Top Service Performance Trends from 2022 That You Should Know in 2023 [New Data]

The start of the year is the perfect time to reflect on last year's business trends and their respective impact across industries.

As consumer needs continue to evolve, there's no better way to prepare for the year ahead than analyzing what went down over the last 365 days.

In this article, we've recapped some of the top service trends from 2022 — from business performance to consumer preferences — along with the key takeaways for 2023.

Keep reading or jump ahead:

• Service Ticket Trends
• Customer Service Contact Preferences
• Customer Experience Perspectives
• Priority Standards for Customer Service
• Key Takeaways for 2023

Service Ticket Trends

The below service ticket trends are based on data aggregated from 150,000+ HubSpot customers globally using year over year comparisons between 2021 and 2022.

Highlights

• Tickets created increased by 62.1% compared to 2021.
• Ticket close rate increased by 2.26% compared to 2021.

Tickets Created

In 2022, the number of customer service tickets created has risen significantly across industries. Compared to 2021, there was a 62.10% increase in tickets created.

The following industries saw the most growth in this area:

• Construction
• Financial Activities
• Leisure and Hospitality

Here's a full snapshot of tickets created per industry.

Ticket Close Rate

In 2022, the ticket close rate (or ticket resolution rate) remained relatively flat year over year. Compared to 2021, there was a 2.26% increase in ticket close rate.

Ticket close rate is calculated using the following formula for any given time period:

Resolved Tickets/Total Tickets x 100 = Ticket Resolution Rate (%)

The Professional and Business Services industry saw the most significant growth in ticket close rate, while the Construction and Leisure and Hospitality industries saw the largest decreases.

Here's a full snapshot of ticket close rate by industry.

Customer Service Contact Preferences

The below customer service contact preferences are based on data aggregated from a 2022 HubSpot survey of 100 consumers across the U.S.

Highlights

• 57% of consumers prefer to make initial contact with customer service over the phone.
• 59% of consumers only want to interact with human customer service reps.
• 66% of consumers expect a live chat reply within five minutes or less.

Here's the full snapshot of the channels that consumers prefer to use to make initial contact with customer service.

Here's the full snapshot of consumer preferences for human customer service vs. automated customer service.

Here's the full snapshot of how fast consumers feel customer service reps should reply to them on a live chat or direct messaging program.

Customer Experience Perspectives

The below insights on customer experience perspectives are based on data aggregated from a 2022 HubSpot survey of 100 consumers across the U.S.

Highlights

• 46% of consumers place a high value on active listening and empathy when it comes to creating positive customer service experiences.
• 34% of consumers agree that offering refunds, upgrades, or promo codes can help resolve a negative experience.

Here's the full snapshot of how consumers feel support reps can create positive outcomes after negative customer experiences.

Priority Standards for Customer Service

The below insights on standards for customer service are based on data aggregated from a 2022 HubSpot survey of 100 consumers across the U.S.

Highlights

• 99% of consumers think it's important for businesses to have high standards for customer service.
• Responsiveness to inquiries is the top rated customer service standard by consumers.

Here's the full snapshot of the customer service standards that consumers feel are most important to them.

Key Takeaways for 2023

Based on the data highlighted above, here are three key takeaways for businesses to consider in 2023.

1. The demand for service is increasing as businesses continue to acquire new customers.

The significant increase in the number of service tickets created across industries indicates that businesses acquired more customers in 2022.

And the more customers you have, the greater demand these customers are putting on your customer service and support teams.

Additionally, the industries with the highest number of tickets created —including Construction and Leisure and Hospitality —saw some of the most notable decreases in ticket close rate last year.

As customer acquisition increases, it's important for businesses to leverage tools like CRM and automation to help close the ticket resolution gap.

2. Traditional contact channels remain important even as technology evolves.

Despite the rise of AI and the metaverse, consumers are still looking to the tried-and-true communication methods for customer service.

Phone, email, and live chat are the top three customer service contact channels for consumers.

Plus, most consumers prefer to interact with human representatives only. Though, there is a significant segment of customers who are open to working with virtual and automated systems.

When it comes to innovation, make sure you're still meeting your customers where they are.

3. Customer expectations are higher than ever before.

We know this to be true, but it's worth repeating: Customers have high expectations for who they choose to do business with.

They're looking for responses within five minutes or less. They want to talk to a rep who actively listens and shows understanding and empathy for their problem.

And almost all consumers value customer service standards, with an emphasis on communication, accountability, and positivity.

If you're unsure about what your customers want from you, this is your year to ask them.

This brings you to the end of our recap of last year's service performance trends. We can't wait to see what 2023 brings.