Shocking: CX quality in the US hits an all-time low!

This is the scary finding of Forrester's latest annual Customer Experience Index (CX Index™) survey.

It feels so disconnected from the discussions we are having on how AI can/will transform customer service.

How come?

I wish I could explain such a gap. I have observed 3 flaws in current approaches:

1. Poor multi-channel experiences. Brands have added channels, frequently offering a plethora, but failed to guide customers to the best one for their needs. We often pick a suboptimal channel and end up channel-hopping when we don't try multiple channels simultaneously.

2. High-effort digital/self-service experiences. Digital and self-service are too commonly designed to push the effort onto customers. While the convenience of doing things on your terms is welcome, experiences can take a fair amount of time. We seldom get recommendations or proactive assistance when we encounter exceptions or need to confirm something with a person. Instead, we need to start over with an agent, explaining in excruciating detail what failed.

3. Scripted and un-empowered agents. Agents are way too scripted. It's a waste of time and hinders their ability to show empathy. Furthermore, agents are not empowered enough to resolve situations that don't fall into predefined scenarios.

What do you think?