Many Canadians sick of digital customer service reps

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Published April 1, 2021 at 10:46 pm

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Have you found yourself waiting on hold to speak to a customer service representative for longer than usual over the last 12 months?

With many businesses facing additional restrictions since the onset of the pandemic—many have been forced to close altogether, while others have had to lay off staff, and/or accommodate working remotely.

As a result, many have noticed an increase in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital assistants handling customer service requests.

However, many believe this hasn’t been effective.

A recent poll conducted by StrategyCorp, Inc. found that 74 per cent of Canadians said their experience using a chatbot was worse than speaking with a real person, and 63 per cent said they trust a live person more than AI, while only six per cent said the opposite.

Additionally, 63 per cent believe companies that switched to chatbots should revert back to using real people for customer service representatives, and 60 per cent said they would view the company in a negative light if they choose not to do so.

“Although there are some cost savings for companies that transition to AI-based customer service, even our online participant group reported high levels of dissatisfaction with how their customer experience has evolved during the pandemic,” Matthew Segal, director of communications for StrategyCorp, Inc., said in a news release.

“We’ve been told that the future is digital, but we’re not there yet. Canadians still overwhelmingly care about getting real customer service help, in real-time, from a real person,” he continued.

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