In this era of rapid change and uncertainty, a focus on enhancing customer experience is now more important than ever. In this edition of the Reading Room, we focus on CX in both Africa and South Africa.
We have selected three articles that highlight why organizations in this region need to make CX a priority. The first is based on insight from ‘The 2020 South African Digital CX Report’ and the articles that follow discuss the trends and predictions.
Includes final comment by Brent Haumann, Managing Director, Africa – Brent discusses the pivotal role that data plays in ensuring a good CX.
We can help you leverage digital customer communication to ensure an exceptional customer experience
SA Digital CX Report: The R1bn lesson in customer advocacy
This article is based on ‘The 2020 South African Digital CX Report’, which is the second annual survey by Rogerwilco, ovatoyou and certified customer experience professional, Julia Ahlfeldt.
Global research shows that customer acquisition is 5 – 25 times more expensive than customer retention. It’s clear that a focus on delivering a great customer experience is key to survival in today’s competitive landscape. Furthermore, insight from ‘The 2020 South African Digital CX Report’ shows that a good CX leads to consumer advocacy. It is noted that an estimate of only “50% of programmatic advertising reaches its target audience.”
“This suggests that local brands are wasting over R1bn on failed acquisition – money that could have been spent on building a better understanding of existing customers and creating experiences that foster loyalty” – Charlie Stewart, CEO of Rogerwilco.
Social distancing forced many companies and consumers to interact online and for many consumers, the sudden switch to digital was met with disappointment, as customer experience turned bad. Based on the study, delivery issues, as well as unreliable payment solutions were the leading causes of consumer dissatisfaction. There is no doubt that better communication could have helped ‘smooth things over’ in these instances – the survey shows that consumers expect better communication from online businesses.
Brands are advised to put their customers at the core of their offerings in order to enhance the customer experience. Read further to learn more.
- Publisher: Bizcommunity
- Access: Public
- Download: Report (via a link in the article)
The future of CX: Five customer experience predictions for Africa
In this article we are reminded of the key role customer experience plays in ensuring a company’s success in today’s dynamic, competitive landscape. To succeed businesses have to become innovative and future-focused in order to meet the evolving needs of their consumers.
We read about “five trends that are shaping the future of customer experience across the African continent,” as well as “how you can tap into these concepts for an elevated CX strategy that keeps your customers happy.”
Here is a list of the trends discussed:
- Mobile messaging support
- Around-the-clock customer service
- Engaging chatbots
- Data and unified communication
- Mobile payment integration
It is evident that brands competing in today’s marketplace need to deliver reliable, high-quality and seamless customer experiences to garner customer loyalty and ultimately ensure business success.
- Publisher: media update
- Access: public
- Download: none
South Africa - Insights and Trends From 200 Marketers
This article discusses insights from the sixth edition of the State of Marketing report.
The research shows that customer expectations are at their highest. 84% of customers state that the experience a company offers is just as important as its products and services. Marketers are turning to real-time engagement to better serve their customers. Dynamic interactions – where content is tailored to customers on one channel, based on their actions on another – is becoming a global trend, however only 37% of marketers in South Africa say that their interactions are dynamic.
Innovation has also been a top priority for businesses in South Africa, but it is noted that it has now become crucial. However, marketers in South Africa face the following challenges: Budgetary constraints; engaging with customers in real-time; complying with privacy regulations; balancing personalization with customer comfort levels; Innovating.
We also read about the value of AI in driving enhanced customer experiences, as it enables personalized interactions within individual channels. It is noted that 79% of marketers in South Africa are using data to drive customer engagement. While 5G, VR and augmented reality are set to shape the future of CX in this region. Read further to learn more.
- Publisher: Salesforce blog
- Access: public
- Download: none
Put your customers at the heart of your digital strategy
Competing on factors such as price, availability, and quality is difficult, leaving customer experience (CX) as one of the best ways for a business to stand out. In fact, customer experience is expected to overtake price and product as the key product differentiator by the end of 2020.
And when it comes to the management of customer experience, the pivotal role that data plays cannot be stressed enough.
In fact, the entire CX ecosystem is dependent on having access to accurate and useful information.
Concepts such as a single view of the customer (SVOC), hyper-personalization, and micro-segmentation are all key to an organization’s ability to build and create the kind of personalized products, services, and communication that customers expect.
At the core of all of these is data.
But data shouldn’t just inform how businesses approach their client relationships, it should also underpin a modern organization’s product, CX and communication strategies.
