"There are three ways of doing things: the right way, the wrong way, and my way." This line is uttered by acclaimed actor Robert De Niro playing Sam "Ace" Rothstein in the eighth collaboration between the actor and the equally famous film director Martin Scorsese, in the movie "Casino." If there is any connection with the usual theme of this blog, it is not because of the film's criminal plot, nor because of the gambling that is present throughout the story, but because of the way in which many companies have to deal with new disciplines. They do not do it the right way or the wrong way. They do it "as best they can," that is, in their own way.
This is the case with the discipline we are discussing today, Customer Experience, for which we have numerous recent studies that confirm this thesis. There is contradictory data, such as the fact that 1 in 3 marketing managers (36%) admit to having made no investment in Customer Experience, despite the fact that almost all (88%) expect there to be some kind of long-term program in this area that will enable them to build customer loyalty. This is one of the most striking findings of the research. The Challenge CX ("The Customer Experience Challenge") study conducted by the Amaze Realize agency.
This research includes a survey of more than 100 professionals in this field, three-quarters of whom (77%) acknowledge that their company spends less than 1% of its annual turnover on improving the customer experience. There are three reasons for this, which are also highly representative of the progress that needs to be made. According to their own responses, they either do not have sufficient knowledge, perceive the cost of implementation to be too high, or cannot find a way to build a positive "business case" that justifies an investment in this area.
But returning to the film quote that began this post, even more surprising is the data obtained in a study by Optimizely, a company specializing in digital experiences, which found that almost all (91%) of those surveyed on this occasion stated that their team is fully capable of delivering a constant flow of ideas focused on digital experiences, when in reality in one in three cases (34%) these experiences never make it past the idea stage because organizational structures make it impossible to turn them into tangible projects. In other words, in many cases, it is not a problem of preparation, but rather a clash between two cutting-edge areas: digital transformation and employee experience.
The Optimizely study is based on 800 interviews with decision-makers responsible for purchasing equipment in marketing, product, and IT in three countries (Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States). It reveals significant data such as the fact that in half of the cases (51%), the customer-centric experience does not go beyond the declarative level, even though four out of five (79%) participants in the research agree that if these three teams (marketing, product, and IT) worked side by side, there would probably be a notable increase in customer experience.
Further proof that the theoretical approach (the "correct" way) is not always followed ("my way") and in fact causes more than one setback (the "incorrect" way) can be found in a study carried out by the company Fuze at the recentCall and Contact Center Expo held in London. This study is interesting because it consisted of a questionnaire on the ten most common mistakes made in telephone customer service. And just because they are mistakes does not mean they are uncommon. Just mentioning them is enough for anyone who takes a look at them to realize the extent to which some mistakes persist far longer than they should: calm down; you're wrong; I'll put you on hold; let me speak; that's not my responsibility; it goes against company policy; I don't know; there's nothing I can do about it; that's not a good idea/proposal; I'm new here.
An e-book by automated marketing firm Feefo also presents a mixed picture of the customer experience in the travel sector. On the one hand, focusing solely on the United Kingdom in this case, the research concludes that 70% of tourists consider that companies in the sector provide a good experience. However, for the remaining 30%, the perception is less than "dazzling" in relation to what they pay, if not outright dissatisfaction. Strategic segments such as the 16-24 age group are particularly harsh, with only half (54%) willing to give their provider a passing grade. "There are still serious gaps in customer experience in the travel industry (...) Consumers in today's experience economy value quality and uniqueness over more mundane factors such as price," says Feefo CEO Matt West, referring to this particular disaffection among millennial customers.
Our final point today comes from another company specializing in online marketing automation, the renowned Hubspot. In an elaborate post on consumer behavior and their preference for sharing their purchasing choices on the Internet, social networks, and forums, Hubspot points out a fact that is also relevant to the sector: if buyers are predisposed to sharing their experiences with friends and family, it seems quite clear that the priority mission of companies should be to provide experiences that delight customers. However, according to the research data, customers do not exactly have that perception.
For example, in Europe, skepticism about the "customer first" discourse is quite high, affecting one in five (19%) customers, compared to 10% who "believe" in businesses that boast about customer experience, and a large 71% who respond with a vague "I half believe it." In the US, the figure in favor is higher (12%), but so is the figure against (23%), while in Latin America, consumers are more "trusting": only a meager 9% are opposed to or skeptical of the Customer Experience discourse, compared to a large 19% who consider it acceptable.
The new disciplines are not games of chance, but depending on the place, time, and corporate culture, they can be executed in the right way, the wrong way, or... in whatever way suits each individual.
Photo byMichał ParzuchowskionUnsplash
