In a study of UK customers by customer insight firm Qualtrics, 97 per cent of customers said it is important to be able to trust organisations with their personal data and almost 70 per cent said they would consider leaving an unresponsive company.
98 per cent wanted companies to put their contact numbers on their home pages or within one click. 35 per cent of all customers say they are unsure if companies are even listening to their views.
Younger Customers are the Most Demanding
Younger customers (18-22 years old) are most impatient and demanding of immediate response. 35 per cent expect comeback within six hours of contacting a company. They are the least likely to be loyal or nostalgic towards companies and take innovation for granted.
Bring on AI
40 per cent of customers say they would welcome artificial intelligence (AI) in customer service, (though less than 5 per cent of the companies are using it to enhance their customer experience).
Young shoppers are the most vocal for wanting technology, 2.5 times more likely to be satisfied with an organisation staffed entirely by AI customer support programmes than are customers age 56 or older. More than half (58 per cent) of the overall sample would be happy to make the leap to online-only offerings of products or services.
According to Ian McVey, U.K. Director at Qualtrics:
“In a global society conversations are amplified by technology and younger people exercise a disproportionate amount of influence. Because they are constantly connected and very vocal, they have become as important for their spending power as for the influence they wield across society. The message to companies is clear – your customer base is undergoing radical behavioural change, and so must you.”
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