{"id":19680,"date":"2019-06-12T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-12T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=19680"},"modified":"2020-09-18T00:35:52","modified_gmt":"2020-09-18T00:35:52","slug":"state-of-the-connected-customer-report-outlines-changing-standards-for-customer-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/stories\/state-of-the-connected-customer-report-outlines-changing-standards-for-customer-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"State of the Connected Customer Report Outlines Changing Standards for Customer Engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today, Salesforce released its third \u201cState of the Connected Customer<\/a>\u201c report, based on a survey of over 8,000 consumers and business buyers across 16 countries. The report demonstrates a continued trend of elevated customer expectations, blurred distinctions between B2C and B2B standards of engagement, and an expanding role of business values and trustworthiness in customers\u2019 paths to purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analyzing data across customer types, geographies, and generations, Salesforce uncovered four major themes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extraordinary experiences raise the bar for customer engagement<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Customers\u2019 standards for modern engagement are a far cry from the transactional, one-size-fits-all experiences that were once the norm. Today, 84% of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products or services. Tailored, contextualized engagement across multiple touchpoints is the benchmark, and disruptive business models are further raising the bar. Seventy-three percent of customers say one extraordinary experience raises their expectations of other companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, 64% of customers using different devices to start and complete transactions, and 59% are willing to go to Amazon when companies can’t match its shipping speed and cost. What’s more, 52% of customers say companies are generally impersonal, despite 73% of them expecting them to understand their needs and expectations. In general, companies aren’t living up to customers’ elevated expectations, with 54%of customers saying that companies need to transform how they engage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI, connected devices, and other emerging technologies shift the digital transformation playbook<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The pace of innovation is accelerating, with 67% of customers expecting companies to provide new products and services more frequently than before. Technological innovation underpins this sentiment, with 75% of customers expecting companies to use new technologies to improve their experiences, and 67% saying the way a company uses technology reflects how it operates in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly prominent role in shaping customer expectations. In fact, 62% of customers are open to the use of AI to improve their experiences \u2014 up from 59% in 2018. And, 76% of customers use a connected device, including 29% of consumers who have a smart speaker in their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trust becomes more important, yet more elusive, in customer relationships<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Last year’s<\/a> State of the Connected Customer revealed a crisis of trust between customers and companies, and this year’s study shows it has persisted. This year, 73% of customers say companies’ trustworthiness matters more than it did a year ago, and 54% say it’s harder than ever for a company to earn their trust. This crisis is impacting the top line, with 65% of customers reporting that they’ve stopped buying from brands that did something they consider distrustful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Distrust has grown in no small part due to opaque privacy policies that have become commonplace, as 63% of customers say most companies fail use their data transparently, and 54% believe most companies don’t use their data in a way that benefits them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brand values sway buying decisions<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The days when businesses were expected to sit on the sidelines of societal issues are over. Today, corporate social responsibility is as much of a business imperative as an ethical one. In fact, 80% of customers say they are more loyal to companies with good ethics, while 68% say they won’t buy from ones with poor ethics. And, 56% of customers actively seek to buy from philanthropic companies, while 65% say the same for environmentally sustainable companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Methodology<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Data in the State of the Connected Customer report is from a double-blind survey conducted April 2\u201318, 2019 that generated responses from 8,022 individuals in Australia\/ New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom\/ Ireland, and the United States. All respondents are third-party panelists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For More Information<\/h3>\n\n\n\n