Zendesk has published findings from their Customer Experience Trends Report 2021, which found a staggering 50% of customers will switch to a competitor after one bad experience.
The study, which looked at interactions between company and customer, and company and employee having collected data from more than 90,000 companies that use Zendesk solutions, revealed also that average weekly support requests are up 20% since the start of the pandemic, 75% of customers are willing to spend more to buy from companies that give them a good customer experience and 65% of customers want to buy from companies that offer quick and easy online transactions.
Other key findings include:
- Half of customers say that customer experience is more important to them now compared to a year ago
- 63% of CX managers say their company prioritises CX more than a year ago
- High-performing companies are more likely to have adopted omnichannel support
Empathy is Key
The study also homed in on the importance of empathy as a major driving factor in CX. Up to 49% of customers want agents to be empathetic, 54% want to buy from companies that prioritise diversity, equity and inclusion in their communities and workplaces and 63% want to buy from companies that are socially responsible.
Zendesk said: “It’s not enough for companies to simply provide fast, friendly service. In a world marked by uncertainty, customers are seeking empathy and want to buy from companies that reflect their values.”
The company added: “As companies strive to meet new customer expectations, they’re having to determine what needs the most attention now and what they can focus on later. With so many balls in the air, fewer companies have hit key milestones to help them take their support to the next level.
“Data shows that companies who perform better across key CX metrics, including faster response times and higher customer satisfaction rates, are more likely to have adopted omnichannel support. But investment in omnichannel, which integrates all of a company’s available channels into one streamlined workspace, actually dropped 10 per cent last year. Companies must do what they can, with the resources they have, but there’s a risk of falling behind higher performing peers as customer expectations rise.”
New Consumer Habits Revealed
The report also shared insights into new customer habits developed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These include:
- 31% of customers bought from a new company in 2020 and 84% plan to keep buying from them
- 64% of customers used a new support channel in 2020 and 73% plan to keep using it
- More customers prefer to use embedded messaging to communicate with businesses, with 45% using over-embedded messaging, 31% over social media apps and 20% over text and SMS
Read the report in full here.
