Here are five things South African customers told us about the shape of the service landscape, and how you can create stronger customer experiences and relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
State of the Connected Customer Report<\/span><\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLearn about attitudes to trust and loyalty, how to balance personalisation with privacy, and the best ways to engage with customers at every touchpoint.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tDownload Now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t![\"state-of-the-connected-customer-card\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2022\/08\/state-of-the-connected-customer-card.jpg\")
\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\nSelling is service<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
For a long time, service played second fiddle to sales \u2013 a support function that handled customer care<\/a> after the main business of selling was completed. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s no longer the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, customers aren\u2019t just looking for quality products from the companies they buy from. And it\u2019s not even that they\u2019d prefer stellar levels of customer support. It\u2019s that they need it. Consider this: 94% of customers in South Africa agree the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
How customers feel across every touchpoint is the new standard companies are measured against. And nobody has greater influence over those interactions than customer support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s why 96% of customers say a positive support experience makes them more likely to make a repeat purchase. This means your customer service teams can directly impact company profitability \u2013 and the key to that is creating frictionless journeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consistency, consistency, consistency<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When you shift to a more scalable business model, grow your revenue, or launch new and varied offerings, you\u2019ll face a common blocker to customer happiness: siloed departments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Service teams that advocate for smooth transitions across offices are advocates for their customers: 92% expect consistent interactions between departments \u2013 and the same percentage say they\u2019re more loyal to companies that do this.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
And given that 63% of surveyed customers in South Africa often feel like they\u2019re communicating with separate departments \u2013 not one company \u2013 there\u2019s a prime opportunity to jump ahead of the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Plus, unlocking these seamless and informed interactions across the company creates a byproduct that\u2019s just as valuable and can make your brand even stickier: trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Talking fosters trust<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Trust might feel like a fluid and ethereal metric, but it\u2019s quickly become a core consideration for buyers \u2013 84% of South African customers lose trust in companies when there’s a lack of consistency across touchpoints. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So outside of consistent interactions, how can customer support teams continue to build that trust?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, 94% of surveyed customers believe trust becomes more important in times of change. In such moments, a key move you can make is to go above and beyond when it comes to communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
84% say they consider honest and transparent communication to be the most important factor of a trustworthy brand. Develop an internal culture of openness and introspection, and your brand\u2019s reputation (and customer relations) will follow suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give customers autonomy<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This may sting a bit. Customers don\u2019t want to talk to service agents unless they need to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Customer support departments that let buyers help themselves are a step ahead, both in terms of freeing up internal resources and reducing friction between customers and a resolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The proof? Just 13% of surveyed customers in South Africa would prefer not to use self-service<\/a> to answer simple questions \u2013 a surefire indicator of a desire to resolve issues with minimal effort.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\nSelling is service<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
For a long time, service played second fiddle to sales \u2013 a support function that handled customer care<\/a> after the main business of selling was completed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s no longer the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, customers aren\u2019t just looking for quality products from the companies they buy from. And it\u2019s not even that they\u2019d prefer stellar levels of customer support. It\u2019s that they need it. Consider this: 94% of customers in South Africa agree the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n How customers feel across every touchpoint is the new standard companies are measured against. And nobody has greater influence over those interactions than customer support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s why 96% of customers say a positive support experience makes them more likely to make a repeat purchase. This means your customer service teams can directly impact company profitability \u2013 and the key to that is creating frictionless journeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you shift to a more scalable business model, grow your revenue, or launch new and varied offerings, you\u2019ll face a common blocker to customer happiness: siloed departments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Service teams that advocate for smooth transitions across offices are advocates for their customers: 92% expect consistent interactions between departments \u2013 and the same percentage say they\u2019re more loyal to companies that do this.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n And given that 63% of surveyed customers in South Africa often feel like they\u2019re communicating with separate departments \u2013 not one company \u2013 there\u2019s a prime opportunity to jump ahead of the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plus, unlocking these seamless and informed interactions across the company creates a byproduct that\u2019s just as valuable and can make your brand even stickier: trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trust might feel like a fluid and ethereal metric, but it\u2019s quickly become a core consideration for buyers \u2013 84% of South African customers lose trust in companies when there’s a lack of consistency across touchpoints. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So outside of consistent interactions, how can customer support teams continue to build that trust?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, 94% of surveyed customers believe trust becomes more important in times of change. In such moments, a key move you can make is to go above and beyond when it comes to communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 84% say they consider honest and transparent communication to be the most important factor of a trustworthy brand. Develop an internal culture of openness and introspection, and your brand\u2019s reputation (and customer relations) will follow suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This may sting a bit. Customers don\u2019t want to talk to service agents unless they need to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Customer support departments that let buyers help themselves are a step ahead, both in terms of freeing up internal resources and reducing friction between customers and a resolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The proof? Just 13% of surveyed customers in South Africa would prefer not to use self-service<\/a> to answer simple questions \u2013 a surefire indicator of a desire to resolve issues with minimal effort.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\nConsistency, consistency, consistency<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Talking fosters trust<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Give customers autonomy<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n