We all know that consumers are more demanding and more powerful than ever before. Consumers are spoiled for choice, with more information and a stronger, wider-reaching voice in the marketplace.
But have you ever stopped to consider how well organizations are coping with these demands? No? Well, here at Avaya we wanted to know the answer, so we commissioned a global research study* and asked consumers and companies from around the globe. The simple answer: Not very well!
We have produced the results of the study on a simple, interactive hub, where you can also learn more about how to solve for customer engagement with the consumer in mind. Let me take a moment to give you a few highlights from that research:
Consumer Expectations are High
The research showed that 70% of consumers expect unique treatment, with offers tailored to their specific requirements, while 92% expect organizations to be proactive in their engagement with them. Perhaps most significant of all, 87% of consumers surveyed said they would rather spend money with organizations that are easy to do business with than those that aren’t.
Organizations are Failing to Deliver
Although customer expectations are high, 83% of organizations surveyed said they could not deliver all the requirements for completely blended customer experience automatically and in real time. And–despite its importance with consumers–only 48% of organizations have initiatives in place to reduce overall customer effort. Perhaps more worrying, only 31% of managers believe customer effort significantly impacts spending, customer satisfaction and retention–a significant gap when compared with customer expectations.
It’s Not Easy!
There is no doubt that organizations are beginning to recognize the importance of the customer experience. However, a staggering 82% of organizations surveyed claimed to have CEM initiatives that failed in the last three years, with 66% of those claiming to have wasted money because of their efforts. Failure to modify processes and lack of employee buy-in were cited as the primary culprits (31%), followed closely by being misaligned to customer preferences (30%).
Persevere–The Benefits Are Worth It
For organizations that persevered, their efforts were rewarded. 80% of organizations claiming significant profit increases said they had a CEM program in place. Furthermore, organizations claimed higher levels of customer satisfaction, loyalty, retention and repeat purchasing than those without a program.
Where Does the Contact Center Fit?
For the skeptics out there questioning the future of the contact center, the contact center was seen as a key contributor to the success of an organization’s Customer Experience Management program. The research highlights that more companies who have enjoyed significant profit increases (54%) say the role of the contact center is extremely important to CEM program success, compared to those whose profits have stayed the same (17%) or decreased (10%).
Want to know more? Don’t miss this opportunity to look at this research in more detail by accessing the new Avaya Interactive Hub.
*Conducted by Dynamic Markets, commissioned by Avaya, 2014
