The foundations of good customer service have never changed, and while new technology can help provide a great customer experience (CX), outdated technology can just as easily undermine even the best contact center agents, and the issues have only been amplified with COVID-19. Call volumes are rising, and customers are anxious about everything in the current environment, both of which raise the stakes for CX.

This report draws on findings from a market study about CX during pandemic times and validates the need for contact center decision-makers to take a closer look at how digital technologies are driving CX. There is an important balance to strike between enabling agents to do what they do best – provide helpful, personalized service – and deploying the right technologies to automate self-service for more routine inquiries. If that balance is not struck, the research illustrates the business-level impact of providing poor CX, which will only continue if maintaining the status quo with legacy technology.