To deliver great customer experiences, progressive support teams are going above and beyond what’s expected. Hear from Ultimate customer service expert Dylan about the best practices they’re embracing in 2022.

Learn everything you need to know about the best practices for customer support in today’s fast-paced, digital-forward, post-pandemic world.
Customer Support Academy: Module 1
It goes without saying that modern customer service has been completely changed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Most companies were forced online virtually overnight and businesses had to scramble to provide entirely digital customer service.
More than two years down the line, companies have had time to adapt and settle into this new way of doing business. But it’s clear that the convenience and personalization of online customer service is now something consumers expect. To succeed in today’s customer service landscape, customer support teams need to be able to thrive in a digital-first environment.
It’s become fairly standard for companies today to offer a way to contact customer support digitally (vs. having to call in to wait in a phone queue during business hours). But this availability outside the traditional 9-5 working day barely scratches the surface of what it takes to succeed in providing a truly excellent customer experience.
In 2022, customers expect to be able to interact with businesses 24/7, in the language of their choice, on the channels they already use (be that email, live chat, or a DM on Instagram). Let’s take a look at what leading customer service teams are doing to keep up with these rising customer expectations.
To deliver great customer experiences, progressive support teams are going above and beyond what’s expected. Hear from Ultimate customer service expert Dylan about the best practices they’re embracing in 2022.
Customers today expect an experience that is personalized to their needs and preferences.
Problems will inevitably occur, but the best companies anticipate these issues and proactively provide solutions.
Leading companies meet their customers in the channels they already use, whether that’s email, live chat, or a messaging app.
Customers can’t always stop what they’re doing to speak to an agent. Let them continue the convo when it’s convenient for them with async support.
Customer issues don’t stop being issues when your agents finish work for the day. Your team needs to provide support whenever your customers need it.
Many of the top customer support best practices have only emerged over the last few years. That’s why, to continually deliver the best customer experience, it’s important to stay on top of the latest trends.
We consulted customer service experts as well as our in-house team to determine how the industry was changing and what trends would be moving the needle in 2022.
Here’s what we found:
Companies will solve problems before they become complaints and will even aim to preempt problems and anticipate needs for a better customer experience.
Customer service will be considered an increasingly rewarding and well-regarded career, especially as organizations begin to embrace systems where humans and machines can work collaboratively.
The market maturity of conversational AI and natural language processing (NLP) beckons in the era of mainstream automation adoption.
Companies will hyper-personalize to deliver exceptional experiences, however, customers are savvier than ever and security is of increased importance to them.
Consumers’ increased expectations — including making their lives more convenient, and expecting companies to have purpose and ethics — will become permanent.
Omnichannel is already obligatory, but in the future, companies will aim to create unified customer experiences no matter the market, the language or, of course, the channel.
Shep Hyken
Author, Keynote Speaker and CX Expert, Shepard Presentations
To deep dive into each of these trends, as well as to see what actionable takeaways you can implement to improve your customer service, download the full guide.
Customer service best practices are constantly changing, so here are some essential customer support leaders and influencers that will help you stay ahead of the competition.
Browse the Customer Support Academy for more courses on how to improve customer service