As the old adage goes, the customer – no matter how difficult they’re being – is always right. Of course there’s no accounting for an individual’s particular preferences for what constitutes good customer service, but at the end of the day, that’s a service provider’s problem, not the customers.
Technology has advanced at such a pace that consumers are embracing new brand engagement opportunities all the time. But with every advancement comes a new set of challenges, which can have both positive and negative implications for the increasingly fragile customer experience.
According to Accenture’s latest Global Consumer Pulse Survey, 52% of consumers have switched providers for key services in the past year due to poor customer service. With this in mind, we wanted to take a closer look at the state of customer experiences and customer service, so commissioned research to take a deeper dive on the topic in a number of verticals that Engage Hub has operated in for a number of years.
Working with market research company, Morar Consulting, we surveyed more than 2,000 consumers in three distinct verticals; retail, mobile network operators (MNOs), and financial services. Coupled with our unique insights based on the work done over the years with leading brands such as Sainsbury’s Telefonica, and MBNA, the results of this research were analysed and form the basis of Engage Hub’s latest report: ‘Managing the fragile customer experience in the information age.’
Released earlier this month, the report looks at how good customer service in these sectors is defined by consumers, and how those experiences are changing. It also explores what’s having the biggest impact on the customer experience, how feedback is acted upon, and of course, what brands should be doing better.
Developing the report and getting the perspective of our sector specific experts here at Engage Hub has been a fascinating process, and it’s a concept we are keen to develop further next year. Understanding the subtle nuances of what makes consumers in a diverse range of sectors tick has served to underline the importance of a tailored approach to communications and service delivery.
The competitive landscape for all service providers has never been more diverse, so getting customer service right has never been more important. Today, brand loyalty can’t be relied upon so evolving, targeted and flexible communications strategies must be utilised.
Consumers are reacting positively to the deployment of technological solutions to improve the customer experience, so to find out more about how best to augment communications strategies and channels to suite the modern consumer, download your copy of the fragile customer experience report here.
