Customer experience more important than ever as new report finds nearly half of consumers say it shapes their brand opinion

Execs in the Know survey underscores the importance of investing in CX solutions; research finds a multi-channel approach is a must to meet consumers’ support preferences

CHICAGO – Oct. 5, 2021 –Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS), a global leader in business process management (BPM) and digital user experience solutions, shares its expertise as a contributor and exclusive sponsor of the Execs In The Know CX Leaders Trends and Insights: Consumer Edition 2021 report. The report, conducted by Execs In The Know, an executive think tank and global community of customer experience (CX) professionals, reveals how brands can optimize their customer care with digital and unassisted channels as expectations change.

Key Findings:

  • Consumers want a quick and easy process to resolve issues. Only 10% of consumers said resolving their customer care issues has gotten easier in 2021, compared to an average of 34% over the past three years. Consumer’s rank “Fair and Honest Treatment” (29%) and “Quick and Easy Process” (25%) as most important when dealing with customer care to resolve their issues
  • Digital and unassisted channel adoption continues to rise. In 2021, 64% of consumers used the phone to engage with customer support. Yet, consumers indicated a lower preference for voice (40%) and a higher combined preference for SMS-based support (39%) and self-help (15%) if they knew their issue was going to be resolved.
  • Investments are still needed to address rising customer expectations. Today, consumers still rank improving the Customer Care Experience as the top opportunity where brands can improve at 53%. Creating better products and services top the list at 41% of consumers sharing where brands could most effectively improve the customer experience.

“The survey results show that it’s no longer enough to provide exceptional customer care through one channel or another,” said Andrew Kokes, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Marketing, HGS. “Consumers now expect brands to anticipate their needs and proactively help them get the right answer fast. When one brand raises the bar on speed of service or ease of doing business, consumers immediately expect all companies to elevate to the same experience level. To maximize customer value, brands must think customer centric and make interactions faster and more frictionless for consumers. By leveraging technology to address customers most basic needs and intelligently integrating people when it adds value to an interaction, brands can take customer engagement to the next level.”

To read the full report with all the findings and HGS’s commentary, please click here.

About Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS)

A global leader in business process management (BPM) and optimizing the customer experience lifecycle, HGS is helping make its clients more competitive every day. HGS combines technology-powered services in automation, analytics and digital transformation, with deep domain expertise focusing on back-office processing, contact centers, traditional and digital people care, to deliver transformational impact to clients. Part of the multi-billion-dollar conglomerate Hinduja Group, HGS takes a true “globally local” approach, with 42,769 employees across 55 delivery centers in seven countries (as of 30th June 2021), making a difference to some of the world’s leading brands across nine key verticals. For the year that ended 31st March 2021, HGS had revenues of US$ 753.9 million.

Visit https://www.hgs.cx to learn how HGS can help make your business more competitive.

About EXECS In The Know

Execs In The Know brings together customer experience (CX) leaders from across industries in an effort to advance the conversation and set a new agenda for delivering amazing experiences for consumers. As a global community of the brightest minds in CX, Execs In The Know provides opportunities to learn, share, network, and engage to innovate. Operating under the motto of “Leaders Learning From Leaders,” Execs In The Know facilitates many opportunities for community engagement such as their bi-annual national event, Customer Response Summit; virtual CX series, CustomerCONNECT; and private, online community, Know It All. There are also exclusive, laser-focused engagements like industry briefings, virtual luncheons, and executive roundtables. Execs In The Know also guides and informs the industry with a rich tapestry of CX-related content that includes CX Insight magazine, industry research, webinars, podcasts, blogs, and much more.

Author Information

As a detail-oriented researcher, Sherril is expert at discovering, gathering and compiling industry and market data to create clear, actionable market and competitive intelligence. With deep experience in market analysis and segmentation she is a consummate collaborator with strong communication skills adept at supporting and forming relationships with cross-functional teams in all levels of organizations.

Sherril holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing from University of Colorado, Boulder and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Rutgers University.

Latest Insights:
IBM Quantum
April 22, 2026
Article
Article

Will IBM Quantum’s Q4Bio Challenge Results Lead to Biochemistry Breakthroughs?

IBM Quantum played a pivotal role in the Q4Bio Challenge Results, with five of six finalist teams using its quantum hardware to achieve novel discoveries in molecular simulation and drug discovery that...
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear Elite Redefines the AI Wearable Stakes—But Who Wins the Wrist War?
April 22, 2026
Article
Article

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear Elite Redefines the AI Wearable Stakes—But Who Wins the Wrist War?

Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear Elite marks a turning point in wearable AI, delivering a dedicated neural processing unit for on-device intelligence, privacy, and real-time voice interactions—positioning the company against Apple and Samsung....
VAST Data Valuation Triples. Can a Unified Platform Scale AI Globally?
April 22, 2026
Article
Article

VAST Data Valuation Triples. Can a Unified Platform Scale AI Globally?

Brad Shimmin, Vice President & Practice Lead at Futurum, analyzes VAST Data valuation and its AI operating system strategy, questioning whether unified infrastructure can scale amid persistent market fragmentation....
CadenceLIVE 2026 — Can Agentic AI Finally Crack 3D IC Design Automation?
April 22, 2026
Article
Article

CadenceLIVE 2026 — Can Agentic AI Finally Crack 3D IC Design Automation?

Brendan Burke, Research Director at Futurum, unpacks CadenceLIVE 2026's agentic AI expansion—ViraStack, InnoStack, and a customer-tested Mental Model architecture—and why 3D IC design automation remains the semiconductor industry's hardest unsolved gap....
Latest Research:
Data Fitness for AI-Driven Operations
April 20, 2026
Research
Research

Data Fitness for AI-Driven Operations

In our latest market brief, Data Fitness for AI-Driven Operations, completed in partnership with NETSCOUT, Futurum Research explores why observability alone is insufficient as AI moves toward autonomous execution, and...
Unblocking AI Compute: SiFive Intelligence’s Open Solution for Edge to Cloud Scale
April 14, 2026

Unblocking AI Compute: SiFive Intelligence’s Open Solution for Edge to Cloud Scale

In our latest Market Report, Unblocking AI Compute: SiFive Intelligence’s Open Solution for Edge to Cloud Scale, completed in partnership with SiFive, Futurum Research explores how shifting AI workload demands...
Packaging the AI Frontier: Intel Foundry’s Advanced Packaging Alignment with the XPU Industry Roadmap
April 9, 2026
Research
Research

Packaging the AI Frontier: Intel Foundry’s Advanced Packaging Alignment with the XPU Industry Roadmap

In our latest market brief, Packaging the AI Frontier: Intel Foundry’s Advanced Packaging Alignment with the XPU Industry Roadmap, completed in partnership with Intel Foundry, Futurum Research examines why advanced...

Book a Demo

Newsletter Sign-up Form

Get important insights straight to your inbox, receive first looks at eBooks, exclusive event invitations, custom content, and more. We promise not to spam you or sell your name to anyone. You can always unsubscribe at any time.

All fields are required






Thank you, we received your request, a member of our team will be in contact with you.