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Despite what you may think, most customers like to be contacted by the companies they do business with, as long as that content meets their needs, is timely, and relevant. On the other hand, if their customer communications don’t meet these expectations, 63% of consumers report they would switch providers, according to a new study by Smart Communications. Of that group, 30% say they’d switch if recent customer interactions weren’t factored in regardless of the channel used.
The study included 500 people in the United States and the United Kingdom who were asked their communication preferences with banks, insurance providers, and healthcare providers. The respondents placed such a high value on personalization that 61% were willing to share more data in order to get more tailored communications.
Respecting customer preferences and managing multiple channels of communications reflects the growing focus on providing customers with a positive digital experience. If companies overload customers with irrelevant offers or fail to acknowledge recent interactions and requests, they will tune out those companies and look elsewhere for products and information.
Even with the new GDPR regulations that are in place to protect customer data, email is still the most preferred channel for communication, according to the report. The other big takeaway—the vast number of communication channels available to companies—reflects the growth of omni-channel management.
The report is an important reminder to companies to respect consumer preferences, which two out of five consumers in the survey reported companies did so.
According to the report, “Customers also expect a seamless experience throughout their journey, so companies must accurately capture interactions across all of these channels and use that knowledge to inform subsequent communications.”
Rob Goodman is a staff writer at DOCUMENT Strategy. He covers information management, collaboration, and digital technologies. He is a communications professional who has always been intrigued by how technology shapes our world. Follow him on Twitter @rgoodman1.
