The company Freshworks has revealed new global data that shows how complex customer expectations have become. The standout finding is that consumers have very low expectations (in that just 14 percent expect to be wowed by brands).
One reason for this turbulent tide of consumer disillusionment is expressed in the finding that fifty-six percent of consumers said a brand’s customer service more often does not match the image they portray.
This is based on a poll of some 11,000 global consumers from Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. The major behaviour that consumers are most seeking from brands is ‘honesty’ in that 80 percent indicated that they want brands to be more honest.
Next in line is service response, in that Speed matters. In this regard, 52 percent of consumers expect a quick resolution to their issues and 80 percent say they want faster responses from companies.
The data also reveals that 52 percent of customers stopped buying from a given company during the pandemic as a result of their communications. This related to different factors, such as the call center wait times were perceived as being too long; no response being received to a query; and the message back being unwelcomed, in the form of insensitive communications.
A sizable number of people said they do not enjoy communicating with brands and wish they did not have to interact, at 26 percent of the survey. When communication is required, the preference remains for email.
Consumers prefer to utilize email in order to make a complaint or to track an order. Other reasons for messaging include providing feedback or when seeking product support instructions.
The findings are not necessarily bad news for companies. In a way, the survey findings underscore a major opportunity for companies to exceed expectations in delighting their customers.
What is important for brands to reconcile is with the impossibility of separating the product from the customer experience. This means all aspects of the customer journey need to be considered. Brands also need to get in tune with the values held by different groups of consumers. In general, social justice and sustainability are key causes that many consumers care about and firms that embrace these societal changes perhaps stand a better chance of retaining customers and attracting new ones.
