Amdocs Research Reveals Strong Consumer Demand for Digital Engagement with Communications Service Providers, But Finds Only 13% of Interactions are Purely Digital

Global survey of 10,000 consumers finds demand for self-service channels is twice as high as current usage; also reveals a significant gap between providers’ reported rates of digitalisation and consumer behavior

JERSEY CITY, NJ – February 20, 2023 —   Consumers are keen to use digital self-service channels when interacting with their communications service provider but are being held back by a “broken” digital customer journey that often requires them to switch to a human agent, according to research published today by Amdocs (NASDAQ: DOX), a leading provider of software and services to communications and media companies.

Refocus, a survey of nearly 10,000 consumers across nine countries*, found that just 13% of customer interactions with communications service providers are completed purely digitally with no human involvement, using self-service tools like chatbots, apps and websites. 

The low proportion of end-to-end digital interactions is in stark contrast to the high rates of digitalisation and automation reported by decision makers at communications service providers, who stated that 65% of journeys are digitalised.

This gap between providers’ digitalisation of journeys and the actual proportion of interactions being completed end-to-end digitally is consistent across seven types of customer engagements, including technical/setup support and purchasing or changing subscriptions and plans.

The research reveals that consumer demand for digital channels is twice as high as current usage, suggesting a mismatch between customers’ preferences and the ability of providers to meet them. Younger consumers (aged 18-54) are most likely to start their journey digitally, with 41% of those in this age category doing so compared to 31% of 55-64-year-olds and 24% of those aged 65-plus. In most cases (56%) it is the consumer’s decision to switch from digital to human channels during an interaction.

Furthermore, the research suggests that digital channels – when executed properly – can be a substantial differentiator, with 42% of consumers saying they would likely switch operator if another provider offered a significantly better self-service experience.

Refocus also gathers recommendations from dozens of telco industry decision makers, including around the use of data management and artificial intelligence (AI) as a foundation for increasing adoption and stickiness of digital channels. However, nearly two thirds (63%) of decision makers surveyed said that implementation of AI and ML is a major challenge and currently is not having a significant impact on their customers’ engagement with digital channels.

Finally, the research suggests human agents will have an important role in communications service providers’ customer experience for the foreseeable future. The findings underline the ability of human agents to act as brand champions by generating high levels of customer satisfaction, and recommends that agents receive ongoing investment, support and upskilling to maximise their effectiveness, working in harmony alongside digital channels to drive a superior overall customer experience. 

“Our research shines a light on the gap between consumers’ strong appetite for digital journeys and the effectiveness of today’s offerings,” said Gil Rosen, Chief Marketing Officer at Amdocs. “It also shows that, while service providers report high levels of digitalisation and automation, the reality is that it’s rare for a consumer to complete a journey end-to-end digitally. A frictionless digital customer experience is vital today and will only continue to grow in importance as consumer demand for self-service channels increases and new technologies like AI allow for innovation.”

He added: “The clear take-away from these findings is that communications service providers seeking to gain a competitive advantage should refine and refocus their digital customer engagement strategy, while continuing to invest in upskilling their human agents. By doing so, service providers will be able to close the gap between their offerings and consumer expectations and provide a rounded, holistic experience that delights consumers and provides those all-important ‘wow’ moments.”

Amdocs will be showcasing its digital customer engagement capabilities at Mobile World Congress Barcelona, February 27-March 2, 2023. Book a meeting with us at MWC to learn more about the findings of the Refocus research.

 

Amdocs at MWC

• The Amdocs booth is situated in Hall 3, stand 3G10, where we will be showcasing a wide range of innovative, immersive demos and experiences related to 5G, augmented reality, virtual reality, the cloud and more 
• Amdocs will also showcase industry vertical use cases from the 5G Experience Lab, including a live manufacturing demo with Intel
• Niall Norton, Amdocs General Manager & Amdocs Networks Division President, will be taking part in the MWC conference session That’s My Slice! on Monday, February 27
• Anthony Goonetilleke, Group President of Technology and Head of Strategy at Amdocs, will join T-Mobile’s Meg Knauth for a session on Enabling The Next Phase Of The Un-Carrier: The T-Mobile & Amdocs Story in the Broadcast Studio on Wednesday, March 1
• There will be an Amdocs Digital Brands Suite as a Service demo at the AWS Village
• Amdocs is the podcast sponsor of MWC, hosting The Great Indoors MWC23 Barcelona Special Edition and recording live from the event
• Find out more and book a meeting with us

 

 

About the Research

• *Amdocs surveyed 9,600 consumers from the USA, Brazil, UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, Singapore, Philippines and Australia between September and November 2022, as well as surveying 120 decision makers at communications service providers and carrying out 15 in-depth interviews with leaders who are responsible for digital engagement, customer journey and marketing

About Amdocs

Amdocs helps those who build the future to make it amazing. With our market-leading portfolio of software products and services, we unlock our customers’ innovative potential, empowering them to provide next-generation communication and media experiences for both the individual end user and enterprise customers. Our 31,000 employees around the globe are here to accelerate service providers’ migration to the cloud, enable them to differentiate in the 5G era, and digitalise and automate their operations. Listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, Amdocs had revenue of $4.58 billion in fiscal 2022. For more information, visit www.amdocs.com