CX Pandemic Survey

U.S. Consumers’ Shift to Digital Here to Stay; Online Banking, Shopping Remained Popular While Health and Wellness Apps Saw Largest Increase

As the world marks a year under COVID-19 restrictions, a new report reveals that 78% of Americans surveyed said their digital customer experiences since the start of the pandemic exceeded their pre-pandemic experiences. TELUS International, a global customer experience (CX) and digital solutions provider, today revealed the results of its CX priorities in a post-pandemic world survey. Americans that took part in the survey said convenience (34%) and an effort to connect with them personally (20%) were the top reasons why they rated their digital customer service interactions positively. However, many consumers also reported a lack of empathy from their digital interactions with brands.

“While empathy should always be top of mind for brands when interacting with its customers, its importance has been amplified by the effects of this pandemic,” said Jim Radzicki, CTO at TELUS International. “By equipping CX teams with AI-powered tools that offload complex tasks and incorporate personalization and sentiment analysis, agents are empowered to focus on making meaningful, empathetic connections with the customers they are supporting.”

Survey reveals consumer perceptions of online CX and brands offerings are changing

Survey respondents most frequently shopped (86%) and banked (85%) online prior to the pandemic. Conversely, fewer than half of respondents (45%) said they had used an online health or fitness app like Peloton prior to the pandemic. Online gaming was slightly higher, at 53%.

In a post-pandemic world, an overwhelming majority of Americans said they will continue shopping (97%), banking (92%), engaging in health and wellness activities (77%), and gaming (71%) online because of their positive digital experiences in 2020.

Online health and wellness apps can expect to see a 32% increase in usage compared to pre-pandemic usage (45%), the largest difference of any activity surveyed. Convenience ranked highest for continued digital behavior, especially for online bankers (67%) and shoppers (66%).

While the majority of Americans are online shopping, banking and gaming during the pandemic, those that aren’t stated personal privacy and security concerns while online (85%) as their top reasons. To encourage this group to adopt digital behavior in a post-pandemic world, brands should consider deploying security technologies like facial authentication and biometrics solutions.