Consumers still interact with enterprises through traditional means. The voice channel and email remain the most common ways consumers interact with enterprises. Journeying to a branch’s physical location is still common. However, web self-service and short message service (SMS) are gaining popularity. Speaking with live agents is by far the most popular way consumers choose to interact with the enterprise. When deciding how enterprises should improve customer service, most respondents suggested more or better trained agents in the contact center. Self-service automation still suffers from negative perceptions. Most consumers cited self-service automation as the most aggravating channel through which to interact with an enterprise. Moreover, very few respondents would opt for self-service automation as a first choice when contacting an enterprise. Although enterprises are excited about it, consumers are mostly indifferent about businesses reaching out via social networks. Adoption of newer visual technologies such as virtual personal assistants and avatars are more widely accepted in those countries where visual technologies via mobile devices thrive.
