More digital channels, higher expectations: the consequences of digitalisation
Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2024 10:37 am
According to Salesforce, “83% of customers expect to be able to interact immediately with a person when they contact a business.”
The fifth edition of the State of the Connected Customer report from our partner Salesforce provides some very insightful data on the changes taking mint phone number data place in consumer relationships. The study, which interviewed 17,000 B2B buyers and end consumers, highlights recent events such as the global pandemic and the supply chain crisis and their impact on interactions between brands and consumers. Other trends, such as digital-first experiences, personalization at scale, data protection regulations and the growing popularity of asynchronous channels, have also contributed to changing the relationship between companies and consumers.
At redk we have put together a series of four articles to address each of the four chapters into which the Salesforce report is divided and explore their conclusions. This week we focus on chapter 4:
“Digital-first experiences are expanding to adapt to the present.”
The popularization of emerging services and technologies
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the retail industry, and many of the changes that occurred have become permanent trends. Over the past two years, 68% of customers say they have changed the way they purchase products, and most of them believe they will continue to use the new channels.
“61% of customers who have made purchases through social media expect to continue doing so more frequently over the next three years,” says Salesforce.
More than 80% of consumers are shopping on mobile devices and using contactless payment methods. The use of in-store pickup services has also increased, from 31% in 2020 to 60% in 2022. Today’s customers, especially younger ones, want to be in control of their interactions with brands and for them to be quick and easy.
Omnichannel is here to stay
Customers now use an average of nine different channels to communicate with businesses, meaning they are increasingly accustomed to having a wide variety of options. However, some data show that the demand for a more personal approach is increasing: email communication (which used to be the preferred option for customers) is losing ground in favour of telephone, in-person or chat interactions.
Salesforce notes that “78% of consumers have initiated and completed transactions across multiple channels.”
Adoption of these new channels has been rapid, and customer expectations have risen at the same pace . More than 80% of customers expect to be able to resolve their most complex queries by speaking to an agent.
Consistency and customization, increasing demands
Although there was an increase in self-service during the pandemic, it is mainly younger customers who make use of chatbots and have user accounts on brand portals. The rest of the consumers still attach great importance to personal interactions and their demands are increasing.
As customer demands increase, so does the gap between their expectations and the reality of interactions, plagued by poorly-equipped support centers, long wait times, and interdepartmental communication issues. This disparity creates dissatisfaction that is evident in the figures from the Salesforce study: 53% of consumers say that most of their interactions with brands are fragmented, and only 13% consider that it takes “little effort” to resolve their queries.
The fifth edition of the State of the Connected Customer report from our partner Salesforce provides some very insightful data on the changes taking mint phone number data place in consumer relationships. The study, which interviewed 17,000 B2B buyers and end consumers, highlights recent events such as the global pandemic and the supply chain crisis and their impact on interactions between brands and consumers. Other trends, such as digital-first experiences, personalization at scale, data protection regulations and the growing popularity of asynchronous channels, have also contributed to changing the relationship between companies and consumers.
At redk we have put together a series of four articles to address each of the four chapters into which the Salesforce report is divided and explore their conclusions. This week we focus on chapter 4:
“Digital-first experiences are expanding to adapt to the present.”
The popularization of emerging services and technologies
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the retail industry, and many of the changes that occurred have become permanent trends. Over the past two years, 68% of customers say they have changed the way they purchase products, and most of them believe they will continue to use the new channels.
“61% of customers who have made purchases through social media expect to continue doing so more frequently over the next three years,” says Salesforce.
More than 80% of consumers are shopping on mobile devices and using contactless payment methods. The use of in-store pickup services has also increased, from 31% in 2020 to 60% in 2022. Today’s customers, especially younger ones, want to be in control of their interactions with brands and for them to be quick and easy.
Omnichannel is here to stay
Customers now use an average of nine different channels to communicate with businesses, meaning they are increasingly accustomed to having a wide variety of options. However, some data show that the demand for a more personal approach is increasing: email communication (which used to be the preferred option for customers) is losing ground in favour of telephone, in-person or chat interactions.
Salesforce notes that “78% of consumers have initiated and completed transactions across multiple channels.”
Adoption of these new channels has been rapid, and customer expectations have risen at the same pace . More than 80% of customers expect to be able to resolve their most complex queries by speaking to an agent.
Consistency and customization, increasing demands
Although there was an increase in self-service during the pandemic, it is mainly younger customers who make use of chatbots and have user accounts on brand portals. The rest of the consumers still attach great importance to personal interactions and their demands are increasing.
As customer demands increase, so does the gap between their expectations and the reality of interactions, plagued by poorly-equipped support centers, long wait times, and interdepartmental communication issues. This disparity creates dissatisfaction that is evident in the figures from the Salesforce study: 53% of consumers say that most of their interactions with brands are fragmented, and only 13% consider that it takes “little effort” to resolve their queries.