With the endless redirection of customers through “doom loops” currently under regulatory scrutiny, easing customer service pain points should be a priority for customer service and support leaders.
We spoke with Christopher Sladdin, Director Analyst in the Gartner Customer Service and Support Practice, to discuss how leaders must take action to identify and mitigate frustrating “doom loops,” where customers are endlessly redirected without resolution. This will ultimately improve the customer journey by maintaining human accessibility.
Journalists who would like to speak with Christopher regarding this topic can contact Elizabeth.Bishop@Gartner.com. Members of the media can reference this material in articles with proper attribution to Gartner.
Q: Why is it important that customer service and support leaders act now to dismantle doom loops?
A: Some governments are proposing regulations to curb doom loops, and in fact we’re predicting that the EU will adjust its consumer protection laws and mandate the “right to talk to a human” in customer service interactions by 2028.
While the percentage of customers impacted by interactive voice response (IVR) and chatbot doom loops (the focus of existing legislation) is low, the actual number of customers negatively affected is still significant when multiplied across thousands of service interactions. Because customers don’t speak internal company language, they don’t know the magic words that crack the code to bypass automated channels.
It’s also really important to recognize how customers perceive the experience, because their perception drives whether or not they’ll remain loyal to an organization and the C-Suite’s focus just now is big on growth. While proportionally few are actually trapped in doom loops, many others feel like their experience was a “loop”, or these automated channels failed to deliver seamless CX, even if they do eventually get resolution.
Q: Are there other types of doom loops that leaders should be aware of?
A: Gartner has identified a third, more prevalent type of “doom loop” that is more common than IVR or chatbot doom loops. It is a multichannel doom loop where the customer is passed from one service channel to another, to another. Gartner found that 30% of customers end up using three or more channels, often going around in a circle with repetition of channel use. Even if the customer eventually sees the issue resolved, it’s certainly far from a low-effort, seamless experience. Instead, it leads to frustration and erodes trust.
Delivering low-effort customer service journeys with seamless channel transitions where required, and the ability to reach a human where necessary or requested, will improve CX outcomes. This in turn will drive strengthened brand loyalty.
Q: How can leaders take action to avoid these doom loops in the service and support experience?
A. There are three ways leaders can identify and mitigate potential “doom loops” in the customer journey:
1) Analyze customer feedback by channel and journey - By analyzing voice of the customer (VoC) data, leaders can pinpoint where customers are getting stuck. Evaluate both by channel as well as by broader customer journey to generate the most impactful insights.
Multiple VoC methods should be leveraged. Conversation analytics can quickly identify moments of customer frustration and targeted surveys can subsequently be used to better understand the drivers of the effort. Organizations can also tap into customer journey analytics to analyze cross-channel customer journeys.
2) Test current channel experiences - In order to fully understand current channel experiences and test for doom loops, service and support leaders should conduct internal and external evaluations. Test drive channels by acting like a customer and organize usability sessions with real customers by observing them during IVR and chatbot interactions. In addition, note where customers are pushed through multiple channels to identify multichannel doom loops.
3) Design improved experiences - By following a few key principles, customer service and support leaders can improve the customer experience. This can include (but is not limited to) taking time to identify the customer and their intent, maintaining human accessibility, and testing and reviewing AI-generated decision trees to avoid undetected doom loops.
Q: What do customer-focused regulatory pushes mean for the customer service and support landscape?
A: While some of the regulatory proposals may not have immediate implications for organizations, leaders should recognize that these shifts toward protecting consumers will only gain steam.
Customer service and support leaders consistently report that improving the customer experience (CX) is their top priority. Therefore, whether leaders are in the cross-hairs of regulation or not, every organization should be looking at how they can meet (and go beyond) these regulatory demands for improved service journeys, and proactively eliminate doom loops where they exist.
Gartner clients can learn more in the report: “Fix “Doom Loops” in Your Customers’ Service Journeys” by Christopher Sladdin, Deborah Alvord, Kathy Ross, Ian Elliott, Daniel O’Sullivan, Brian Weber and Keith McIntosh.
About Gartner for Customer Service & Support Leaders
The customer service and support function is vital to maintaining customer loyalty and influencing brand perceptions. Gartner for Customer Service & Support Leaders provides indispensable insights, advice and tools needed to achieve service and support leaders’ mission-critical priorities, specifically improving the customer experience while managing costs; designing an optimal service channel strategy; measuring and reducing customer effort; and how to hire, develop and retain high-potential frontline talent.
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