Report: Consumer Expectations for Brands Higher than Ever in Age of Convenience

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With the omnichannel age upon us, the impact of bad customer experiences is unprecedented. The main fear for businesses should no longer be a standoff between the worker behind the customer service desk and the angry customer who failed to get his discount; it should be the rant that hits social and is shared or liked a slew of times, dragging digital reputations through the mud.

The tough news this week comes from customer engagement software firm Freshworks, whose survey of more than 3,000 adults across the globe, including over 1,000 in the U.S., found that 56% of respondents will walk away from a brand after one bad experience. In the U.S., that number is a whopping 69%.

Even more urgently, 60% of consumers indicated that they share their bad experiences with others—in person and online, including on social media. That maximizes the potential that a bad experience could turn into a loss of customers.

Brands can prepare for the market change by offering proactive customer service. That means providing notifications or following up with customers rather than waiting for complaints to trickle in to corporate.

Just as customers will share the results of in-person experiences online, 67% of them are using at least three channels to communicate with brands as they do their shopping. If omnichannel had ever been an empty buzzword, those days are over. Good branding and customer service in 2019 means availability across the gamut of consumer-facing channels.

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Joe Zappa is the Managing Editor of Street Fight. He has spearheaded the newsroom's editorial operations since 2018. Joe is an ad/martech veteran who has covered the space since 2015. You can contact him at [email protected]