Top 5 Customer Communication Pain Points and How to Fix Them in 2024

1. Jumping through hoops

When customers need help, they want to connect with someone who can take ownership of their issue and resolve it right away. Yet, customers may find the burden is on them to make sure the business handles their call, understands the problem, connects them with the right resources, and takes the necessary action. Instead of receiving prompt and thorough assistance, customers may encounter a frustrating series of hoops they must jump through.

According to the Vonage Global Customer Engagement Report, 63% of consumers say that contacting customer service multiple times to resolve a single issue is a key pain point, while 61% cite describing an issue to multiple agents and being transferred multiple times as a regular frustration. Also, 63% of consumers cite long wait times to speak to an agent as a frequent annoyance, and 60% find that the agent they talk to is unable to answer their question, or the right person isn't available to resolve the issue.

AI can help your business solve these customer communication pain points so your customers can feel confident that they're in good hands the moment they connect with your customer service team. For starters, an AI virtual assistant can initiate triage to route your customer to the appropriate person, and it can ensure that high volumes of inbound calls are addressed during peak business hours or busy seasonal periods. An AI virtual assistant can also deliver enhanced self-service, which your customers can use to resolve their issues without engaging with — or waiting for — a human agent.

Meanwhile, skills-based routing features can connect your customers with the agents who are best suited to handle their calls. Thanks to a well-managed queue of incoming calls and convenient self-service tools — not to mention being connected to the right agent from the start — your customers won't have to jump through nearly as many hoops or wait as long for support.They'll simply be able to get the help they need when they reach out.

2. Not enough communication options

Customers often find that there are limited options for communicating with a business. For example, the Global Customer Engagement Report reveals that 53% of consumers say there's no way to respond to text messages or email notifications they receive. And 42% of them want quick information via chat or messaging, but phone is the only option.

AI is the tool your business needs to overcome these customer frustrations. Conversational commerce tools use AI to enable two-way communication, so your customers can simply respond to your text or email notifications in the moment instead of having to switch to another customer communication channel or give up altogether. Conversational commerce workflows can also add information, automation, personalization, and self-service options to conversations — for example, by providing front-end FAQs, authenticating users, offering personalized offers or sales, and authorizing payments. This way, your customers don't have to hop on the phone to access the resources they need.

Some customers also look for customer service in their preferred language, but 54% of them find this is not available. An AI virtual assistant engages callers in natural language, and ensures they can communicate their needs and requests in the way most comfortable to them.

3. No 24/7 support

Many customers expect 24/7 support in some form, but businesses don't always offer it. Forty-eight percent of consumers say that customer service is not available 24/7. Forty-six percent of consumers look for self-service support, which would help them get some of the answers they need on a 24/7 basis, but they find it is not available. When support options are this limited, customers may feel the business is not prioritizing the customer experience.

AI never takes a day off and operates 24/7 through virtual assistants and conversational commerce — with a focus on information, automation, and self-service — to engage customers with minimal human involvement. With chatbots and other self-service tools stepping in to offer a helping hand at all hours, your customers can get instant assistance anytime they need it.

4. No way to leave feedback

When customers have either lackluster or exceptional customer experiences, they want to be able to share feedback with the business. However, 38% of consumers say that the business doesn't offer a way to provide feedback. Without the ability to let the business know what it did well or how it could improve, customers may be left feeling like their perspectives aren't being sought out. And without access to this customer feedback, the business may miss out on opportunities to serve its customers even more effectively.

Although manually collecting and interpreting customer feedback can be a heavy lift, AI can make it easy. Your business can set up a conversational commerce workflow that offers options for your customers to engage, share insights, or request follow-up when needed. You can also take advantage of a message campaign builder to enable one-to-one messaging at scale, which enables  your customers to comment on what their experience was like and what would make it even better.

5. Impersonal experience

One effective way to build strong customer relationships is to give your customers a personalized experience, but 38% of consumers say that businesses don't personalize offers or sales. If your customers don't feel like your messaging or offers speak to them as individuals, they might not feel a meaningful connection to your business — and before long, they might be tempted to go elsewhere.

Human customer service teams can't provide personalization at scale, especially during peak periods — but AI can. A conversational commerce workflow references a customer's profile to offer them personalized shopping experiences, and it drives sales using AI-powered chatbots. A message campaign builder enables one-to-one messaging at scale, allowing your customers to talk directly with your business instead of feeling like they're being talked at by your business.

AI can ease customer pain points

Your customers expect a great experience, and AI has the potential to deliver. Although several customer communication pain points can still get in the way of  great CX, AI for business can help you solve them. With intelligent assistance available to support your customers on a 24/7 basis, you can remove the friction they would otherwise encounter and make them glad they reached out to you.

Read the latest edition of the Vonage Global Customer Engagement Report for all the newest customer communication insights and recommendations on how you can use AI to maximize the customer experience.