Study Shows Consumers Want More Human Interaction

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Study Shows Consumers Want More Human Interaction

Recent research shows that too much reliance on digital technologies gives rise to a "human-less" customer experience.

CHRISTINE CUSATIS

Eighty-three percent of U.S. consumers prefer dealing with human beings over digital channels to solve customer service issues, according to new research from Accenture. The report also found that 52 percent of consumers have stopped working with an organization in the past year due to poor customer service. In the U.S., the estimated cost of customers switching providers due to poor service is $1.6 trillion.

The Accenture Strategy report, "Digital Disconnect in Customer Engagement," is based on the company’s 11th annual Global Consumer Pulse Research, which gauges the experiences and attitudes of 24,489 consumers around the world about marketing, sales and customer service. A total of 2,003 U.S. consumers were included in the sample.

"Companies have lost sight of the importance of human interaction and often make it too difficult for consumers to get the right level of help and service that they need," says Robert Wollan, senior managing director, advanced customer strategy, Accenture Strategy. "They over-invest in digital technologies and channels and lose their most profitable customers—multi-channel customers—who want experiences that cover both digital and traditional channels."

The importance of human connection in customer service
Human interaction remains a vital component of customer satisfaction, even in the digital age. In fact, almost half (45 percent) of consumers say they are willing to pay a higher price for goods and services if it ensures a better level of service.

"U.S. companies have reached a tipping point in their customer’s digital intensity and need to rebalance their digital and traditional customer services investments if they want to improve loyalty, differentiate themselves and drive growth," says Kevin Quiring, managing director, advanced customer strategy, North America lead, Accenture Strategy. "Companies abandon the human connection at their own risk and are facing the need to rebuild it to deliver the varied and tailored outcomes that customers demand."

Improving customer experience
The Accenture Strategy report reveals that there is much room for improvement in the delivery of customer service. Eighty-one percent of consumers admit that it is frustrating dealing with an organization that does not make it easy to do business with them. Another 73 percent expect customer service to be easier and more convenient, and 61 percent want it to be faster. Speaking out on social media about poor customer experience is the norm for 44 percent of consumers, who admit taking to social channels to vent.

Once a provider loses a customer, 68 percent of consumers will not go back. But there are measures organizations can take to hold on to them. Eighty percent of "switchers" feel the organization could have done something to retain them. And 83 percent report that if companies could provide customers with better live or in-person customer service, it would have impacted their decision to switch providers.

Keys to success
Organizations that want to rebalance their digital and traditional customer service channels should:

1. Put the human and physical elements back into customer service. Rethink your investment strategy. The focus should be on delivering satisfying customer experiences—not methods of interaction. Ensure your approach delivers integrated experiences.

2. Make it easy for customers to switch channels to get the experiences they want. Build customer service channels that enable consumers to fluidly move from digital to human interaction to get the outcomes they desire.

3. Root out toxicity. Define and address the most toxic customer experiences across all channels. These experiences can directly impact profitability. Identify the experiences that have the greatest potential downside and leverage those insights to guide an investment strategy.

4. Guarantee personal data security. Ninety-two percent of consumers say it is extremely important that companies protect the privacy of their personal information. By not selling or sharing customer data with other companies, and guaranteeing that safeguards are in place to protect it, consumers will be more willing to hand over personal information which can be leveraged to deliver better experiences.

To read the full report, visit www.accenture.com/GlobalConsumerPulseResearch.

Christine Cusatis is the managing editor of Advisor Today.