67% of Retailers Lag Behind in Mobile-Friendly Customer Service, New UJET Report Shows
Customer experience (CX) is shifting fast, and mobile-friendly service is now a top priority. According to recent research from UJET, a leader in AI-powered cloud contact center solutions, 46% of consumers value mobile-friendly CX more than AI support, empathetic human interactions, or even shorter wait times.
Despite this clear preference, 67% of retailers have yet to update their customer service to meet the demands of the mobile phone era. This gap highlights a significant opportunity for customer support teams to rethink how they engage with customers, especially on mobile devices.
Personal vs. Professional Communication: A Disconnect
The report surveyed 200 retail CX leaders across the U.S. and Europe and found an interesting contrast. While these leaders use text, iMessage, and WhatsApp 97% of the time in their personal lives, their brands still rely heavily on email (96%) for customer communication, with text offered the least (73%).
This disconnect means many customers face friction, like switching channels or waiting for emails, rather than enjoying seamless mobile interactions. As Baker Johnson, Chief Business Officer at UJET, puts it: “Every point of friction—repeating information, switching channels, waiting for an email—is a moment you lose to that higher standard.”
Key Findings Retail Customer Support Teams Should Know
- Overconfidence Gap: While 78% of retail execs believe their support would satisfy customers, 53% admit their customer service is fragmented and hard to navigate. Agents often struggle to solve unique problems quickly (44%), and customers frequently have to repeat their issues or re-identify themselves (43%).
- Investment Challenges: Only 26% of organizations have invested significantly in modernizing their customer service. Meanwhile, 55% have only somewhat mature AI systems, and 10% are still in early stages of AI adoption.
- Agent Performance Needs: Retail leaders acknowledge the need for better tools—90% say multimodal capabilities, 51% point to GenAI assistants, and 34% highlight video calls as key to empowering agents. Proper tech could improve first contact resolution (55%), reduce turnover (52%), and enable more empathetic responses (39%).
- Revenue Impact: Offering mobile features like text, video calls, and photo sharing leads to lifelong, happy customers (69%). Other drivers include AI bots that understand customer preferences (53%) and leveraging metadata from mobile searches for personalization (45%).
What This Means for Customer Support Pros
The data underscores a clear digital divide: retail leaders enjoy mobile communication tools in their personal lives but don’t provide the same for their customers. Closing this gap is essential for reducing customer churn, boosting loyalty, and increasing spending.
For those working in customer support, the message is clear. Embrace mobile-first communication channels and advocate for AI-supported tools that help agents resolve issues faster and with more empathy. This approach aligns with what customers expect today.
If you’re interested in advancing your skills in AI and customer support technologies, consider exploring specialized courses on Complete AI Training. They offer practical, up-to-date resources to help customer support professionals stay ahead.
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