In this digital age, every interaction between a consumer and brand matters. Due to social media, everyone has a voice, and can air their grievances to a huge audience, which may deter prospective customers, and turn away current customers. According to PwC’s Global Consumer Insights Report, 73% of all consumers point to customer experience as an important factor in their purchasing decisions, just behind price and product quality.
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Consumers are looking for a good experience. 54% of those surveyed by PwC feel the customer experience at most companies needs improvement, and 42% of consumers said they would pay more for a friendly, welcoming experience. Additionally, 63% are willing to share more information about a company that offers a great experience. Conversely, one bad experience can cost you. Almost one in three consumers will leave a brand they love after just one bad customer experience. Customers expect speed, convenience, and helpful and friendly employees, and that’s not negotiable, according to 70% of consumers. While cutting-edge technology gives the consumer a unique experience, it still doesn’t beat quality customer service.
HOW TO GAIN CUSTOMER LOYALTY
While 48% of U.S. consumers say good customer service defines a successful experience with a business, only 32% pointed to the most up-to-date technology as critical. In this technologically-focused era, this is surprising to hear, but important. Social customer service is no longer a “nice-to-have”, it’s a necessity. Consumers are used to being able to communicate with brands 24/7, and long response times can cost you their business. Responding to complaints and questions within minutes is extremely important to gain customer loyalty. They remember how long it took to rectify the problem, and 83% of consumers are willing to refer a brand to friends after a positive experience.
ASK THEM
When in doubt, ask your customers. Listening to your customers, no matter how uncomfortable it might be at times, is something all great business owners do. Their feedback will tell you what to change, how they’d like you to support them and most importantly, which additional products or services they would be interested in. By surveying your customers, you are gaining important insight while giving your customers a space to vent, complain, and also compliment. Once you have analyzed the findings, you’ll be able to focus on making improvements to your organization that actually matter to your customer base, and will almost certainly result in increased loyalty.
QuestionPro Audience provides our clients with access to more than 5 million active consumer respondents, who are pre-screened and qualified candidates for high-quality data collection. Our Consumer Panel is carefully recruited to target all type of users, but also taking into consideration certain key industry trends, such as online store preference, physical store preference, actual systems, reasons to purchase, etc. With industry knowledge, innovative tools, and purchasing power, QuestionPro Audience always meets the rigorous demands of our clients. By implementing various recruitment methodologies, we make sure to provide the right kinds of respondents for your research.
