Rough Seas Ahead: If a Brand Has a Poor CX, 47 Percent of Consumers Will Leave

A poor CX sinks brands as 47% of consumers leave if they continuously encounter unsatisfactory experiences.

Brand loyalty was once the vessel that couldn’t be sunk, as consumers tended to stay with a familiar brand rather than venturing into unknown waters. That ship has sailed, and 47 percent of consumers today report that if they continuously encounter a poor CX, they’ll spend money with a competitor, despite having been a faithful customer for years.

In the study, “The Customer in Context,” almost half of the respondents indicated “when there is a problem, they pick up the phone and want immediate human attention. This immediacy of response, regardless of channel, tops the list of attributes that marketers believe are most important to delivering an exceptional customer experience.”

The Customer Experience: Righting The Sails

How can brands correct their course to make consumers happy and provide an outstanding customer experience? According to the landmark study, the top attributes of the customer experience are as follows:

1. Fast response times to issues, needs or complaints (75%)
2. Consistency of experience across channels (56%)
3. Knowledgeable staff ready to assist whenever and wherever the customer needs (52%)
4. A person to speak with, regardless of time or location (36%)
5. Relevant communications, promotions, recommendations and products (36%)

If you aren’t adapting digitally to hone the customer experience, you aren’t paying attention.

Mark de Bruijn points out, “In times when the customer experience lies increasingly at the forefront, customer care is an essential part of service that should not be underestimated. Those who use people business, data, and technology appropriately will leave the competition far behind.”

Smooth Sailing: Navigating the Customer Journey

A sales transaction no longer signals the end of the customer experience. Today follow-up care and post-sale support are a crucial part of the overall customer journey that is expected by consumers.

Siloed information often means an inability to see a complete profile of the customer, andinhibits communication between crucial organizational divisions like sales and customer service.

Now real-time demands of customers can be met using “data, machine learning, and predictive forecasting,” according to Lisa James, Senior Solution Marketing Specialist at SAP Hybris. “Service entities can meet the smarter, more sophisticated customer wherever and whenever she asks for help and before she knows there’s a problem.”

Businesses must consider each touchpoint of the customer journey and learn from the data gathered in order to provide a seamless omnichannel experience that guarantees a great CX.

Ready to deliver a seamless customer experience? Download The Digital Commerce Imperative by Forrester for free here.

This story also appears on The Future of Customer Engagement and Commerce.