NEWS
81% of global consumers
believe organisations provide a
disconnected experience
SOFTWARE company MuleSoft
recently released Consumer Connectivity
Insights 2018 — a survey of more than
8,000 consumers globally to analyse
whether organisations are meeting
customer expectations for a connected,
personalised experience across industries
and geographies. The report found
that customer loyalty is at risk for
organisations unable to provide seamless
experiences across all channels and
timely access to information.
Globally, more than four out
of five (81%) consumers believe
that organisations in at least one of
the four sectors surveyed (banking,
insurance, retail, government) provide a
disconnected experience. Government
services were seen as the worst
performers (66%) while banks were the
best performers.
Customer retention at risk
As a result of disconnected experiences,
more than two-thirds (69%) of global
consumers would consider changing a
service provider. Consumers were most
likely to consider changing retailers
(57%), closely followed by insurance
providers (56%), and banks (51%).
Younger consumers (18-34 years old)
reported the least tolerance, with 76%
saying a disconnected experience would
make them consider changing a service
provider.
“Technology has fuelled an on-
demand culture and created a world
in which consumers expect connected
experiences across all channels.
Millennials especially are increasing the
pressure on organisations to provide
a connected experience, yet it is clear
many organisations are still falling short.
For example, nearly half of consumers
say they gave up on an activity or
request when information sharing
with an organisation was too difficult,”
said Ross Mason, founder and vice-
president of product strategy, MuleSoft.
“Organisations need to connect their
systems, devices and data end-to-end in
an application network to deliver a great
customer experience. The rewards are
potentially huge for those that succeed,
as they’ll unlock new ways to increase
customer acquisition, retention and
spend.”
The future is now
The survey shows companies are already
struggling to provide a connected
experience and the demands on IT will
only continue to increase as consumers’
expectations of technology continue to
evolve.
In fact, 60% of global consumers
said they would prefer to shop by having
an Amazon Go experience (also known
as “just walk out shopping” whereby
consumers can purchase goods in-store
without using a cashier or checkout
machine). The younger generation
(18-34-year-olds) were particularly keen
on this concept, with 77% saying they
would be in favour of shopping this way.
Nearly two-thirds (65%) of global
consumers would like to use popular
messaging services such as WhatsApp,
Organisations
need to connect
their systems,
devices and data
end-to-end in
an application
network to
deliver a great
customer
experience.
Viber, Facebook Messenger or iMessage
to securely interact with organisations.
Again, the number is even higher (78%)
among 18-34 year olds.
One technology that businesses
are starting to invest in is chatbots.
According to global research and
advisory firm Gartner, 25% of
customer service operations will use
virtual customer assistant or chatbot
technology by 2020. However, Consumer
Connectivity Insights 2018 revealed that
there is still work to be done.
While 43% of global consumers
have engaged with a chatbot when
contacting an organisation over the past
12 months, only 38% of those who
had used chatbots said their query ha d
been completely resolved/answered, and
19% said that the chatbot was unable to
resolve or answer their query as it did not
have access to the necessary information
or systems. In fact, 26% were asked to
call a customer service representative
directly, and 14% said they were directed
to a Web form.
Additionally, 79% of global
consumers think it will be beneficial
for chatbots to become more intelligent
through being connected to more
systems and data. Nearly half (48%)
of respondents cited “24/7” customer
service as the biggest benefit of more
intelligent chatbots, followed by not
having to wait on the phone (46%) and
having queries answered quicker (37%).
“Organisations need to find a way
to meet current demands and future-
proof their business at the same time,”
added Mason. “For instance, we are
only touching the tip of the iceberg
when it comes to voice and chatbots. A
truly great customer experience using
chatbots will only be delivered once
they are connected to more systems
and have access to a greater range of
data. Integration continues to be a
challenge for many organisations, but
an application programming interface
(API)-led approach will put them on the
right path to innovate and create greater
customer loyalty in the future.” ra
Retail Asia June/July 2018
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