U.S.-based Research by Vonage explores
consumer sentiment around AI for customer support, highlighting
perceived benefits and lingering concerns
HOLMDEL,
N.J., Nov. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Improved
efficiency and personalized support experiences are driving
increased consumer acceptance and satisfaction of AI in customer
service interactions, according to a new regional survey by
Vonage, a global leader in cloud communications helping
businesses accelerate their digital transformation and a part of
Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC).
These findings demonstrate consumers have
grown exceptionally more receptive to the use of AI in customer
support.
Seventy percent (70%) of respondents believe that AI has
improved self-service customer support, and nearly two thirds (60%)
agree AI has made interactions with brands more efficient. More
than half (51%) are comfortable with AI personalizing support
experiences based on previous text or chat inputs. Brands that
leverage AI have significant opportunities to build customer
loyalty, as half of consumers (50%) believe AI has made live agent
support faster and more than a third (34%) feel AI has improved the
overall quality of live agent interactions.
Still, the availability of live agent support remains critical,
as 85% of consumers consider it very important to have the option
to easily connect with a live human agent during customer support
interactions.
The U.S.-based survey also revealed that consumers are most
comfortable using AI-enabled support via website chat (87%) and
mobile apps (72%). Only a third of respondents (33%) feel
comfortable interacting with AI during voice calls or with virtual
phone agents. While nearly all consumers (91%) believe companies
should disclose when AI is used in customer support – highlighting
transparency as a top priority – more than half (54%) reveal that
the use of AI does not negatively impact their trust in a brand.
Interestingly, 12% of consumers indicated that AI positively
influences their trust in a brand, showing that a smaller but
notable segment is confident in AI's ability to enhance the
customer experience.
"These findings demonstrate consumers have grown exceptionally
more receptive to the use of AI in customer support. The technology
is revolutionizing the way businesses engage with their customers
by creating more efficient and personalized interactions that align
with the rapidly evolving expectations of today's consumer," said
Joy Corso, Chief Marketing Officer
at Vonage. "The key for brand success lies in the ability to
harness the power of AI without losing the all important human
touch. Businesses that master this delicate balance will be
well-positioned to stand out among competitors and drive stronger
customer relationships and long-term loyalty."
Additional survey findings also revealed:
- In self-service scenarios, more than half (59%) of consumers
prefer using AI-powered intelligent agents (chatbots) over voice
virtual assistant/agents (voicebots) (11%). Almost a third (30%)
say their preference depends on the industry or type of request
being made.
- Consumer comfort with AI in self-service support varies by
industry, with gaming (80%) and retail (75%) showing strong
comfort, while banking (25%) and healthcare (18%) are met with more
hesitation.
Vonage will release its Global Customer Engagement Report 2025
in January. This 13th annual edition will take a more extensive
look at AI, customer acceptance, and other areas — with insights
from 17 global markets.
To learn more about how Vonage helps businesses use AI to
enhance customer support across a broad range of communication
channels, visit https://www.vonage.com/ai/.
The survey findings are based on a Pollfish survey conducted
in September 2024 and included
responses from 1,000 U.S. respondents above the age of 18 who
recently engaged with a brand's AI-based customer support.
About Vonage
Vonage, a global cloud communications
leader, helps businesses accelerate their digital transformation.
Vonage's Communications Platform is fully programmable and allows
for the integration of Video, Voice, Chat, Messaging, AI and
Verification into existing products, workflows and systems. The
Vonage conversational commerce application enables businesses to
create AI-powered omnichannel experiences that boost sales and
increase customer satisfaction. Vonage's fully programmable unified
communications, contact center and conversational commerce
applications are built from the Vonage platform and enable
companies to transform how they communicate and operate from the
office or remotely - providing the flexibility required to create
meaningful engagements.
Vonage is headquartered in New
Jersey, with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Israel and Asia and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC), and a business area within the Ericsson
Group called Business Area Global Communications Platform. To
follow Vonage on Twitter, please visit www.twitter.com/vonage. To
become a fan on Facebook, go to facebook.com/vonage. To subscribe
on YouTube, visit youtube.com/vonage.
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SOURCE Vonage