Survey Reveals Significant Gap in Most Companies’ Approach to Serving Customers
A survey by ATG among more than 50 members of its blue-chip customer base revealed that more than 75% of the companies say inadequate information in commerce, marketing and service organisations is hampering their ability to deliver satisfying and profitable customer experiences.
“The results of ATG’s study reveal a significant problem with the way most organisations approach their customers,” said Sheryl Kingstone, Yankee Group program manager for the Customer-Centric Strategies decision service. “It is well known that there is tremendous value associated with a consistent, cohesive approach to customer interactions, but businesses have not yet found the right strategy and supporting technologies to realise this value. A new strategic approach is needed to break down the organisational silos currently standing in the way of mutually rewarding customer experiences.”
Complicating the matter is the fact that customers are using multiple channels to interact with companies. For example, respondents reported that nearly 55% of customer service and support interactions are managed over the phone, 24% are handled via Web self-service and 17% of interactions take place over e-mail. With 40% of service organisations listing customer retention as one of their primary goals, it is crucial to maintain interaction continuity and consistently deliver great customer experiences across all channels.
“Having good products or offering low prices is no longer enough to ensure customer loyalty,” said Cliff Conneighton, senior vice president of marketing, ATG. “Consumers are demanding better. They want to be treated like individuals, not commodities. This requires businesses to integrate the customer information housed across the marketing, commerce and service functions to start delivering relevant and valuable experiences at every customer touchpoint, regardless of where it falls in the customer lifecycle or what the communication vehicle is.”
The survey clearly shows that organisations recognise the need for a new approach. Nearly 70% of respondents have definite plans to implement new features, functions or technologies in the next year to improve their organisations’ customer experiences. Another 24% have tentative plans to do the same.
