{"id":42101,"date":"2020-10-27T04:56:16","date_gmt":"2020-10-27T11:56:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=42101"},"modified":"2020-11-12T09:30:23","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T17:30:23","slug":"15000-consumers-and-business-buyers-weigh-in-on-the-future-of-customer-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/stories\/15000-consumers-and-business-buyers-weigh-in-on-the-future-of-customer-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"15,000+ Consumers and Business Buyers Weigh in on the Future of Customer Engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today Salesforce published the fourth edition of its State of the Connected Customer research report<\/a>, an annual study of how customer expectations and behaviors are changing as businesses, technology and society at large evolve. This year\u2019s survey was our largest and most global yet, soliciting over 15,000 responses across 27 countries and six continents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report provides a snapshot of how customer engagement is transforming with unprecedented scale and speed against the backdrop of simultaneous public health, economic, social, environmental and leadership crises. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegardless of who they market, sell or provide services to, businesses are navigating a landscape they couldn\u2019t have imagined at the beginning of this year,\u201d said Vala Afshar, Chief Digital Evangelist at Salesforce. \u201cA massive shift to digital channels isn\u2019t the only challenge that leaders have to grapple with. They also need to listen and respond to customer demands for empathy and understanding, innovative products and services, and a fundamental rethinking of the role of businesses in society. Connecting customers\u2019 various touch points \u2014 digital, human or otherwise\u2014to gain a holistic understanding is the first step on the path to resiliency and growth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key insights from the State of the Connected Customer report include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital transformation has hit an inflection point<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The shift in activity from stores and offices to ecommerce and virtual collaboration may be viewed as temporary. However, there is evidence that the pandemic has accelerated a long-term trend towards truly digital-first lifestyles.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Open Image Modal<\/span>\"Connected<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n
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