5 March 2008

Customers that have a positive experience are four times more likely to recommend a company or renew an existing relationship.

American consulting firm ServiceXRG has produced research examining how the web is changing the way businesses engage with customers and the impact on-line interactions have on shaping customer perceptions of companies.

The research has shown various interesting observations, these include:

How customer perceptions are influenced by online experiences
As more customer interactions shift to the web, a company’s opportunity to influence customer perceptions about its brand, its products and its services increasingly occurs online.

Customers have purpose, but need help attaining their goals
Customers know what they want to accomplish online, but do not always know how to achieve their desired outcome. A positive online experience typically occurs when a site helps a customer firmly establish what they want (for example, a product to buy or technical assistance for a product they own) and then provides the guidance and resources to help them achieve this goal.

Personal interaction is replaced by tools and content
As self-service transaction replaces personal interaction, the burden for the quality of the customer experience shifts to online tools and content. Lack of good content or hard-to-find resources quickly undermines the opportunity to offer a positive experience. Effective tools and content are essential to lead customers to their desired outcome.

Many sources of content compete for customer mindshare
When customers and prospects cannot find what they are looking for on a site, there’s a good chance they will look for it elsewhere online. If a company can’t satisfy its customers, there’s a good chance its competitors will get the opportunity to do so. Not only does the company risk losing customers and prospects to other sources of content, it also loses the ability to control the online experience and influence
customer actions and behaviours.

Success requires a commitment to offer good content and the means to help customers find it
Content is king; it is the main reason customers go online for technical support, product research, and shopping. Today, many customers report that the content they need does not exist, or if they do find it, the quality is less than they expect.



Keep up to date with industry and Nomensa news by signing up to Nomensa newsletters.