The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a sudden shift to online and phone-based business channels, catching many companies off guard. Amidst this digital surge, organizations faced the challenge of effectively managing customer interactions, prompting them to reevaluate their customer-care operations. As a result, traditional outsourcing and the redeployment of internal talent emerged as key strategies in what is now known as "gig customer-experience operations," or GigCX.
Flexible staffing has long been a part of customer service, relying on external talent from outsourcing providers or independent freelancers. However, the pandemic spurred a significant scale of redeployment, with companies tapping into their in-house resources from different departments to meet the growing demand. The effectiveness of these approaches and their long-term implications remain to be seen, but it is evident that GigCX is gaining prominence across industries.
As businesses navigate the evolving landscape, embracing GigCX as a regular operational strategy holds potential benefits for organizations aiming to optimize their customer care and adapt to the changing dynamics of the post-pandemic era.
That explains why 83% of customer service managers added – or plan to add – GigCX talent to CX operations within the next two years, an increase from 2022, where the figure stood at 72%, according to research from Limitless.
GigCX was not a term used often until the past year where, according to the research, those that knew little about GigCX decreased by 43%. So, for those unfamiliar with the term still, here is a long-story-short version provided by Limitless.
GigCX refers to the utilization of a gig-based workforce to deliver customer service, offering companies a flexible, scalable and cost-effective model for enhancing customer experience. This innovative approach allows organizations to securely channel their customer service inquiries through a GigCX platform, which connects them to a knowledgeable crowd of gig experts.
These experts, well-versed in the brands they admire, provide personalized answers to customer questions. The outcome is an authentic and genuine experience for customers, leading to enhanced satisfaction for the brands embracing GigCX.
“Businesses are still dealing with the same challenges as they were during the pandemic,” said Roger Beadle, CEO and co-founder at Limitless. “Prioritizing flexibility and adaptability are still crucial to the success of customer service. By embracing a GigCX model, brands can unlock new levels of agility, while also creating a more resilient workforce that can adapt to any challenge."
Ali Close, Senior Research Manager at IDC, says that the findings from Limitless' survey emphasize the significance of technology that facilitates the connection between experts and brand advocates, enabling them to deliver customer experiences that are relevant and personalized.
By investing in platforms that enable seamless and simplified interactions between these experts and customers, enterprises have a higher chance of achieving the digital-first, customer-first, multi-channel engagement model that is increasingly prevalent in the ever-changing landscape of customer experience.
Edited by
Alex Passett
