Research Report

Harris Poll

Revisiting the Gaps in Customer Experience

Driving transformative change through a superior personalized customer experience (CX) has been proven to drive revenue growth and, as such, has become mission-critical for enterprise companies, and really any organization or entity with a brand-consumer relationship. In 2019, Redpoint Global commissioned Harris Poll to conduct research on what personalization means, for both marketing executives and consumers. Findings revealed a majority of consumers (61%) who said that personalization has become a standard expectation for doing business with a brand, with 37% claiming that they will no longer do business with a company that does not provide a personalized experience.

With seismic changes to how consumers engage with brands since the initial research, such as more digital-first customer journeys and more varied engagements spanning digital and physical channels (curbside pickup, buy online and pick-up in-store, home delivery, etc.), Redpoint commissioned Harris Poll for a follow-up study to see what’s changed, and with new questions asking consumers about how their behaviors and expectations have evolved particularly due to the worldwide pandemic.

Findings from “Revisiting the Gaps in Customer Experience” include:

  • A 25% gap between marketers who say they’re doing an “excellent” job delivering an exceptional customer experience (51%) vs. the percentage of consumers who agree with the assessment (26%)
  • A majority or near-majority of consumers say that they feel unseen (55%) and undervalued (48%) by brands they interact with
  • Consumers now rank omnichannel consistency as the most important dimension of customer experience, up from No. 2 in 2019
  • Roughly one-third (31%) of consumers claim that a brand’s failure to recognize them as the same consumer across devices will make it less likely for them to do business with the brand

New research explored the shifting CX landscape and how COVID-19 impacted behaviors and priorities, what the phasing out of third-party cookies might mean for delivering a consistently seamless omnichannel customer experience and the impact comprehensive data quality has on meeting the CX expectations of both marketers and consumers. One interesting finding: 82% of marketers said that COVID-19 has made it harder for them to execute their CX strategy.

From a technology standpoint, the research also revisits the challenges that stem from having what many marketers perceive as too many customer engagement systems, or unintegrated systems, both of which increase the difficulty of meeting consumer demands for personalization. In fact, more than half of consumers (51%) say that inaccurate data or data that is not up-to-date are chiefly responsible for marketers’ falling short in providing the level of personalization consumers have come to expect.

By reading this report, you will have a better understanding of what contributes to the gaps between marketer and consumer perceptions regarding the satisfaction and effectiveness of the consumer experience. You will also come away with a firm grasp of the key areas where marketers may be falling short in delivering the type of omnichannel consumer experience that consumers expect, particularly with a shift toward digital-first customer journeys. Lastly, you will be able to apply what you learn about the CX gaps to your own company, helping you take action to narrow the gap as it affects your own company’s ability to drive transformative change through the delivery of an omnichannel customer experience that persists over time.

Read the 2021 report above and find the 2019 report here.

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