About half of CRM managers and professionals claim to offer web or mobile-based self-service capabilities, according to results from a survey conducted by the parent company of CRM Magazine and reported by the publication. With about 40% of customer interactions being conducted via the web (31%), mobile web or mobile application (9%), the survey finds that many of those offering web or mobile self-service capabilities report increased traffic (54%) and sales (47%) since the launch of those capabilities. 45% also report significant cutbacks in phone queries, and about 4 in 10 say they are getting less email traffic.
But while the migration to self-service capabilities has offered a variety of tangible benefits, many feel challenged by the resulting complexity of their websites, which require the integration of new systems and data with existing channels. In fact, less than 1 in 5 respondents said they are able to capture more or all of their customer engagement data, although 45% say they can capture some of it. What’s more, only one-third apply analytics to the data, with about 1 in 4 looking to do so in the next year.
Other Findings:
- A plurality 46% of customer interactions take place via phone-based interactive voice response (IVR).
- 42% of respondents predict that their live contact centers will continue to expand.
- 44% have either introduced or plan to introduce up-selling and cross-selling to customers who are on the phone or online.
About the Data: The survey was conducted in partnership with IntelliResponse and gathered responses from 520 CRM managers and professionals.
