Top 5 insights from our 2022 Gig Customer Experience Report
Article |
Gig customer experience (GigCX) continues to make steady in-roads into the mainstream of customer experience (CX) operations.
As part of our Annual GigCX Report, we spoke with 15 CX leaders and surveyed 400+ CX professionals across the U.S. and U.K. and 600+ GigCX Experts (i.e., those doing gig customer service) worldwide.
Here are 5 key takeaways from the report that illustrate the potential impact GigCX can have on businesses and the power of human connection in the customer experience.
1. CX leaders feel GigCX is inevitable
As consumer expectations and worker preferences continue to shift, CX leaders are beginning to recognize a real need for alternative customer service models and the unique elasticity in GigCX.
In our research, we discovered that 72% of CX leaders we surveyed have added or plan to add gig talent to customer service or sales operations within the next two years. And of those CX leaders who expressed some level of awareness of GigCX, 84% said that GigCX is inevitable or here to stay.
2. CX leaders are turning to GigCX to cope with volatile markets
Customer service leaders love GigCX because it overcomes many of the pandemic-born struggles facing contact centers, including hiring, training, shift scheduling, quality, and issues specific to a work from home (WfH) model.
Because the crowd of GigCX Experts grows and shrinks in line with supply and demand, brands can experience enormous resilience in response to planned and unplanned events. It’s an additional channel that allows brands to operate in a way they never could with the need to set schedules three weeks in advance.
"At the heart of the concept of GigCX is the ability for an Expert to plug in and engage in a way that is beneficial to them. From a company operations perspective, it’s all about being efficient and optimizing processes where you can, and passing demand to the right channels. Gig is an additional channel that allows you to work in a way that you never could if you have to set schedules three weeks in advance. The dynamic of how we handle holidays has been completely transformed by GigCX, and it’s proved to be an incredible asset, with exceptional value in handling peaks and troughs.”
3. The untapped scope of GigCX is much bigger than we think
As GigCX enters the mainstream, its potential to manage a customer throughout their entire lifetime relationship with a brand is becoming ever more apparent. Experts provide real-world usage knowledge about brands’ products and services, including the impact those products have in their day-to-day lives. GigCX Experts bring a distinctive point of view that, as employees, contact center agents don’t necessarily have.
Of CX leaders we surveyed who were aware of GigCX, 86% thought GigCX could handle more than 20% of their customer service volume, with 28% believing it could handle 60% or more.
Additionally, 93% of GigCX Experts surveyed said they could take on more complex customer queries.
“The power of GigCX to manage a customer throughout their entire lifetime relationship with a brand is tremendous. Companies should want to talk to and be working with a teenager who's hardly even got enough money to buy cosmetics, but will interest people in the product. In a couple of years, that teenager could become not just a regular customer, but a powerful ambassador. It’s a classic case for the auto industry as well. You don't want to just sell them a car, you want to build a relationship so that naturally the next place they come when they want to upgrade is straight back to the same brand.”
4. Staffing issues are huge driver for GigCX
In our report, 28% of CX leaders said access to talent with the necessary skills is their top challenge when it comes to contact center staffing. And 24% of CX leaders said their #1 concern regarding staffing is demand for flexible working schedules.
What sets GigCX apart is that Experts are spread across the globe, whereas agents are traditionally hired from the areas surrounding a physical contact center or work remotely from home.
Because GigCX tasks can be completed from anywhere, this gives companies the ability to source talented individuals from around the world to help customers.
These individuals have a variety of backgrounds, skills and abilities. Many belong to LGBT or minority communities, or some have physical difficulties that limit them from in-office work. Everyone is welcome, with no barriers to entry or bias. It allows people from all walks of life the opportunity to earn money helping the brands they know and love.
By tapping into a much wider pool of talent, GigCX can help brands overcome many staffing challenges that have already increased exponentially in 2022.
5. Consumers are more willing to buy a product after speaking with a fellow customer
Customer service has evolved beyond a simple transactional encounter. Customers want to truly trust and feel empathy from the brands they encounter. When we consider this, it’s not surprising that 81% of consumers said they would be more willing to buy a product after speaking with a GigCX Expert.
This is especially true when helping new customers get started with products or services. GigCX is a powerful tool that can coach and advise them in a way that accelerates their understanding of how to be successful. It’s this sort of support and relationship building that leads to more authentic and impactful interactions.
Adapting to a changing consumer market
Consumers now want quick — almost instant — solutions to their queries. They can’t fill out a form and simply wait 24 hours anymore for answers. Yet when companies deal with an influx of requests at once, maintaining a high service level is a challenge, to say the least.
For many companies, voice channels may not be a viable solution, as having one-on-one conversations with thousands of customers is far too expensive at one time.
GigCX allows brands to meet growing consumer demands and find the sweet spot to scale. Gig Experts can engage with a brand’s community because they are the right people to have onboard – they are passionate and knowledgeable about the products and services.
Want to learn more? Download the complete Gig Customer Experience Report. Or contact our team to get a free GigCX assessment for your brand.
