Customer Service Gap: 87% Identify Problem, Only 5% Solve

Many organizations face a significant disconnect in customer service, where internal departmental goals diverge from the holistic customer experience. A KPMG survey of 300 marketing, sales, and service executives revealed that 87% identified integrating customer-facing functions as key to a better customer experience. However, only 5% reported achieving full integration.

The research indicates that companies growing revenue by 10% or more are three times more likely to have successfully integrated their operations. The core issue lies in the fractured data and workflows during customer handoffs, such as transitions from chatbots to human agents. For instance, chat transcripts may not reach the agent, or sales-promised discounts might be invisible to the service team.

Technology is identified as both the primary enabler and the main obstacle to integration. The push for digitalization has often resulted in new systems being bolted onto existing ones without seamless interoperability, leading to fragmented customer data across multiple databases.

The successful 5% of companies have addressed this by meticulously designing handoffs and prioritizing the cleanup of backend data systems. They assign a single accountable individual for key customer touchpoints and ensure that previous customer context is rapidly transferred to the next service point.

These leading companies also measure success by problem resolution, not just speed. Furthermore, they proactively fund customer experience improvements and ensure staff understand their roles and aligned goals. Organizations should audit their own customer journeys to identify friction points and maintain a competitive edge.