Freshdesk Benchmark Report spotlights the power of automation for better, faster CX

Achieving customer service excellence in the digital transformation era depends on a complex alchemy of technologies, strategy, and human talent.

The Freshdesk Customer Service Benchmark Report 2023 sheds new light on how companies in different industries and regions are delivering on that challenge. The report sifts through more than 5 billion data points from 22 industries in 25 countries, showing how companies use helpdesk technologies such as automation, machine learning, and chatbots to improve agent productivity and overall customer experience (CX). The report also looks at how they improve ease of access by adding more support channels to ticketing.

CX leaders and managers can use the report to compare their performance with peers as well as with companies of varying sizes in different sectors. The report, which includes survey responses from over 650 CX leaders, also identifies key trends in customer service. 

Here are several key highlights and takeaways:

The rising power of automation and AI

Artificial intelligence technologies are making an impact on two key factors driving customer service excellence: agent performance and customer experience.

• B2B and B2C customers cited automation and AI as the most essential capability of support software in 2023: 32.9% of B2B customers and 42.7% of B2C customers referenced both as top features in a helpdesk.

• Automation significantly impacts first assign time—customer service leaders from B2B companies report an improvement of nearly two hours in first-assign time with automation.

Chatbots are key to the great CX convo

• While email can force customers to wait up to seven hours for a first response, chatbots reduce this to under two minutes.

• Chatbots also slash resolution times: 10-27 minutes with chatbots vs. 32 hours with email support through helpdesk software. 

“‘Speed kills' has long been the gold standard for customer service, but our data reveals it’s more nuanced than that," says Colin Crowley, CX advisor at Freshworks. "Consumers want fast resolutions for simple issues resolvable via chat, but for more complex issues they’re willing to wait for the right answer." 

Bigger challenges with bigger companies

Size makes it difficult for elephants to dance, they say, and the same rings true for customer satisfaction (CSAT). 

• Companies with more than 10,000 employees have the lowest CSAT score (86.56%).

• Companies with fewer than 10 people scored the highest CSAT (91.13%).

• The best resolution times (29 hours, 39 minutes) belong to mid-sized companies, with 501-1,000 employees.

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Real estate shines in CSAT, retail tops in resolution time

Industry benchmarks threw up some surprises, with some legacy sectors outdoing those usually expected to fare better.

• Civil engineering, construction, and real estate sectors supported the happiest customers (CSAT composite score: 93.7%).

• Retail and e-commerce saw the top scores on two categories: resolution time (23 hours, 53 minutes) and resolution service-level agreement (SLA) compliance (95.1%).

• The transportation and storage sector is the quickest to respond to customer queries (less than six hours).

The benchmarks and metrics revealed in the Freshdesk Customer Service Benchmark Report 2023 show how automation, AI, and chatbots already play an increasingly important role in the CX initiatives of organizations big and small.

To gain deeper insights into CX metrics and how to improve them at your organization, download the free report.