How Customer Expectations Are Reshaping Issue Resolution
When it comes to issue resolution, customers still value the human touch. While digital channels are growing, live agent chat is emerging as a fast, efficient middle ground—delivering human support without long wait times. Ultimately, customers care more about how quickly their issue is resolved than how quickly they receive a response.
Key Findings
Most customers still prefer to contact companies by phone, but an increasing number now view live agent chat as a reliable alternative.
- 32% of those aged 18-35 prefer live agent chat over the phone. This generational shift indicates that live agent chat will likely continue to gain dominance over the next few years.
Customer effort increased as service performance declined
First contact resolution dropped from 53% to 42%, increasing frustration and cost.71% of business leaders report that their Voice of Customer (VoC) and/or quality data indicate that Customer Experience at their companies is better than it was 1-2 years ago. Yet only 67% of customers say companies make it easy or very easy to get customer service issues handled efficiently.
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Access the complete findings, data, and recommendations from Northridge Group’s State of Customer Experience study.
Why It Matters
Customer expectations for fast, effortless resolution are rising—and businesses are struggling to keep up. While organizations believe they are improving, gaps remain in delivering consistent, efficient issue resolution. Closing this gap is critical to reducing customer effort, improving satisfaction, and driving long-term loyalty.
