveyed consumers who say they’ve had product or service problems in the past year. This is according to findings in the Customer Care and Measurement Consultancy 2022 National Customer Rage Survey. Other key findings included 43% of customers yelled or raised their voices to express displeasure about their most serious problem, up from 35% in 2015.

However, some positive customer experience (CX) news emerged from the US this week with the announcement of Subaru of America ranking first for customer satisfaction in dealership service among Mass Market Car Owners. The ranking was listed in the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Customer Service Index (CSI) Study. Based on responses from over 64 000 verified registered owners and lessees of 2020 to 2022 model-year vehicles, the study examines customer satisfaction at franchised dealer facilities.

In response to poor customer service among telecom users in Germany, Vodafone Deutschland has extended its partnership with Tech Mahindra to improve the operator’s sales and CX processes. Comiva, a Tech Mahindra subsidiary, will deliver a unified sales solution across Vodafone Deutschland’s mobile, fixed, cable and TV businesses. Recently, the CEO of Vodafone Deutschland, Nick Read, stepped down from his position after criticisms of the telecoms giant’s negative CX ratings.

In global customer service news, 20% of inbound customer service contact volume will come from machine customers, according to research conducted by Gartner. Advancements in conversational AI, automation and low code resources are the key drivers in the rise of nonhuman or machine customer transactions of goods and services. Furthermore, 100 million requests for customer service will be raised from smart products by 2024.

The leading digital trading platform for pre-owned electronic devices in the Middle East, Northladder, has partnered with MoEngage, an insights-led customer engagement platform, to improve its customer journey. Enhancements include personalization of engagement, remarketing strategies and the gamification of customer journeys. The primary objective of the collaboration is to identify the device and offer an instant ‘best price’, translating to a 100% increase in traffic and a fourfold increase in return on investment.

Bangalore-based business-to-business (B2B) food and e-commerce marketplace startup, Jumbotail, has secured debt funding of US$18,7 million from Innoven Capital and Alteria Capital. The funding will be used to enhance the B2B platform’s sourcing capabilities and implement AI-powered technologies to increase customer wallet share. If all goes according to plan, 100% growth in net revenue will be achieved, attaining operational profitability within the next 12 months.