Covid-19 accelerates demand for digital interactions in Asia Pacific, yet less than 1 in 5 consumers experience CX that exceeds expectations, reveals a survey.

Customer experience sentiments are the lowest in Singapore and Hong Kong among the APAC countries. This is according to a report by Forrester called “Infuse Digital Experiences with the Right Dose of Human Touch”.

The overall message that emerges from the survey reveals that although Customer Experience (CX) is becoming more imperative for competitive differentiation, organisations often fail in exceeding customer expectations.

The study, conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of CINNOX, reveals that although Customer Experience (CX) is becoming more imperative for competitive differentiation, organisations often fail in exceeding customer expectations.

CINNOX is a total customer and employee experience SaaS platform that offers intelligent omnichannel engagement and analytics solutions.

Customers still attach a high emotional value to human touch in CX

The key findings of the survey include:

  • Only 16% of all surveyed consumers experienced interactions that exceeded their expectations.
  • While COVID-19 led to a surge in consumer demand towards digital interactions, customers still attach a high emotional value to human touch in CX.
  • Five unique customer personas have emerged post-pandemic and organisations require a tailored approach in enhancing CX for each one.
  • Customer expectations on great CX are prioritised in terms of first-time resolution (50%), short response times (36%), and knowledgeable representatives (35%).

The five post-pandemic customer personas

The five post-pandemic customer personas identified by the survey include the following:

  • Omni-shoppers: Nearly half (44%) of respondents 20 to 49 years old find both human and digital touchpoints important. Omni-shoppers feel safe with digital interactions and want omnichannel experiences that seamlessly transition between touchpoints. They have engaged in online activities pre-pandemic, but started doing more online activities since the pandemic started. 
  • Multichannel enthusiasts: 15% of respondents in the 20 to 49 age group use multiple channels for customer service and support, but want their issues resolved end-to-end within a single touchpoint during an interaction without needing to switch channels. They were already engaged in mostly online activities pre-pandemic, and increased engagement since pandemic.
  • Reserved digital immigrants: 15% of respondents 50 years old and above prefer offline touchpoints or online touchpoints with live human support, without having to switch communication across touchpoints. They feel less safe with digital interactions, and have not yet started to do more online activities since the pandemic.
  • Affluent high touch seekers: 15% of respondents 50 years old and above and mostly high-income holders, prefer offline touchpoints but are also comfortable with digital. They want high personal touch both offline and online to establish greater trust and rapport. They had already engaged in some online activities pre-pandemic, and have increased engagement since.
  • Low-touch digital natives: 12% of respondents below 30 years old are happy with self-service digital touchpoints across the customer journey, with little or no human intervention required such as chatbots. They have already been engaged in mostly online activities pre-pandemic, and increased engagement since pandemic.

According to Cinnox spokespersons, while the pandemic led to a shift in demand towards digital interactions, a high emotional value for live human support in customer experience remains strong. The study suggests that organisations must redefine and tailor their approach to enhancing experiences throughout the customer journey for each of the five personas – encompassing all offline and online touchpoints augmented with live human support.

“Customer experience is the battleground that organisations compete on,” said Patsy Wong, Chief Strategy Officer at CINNOX. “The study shows organisations lack the methodologies and insights to truly curate delightful customer experiences for different newly emergent personas, based on their preferences and intents. At CINNOX, we are able to solve this and improve both customer and employee experiences alike with one customer engagement and analytics platform.”

Forrester surveyed 1,200 customers across Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore on behalf of CINNOX and is the first study focused on identifying customer behavioural changes and trends in the post-pandemic Asia Pacific region.