{"id":55871,"date":"2022-05-10T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-10T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2023-04-28T13:17:11","modified_gmt":"2023-04-28T20:17:11","slug":"customer-engagement-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/stories\/customer-engagement-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Salesforce Report: Nearly 90% Of Buyers Say Experience a Company Provides Matters as Much as Products or Services"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The fifth edition of Salesforce\u2019s State of the Connected Customer report reveals how trust, personalization, and digital-first experiences are increasingly central to meeting customer needs. Based on a global survey of consumers and business buyers, the report also highlights how customer expectations and behaviors have changed over time. <\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Brian Solis has one critical piece of advice for businesses undergoing digital transformation: \u201cIn times of change, make customers\u2019 needs and expectations your corporate North Star,\u201d says Salesforce\u2019s Global Innovation Evangelist. \u201cKeeping customers at the center will inspire loyalty and deepen trust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what, exactly, do customers need and expect from businesses today? How can brands earn, maintain, and build the ultimate currency of customer loyalty: trust? To find out, Salesforce surveyed over 13,000 consumers and nearly 4,000 business buyers across 29 countries for its latest study, State of the Connected Customer<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trusted enterprises win the hearts of customers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As customers navigate a rapidly-shifting world, questions of trust, values, and integrity occupy their minds: 88 percent of customers believe trust becomes more important<\/em> in times of change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast to an ongoing downturn in trust of media and government<\/a>, trust in business is on the rise. Customers expect businesses to not only meet their needs but to do so responsibly. In fact, 68% of customers trust companies to act with society’s best interest in mind \u2014 a significant jump from the 59% who agreed in Salesforce\u2019s 2020 survey<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Customers expect companies to help solve, rather than exacerbate, intractable issues such as inequality or climate change. Solis explains, \u201cWhen it comes to important issues, companies can\u2019t stand on the sidelines. Your values are an important part of your brand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

78% of customers say environmental practices influence their decision to buy from a company.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Not doing so risks impacting the bottom line. Salesforce\u2019s research shows that over three quarters (78%) of customer purchasing decisions are swayed by environmental practices and two-thirds (66%) have ceased buying from companies whose values didn\u2019t align with their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n