Have you seen The Customer-Focused Marketing Playbook?

This comprehensive and practical guide to the latest ideas in customer-focused marketing hands you over 200 packed pages of strategy, best practices, do's and don'ts, practical know-how, facts and figures, and ideas to optimise your marketing strategy, boost sales, market share, increase ROI and profit.

Get it on Amazon (Kindle/Print)

Customer expectations are on the rise

And so is their willingness to share personal data

The 'Five9 Customer Service Index', commissioned by Five9 and conducted by Zogby Analytics, revealed that consumers have become increasingly savvy about service and support, their perceptions of a company, and their willingness to share data about themselves if it leads to a better experience. For businesses, the research validates the correlation between customer satisfaction and a positive customer experience, resulting in customer loyalty and higher customer retention.

Digital transformation has changed how, where and when consumers engage with businesses and what information they are willing to share to ensure a high level of customer service. According to the survey of more than 1,000 consumers in the United States across all age groups, 80% of respondents say they are comfortable with a company using their past purchase history if it results in a higher level of customer service, up from 77% a year ago.

Despite their increased willingness to share data, their expectations are high: only 24% of respondents are likely to continue doing business with a company if it requires a lot of effort to resolve a problem. Respondents also expect their issues to be resolved quickly: more than three-quarters believe that should happen in 15 minutes or less and 84% expect resolution to take no more than 30 minutes.

"Today a single tweet about poor customer service can go viral and have a long-term negative impact on a company's reputation and image," said Dan Burkland, President of Five9. "Businesses are left in a tough spot. How can they attract and retain customers who have more choices and higher expectations than ever? Businesses need access to insights and data around their customers' needs, preferences and decision factors. This survey provides validated data that CXOs can use and act upon to improve their organizations' customer service efforts and exceed today's customers' expectations."

The survey revealed strong behaviors and expectations along the entire customer journey:

1. The Beginning
   90% of respondents said price and great customer service were the leading motivators to do business with a company.
2. Throughout the Journey
   95% said a positive customer service experience is very or somewhat likely to make them continue to do business with a company, while 44% said they are willing to interact with automated chatbots when they are assured that they can speak with a live agent.

Telephone was the preferred method of customer communication (49%), with email (28%) and chat (16%), and 69% were somewhat or very unlikely to continue to do business with a company if it requires a lot of effort to resolve an issue with a company. Almost half (48%) said it's unlikely they would want to do business with a company again if every time they contact a company they have to identify themselves or explain their issue (up from 41% in 2017).

Have you seen The Customer-Focused Marketing Playbook?

This comprehensive and practical guide to the latest ideas in customer-focused marketing hands you over 200 packed pages of strategy, best practices, do's and don'ts, practical know-how, facts and figures, and ideas to optimise your marketing strategy, boost sales, market share, increase ROI and profit.

Learn the insider's tricks and techniques to turn every customers into a 'super spreader' for your brand. It's better than free advertising. Once you start this ball rolling, your brand can grow rapidly through word-of-mouth, advocacy, influencers, and customer loyalty. Super-charge your company's marketing strategy, build up your market share, and make more sales through repeat business and customer loyalty.

Find out what works - and what doesn't - and who's succeeded, and how they did it. See how the world's top brands keep their competitive edge against all odds.

The Customer-Focused Marketing Playbook walks you step-by-step through the techniques, metrics, reporting, analysis, marketing models, technologies, tools and innovations for successful marketing strategies - both traditional and emerging - with expert guidance from thought leaders in every major market. Find out the best ways to gather, analyse, and act on customer data to increase profitability, build your brand, empower your customers, beat the competition, reduce churn, and increase customer profitability. This is a marketing book you simply can't afford to be without.

This book aims to hand you all the facts, figures and research data you need for the best decisions for a more profitable, more engaging marketing strategy. It also highlights all the facts, forecasts and trends identified by our experts from the global Marketing Factbook's vast database of market data, news, studies, research and articles, and presents you with an invaluable library of ideas and practical support you can call upon at will.

With The Customer-Focused Marketing Playbook at your side, you'll have instant access to a true goldmine of easily adaptable and up-to-date strategies, walk-throughs, trends, research and market data, plus all the supporting arguments you need to build a solid, profitable marketing strategy.

Get it on Amazon (Kindle/Print)