— September 27, 2017
Despite the elegant technology companies have at their fingertips, the customer journeys they offer are often far from slick. The common complaints of today are the common complaints of a decade ago: waiting on hold, being transferred around, a lack of knowledge, a lack of personalization… the list seems endless and age-old.
The gap between good and bad customer service is expanding. Business technology is evolving, and organizations that have been quick to adapt are now in a different league. They can give bespoke digital service, offer immediate, informed help and wow their customers with data-driven personalization. For slow adopters, it could now prove difficult to catch up.
Let’s say you’re searching online. You could easily stumble across two competing websites – both with a similar design, both with similar content, and both with similar products and services. But despite the similarity of what they sell, the customer journeys to get from point A to B could be worlds apart.
One website could see you viewing personalized content, trying out products right away and chatting to an agent while your browse. Once could see you filling out static web forms and waiting days to receive a follow-up email. This customer experience clash happens every day, across every industry. It doesn’t matter how equal the offering: as consumers, we’ll choose the easier experience.
Statistics have long been telling us of this heightened demand for a smooth journey. According to a study by Avaya, 88% cent of customers would rather spend money with companies that make it easier to do business with them. This is backed by BT, who found that 78% of global customers will buy more from businesses that cut the time and effort required to interact with them. And according to a Harris Poll, the top factor in customer loyalty is a reduction of effort.
In truth, there are more statistics highlighting the importance of customer experience than you can shake a stick at. So why are so many businesses still failing to react?
In this infographic, we show just how different a journey can be in the customer service realm. Based on the film Sliding Doors, where a woman simultaneously lives two versions of her life that are altered by a split-second decision, the infographic demonstrates how a customer’s journey and perception of your organisation can be altered by the systems and processes used.
Full-size infographic available for download here.
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