Brands Aren’t Keeping Up With Self-Service Customers, Says Salmat Research

Brands Aren’t Keeping Up With Self-Service Customers, Says Salmat Research
Sarah Pike
By Sarah Pike
SHARE
THIS



Brands are failing to adapt to technology growth and increasing demand for self-service customer interactions; despite these interactions being expected to almost double by 2020, says new research from customer marketing and engagement specialist Salmat.

Brands expect self-service interactions to increase from an average estimate of 37 per cent to 61 per cent over the next five years yet only 22 per cent of brands report having a well-structured and organised CX (customer experience) strategy. Furthermore almost half have either have a plan but don’t follow it or have no plan at all.

The research is the first of five Customer Experience Insights Series whitepapers.

Sarah Pike, chief marketing officer at Salmat says organisations need to start improving their customer experience offerings or risk losing loyal followers.

“Customer experience is critical to generating customer loyalty. Yet as technology continues to advance and consumers look for the easiest and quickest means of making contact our research reveals that brands are not really understanding their customer’s needs,” Pike said.

The survey of 288 CX professionals also found a range of measurement tools were being used to gauge the success of users’ experiences. The most common metric was Net Promoter Score (NPS) with 39 per cent of practitioners reported using the tool at least annually, closely followed by Grade of Service (34 per cent) while Customer Experience Index (CxPi) and Customer Effort Score (CES) were less common.

“While most brands use some form of customer experience measurement, for the most part these results aren’t used to implement change,” Pike said.

“One-third of NPS users and 39 per cent of GoS users said they rarely use their results to implement any form of change in their CX.”

Pike said the whitepaper uncovered four key challenges facing customer experience professionals today: data, fear of customer disconnection, keeping up with technology and joining the dots.

“Knowing what data to collect, how to collect it through multiple touch points and knowing what to do with it are all concerns for CX professionals,” she said.

“As self-service grows, brands are also worried that providing no direct-contact with customers will impact loyalty. They also face difficulty keeping up with the changes in technology which allows customers to connect with the brand through multiple channels.

“On top of all this, maintaining a uniform customer view across the multiple channels, while striving to balance the needs of the customer with the overall business goals, provides an enormous challenge.

“Education is the real challenge for brands. CX professionals need guidance on how tools and technologies can be effectively implemented within their organisation to add value to the customer experience. Taking a holistic approach, rather than looking at each initiative individually, will provide for a better overall experience for your customer.”

You can read part one of the Customer Experience Insights Series here.

 

Please login with linkedin to comment

Omin-Channel Retailing Windows

Latest News

WPP Q3 Revenues Fall 7.6% YOY
  • Advertising
  • Marketing
  • Media

WPP Q3 Revenues Fall 7.6% YOY

Work at WPP? Down to the last notch on your belt? Well, expect a little more tightening judging by these numbers.

Recommended

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
Inner Health’s Iconic Blue Bugs Are Back In New Brand Platform Via VMLY&R
  • Media

Inner Health’s Iconic Blue Bugs Are Back In New Brand Platform Via VMLY&R

Inner Health has revolutionised its famous blue bugs as part of a new brand platform launching this week.  Developed by VMLY&R, the new platform ‘Listen to your Gut’ re-introduces the bugs in a whole new environment.  VMLY&R Client Service Director Jo Millington said the new platform aimed to reposition Inner Health as an overall health […]

MINT Expands Technology Portfolio With The Addition Of Audio Brand Bang & Olufsen
  • Media

MINT Expands Technology Portfolio With The Addition Of Audio Brand Bang & Olufsen

Insight-led communications consultancy, The Mint Partners has expanded its technology portfolio with the addition of luxury audio lifestyle brand Bang & Olufsen. Founded in 1925 in Struer, Denmark, Bang & Olufsen has pushed the boundaries of audio technology for almost a century. The company continues to be at the forefront of acoustic innovation with its […]

RAC Insurance Tells WA Locals “We See What You See” In New Spot Via Wunderman Thompson
  • Campaigns

RAC Insurance Tells WA Locals “We See What You See” In New Spot Via Wunderman Thompson

WA car and home insurer, RAC has launched a new campaign to show locals that they understand the priceless relationship members have with their belongings. Created by Wunderman Thompson Perth, the campaign titled ‘We See What You See’ uses computer generated imagery (CGI) to depict the unique relationship a family has with their insured items – […]

TPG Telecom Appoints Paper Moose As Creative Agency For New Brand Felix
  • Campaigns

TPG Telecom Appoints Paper Moose As Creative Agency For New Brand Felix

Paper Moose has created a campaign for the recently announced carbon-neutral telco brand, felix, due to go to market towards the end of the year. This is the first work from Paper Moose since winning a competitive pitch for the new TPG Telecom brand. The teaser campaign raises awareness of the nearly 1 million tonnes […]