The latest annual Customer Experience Intelligence Report by ServiceNow has unveiled that New Zealanders spent a total of 22.3 million hours on hold to make service complaints or resolve issues in 2023, marking a 13% increase from the 19.7 million hours recorded in 2022. This is an average of 10.1 hours per person, a significant jump from approximately 8 hours the previous year.

Beyond frustration, such time spent on hold during work hours is negatively impacting the economy, causing a loss of about NZD$167 million in productivity. Key findings in the report also indicate that 95% of New Zealand consumers are modifying their spending behaviour due to escalating cost-of-living pressures in 2024.

Nearly 57% of the respondents stated they would opt for alternative businesses after waiting merely two or three days to have their issues resolved. However, companies are currently taking more than a workweek (averagely 5.9 days) to rectify customer issues.

The sectors witnessing the highest complaint volumes included utilities (62%), financial services (60%), and retail (57%). On the other hand, the government scored the smallest average customer service ranking (5.4), with only 18% of consumers rating its service as good. Furthermore, 72% of the Kiwis predict the most significant advantage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be after-hours customer service.

ServiceNow’s New Zealand Country Manager, Kate Tulp, said, "Time is a precious commodity for New Zealanders. Yet millions of hours are being wasted by businesses who aren’t prioritising providing fast or accessible customer service. It’s costing people time, organisations lost business, and our country millions in lost productivity."

According to the study, consumers are increasingly demanding customer service support whenever they need it, with 81% of the respondents being forced to engage with customer service during work hours due to a lack of 24/7 customer service. They ranked speed, accessibility, and empathy as the most imperative qualities for a satisfactory service experience.

Tulp added, "Organisations that get it right with fast, accessible, and empathetic customer service will reap the rewards – more New Zealanders left a good review than complained last year. It shows that the right investments in technology can make a significant impact on customer experience."

With wait times on the rise, the report suggests that Kiwis believe AI could be the solution. Key benefits they anticipate from AI include after-hours service (72%) and improved speed and efficiency (63%). Tulp opined, "Our research shows that consumers across New Zealand are ready and eager to engage with technology to get things resolved faster. Not only will AI enable employees to get the answer into the hands of customers faster, it will also help brands reconnect with customers and do more, with less."