Research Finds That Multi-Channel Customer Experiences Are Falling Short

According to a recent customer experience survey from Serenova, organisations are not delivering the seamless customer experience that their customers want and need.

In fact, 77% of the survey respondents reported having had a bad customer experience within the last year when interacting with a brand. And, alarmingly for these brands, two-thirds of respondents would not purchase from a brand again if they had a bad experience with them.

Serenova’s State of the Brand Experience Survey was designed to measure consumer attitudes towards their customer experiences with brands across the United States and United Kingdom.

The company commissioned Vanson Bourne, an independent technology market research specialist, to interview consumers in the United States (2,000) and United Kingdom (1,000).

With the majority of respondents (80%) stating that they do not always have a seamless experience with a brand across channels, the survey showcases the complex challenges that contact centres face in satisfying today’s evolving consumer demands.

Three in four of the survey’s respondents state that a knowledgeable staff and quick resolution of issues indicate a good customer experience.

However, about two-fifths (39%) of survey respondents have encountered varying speed of service from an organisation depending on the channel they used to interact.

This is a clear indication that agents do not have the data or tools they need to consistently deliver exceptional customer service, regardless of channel.

“The survey results are an eye-opener for how organisations are still not getting customer experience right–even though it is a critical competitive differentiator across industries,” said Michelle Burrows, CMO of Serenova.

“Ninety-six percent of our survey respondents stated that they would take some type of action if they’ve had a bad customer experience. This can mean not purchasing again from a particular brand or sharing their experience with friends and family and on social media.”

“Getting customer experience right is more important than ever, particularly because sharing bad customer experiences has never been easier for consumers. It is critical for organisations to provide their contact centres with the right tools to solve customer issues quickly and smartly.”

“Front-line contact centre personnel must have the content and context of past interactions to be able to effectively interact with a customer, regardless of the channel they use.”

The survey focused on specific areas to help companies gain a better picture of the progress they are making on customer experience. Additional key findings include:

• The majority of consumers use digital channels to interact with brands: 90% through a seller’s website, 90% through a digital marketplace (e.g. Amazon), and 55% via a mobile application
• 73% of respondents say that it is crucial or very important that brands can deliver seamless experiences across their various channels
• The majority of respondents associate unhelpful or rude staff (79%), a lack of staff knowledge about products/services (64%), and/or spending too long on hold/waiting when trying to lodge a complaint (59%) with bad customer service

The complete results for Serenova’s Survey are detailed in the full report: “Contact Centers: The Moment of Truth for Your Brand“

Author: Robyn Coppell