What does customer service mean to you? When quality is the priority, are you willing to pay more to stick with a particular provider? If you experience less than stellar service delivery, do you quickly turn to the next competitor, as brand loyalty goes only as far as the service you receive? If the latter applies to you, you’re not alone.
Brand loyalty has taken on a whole new meaning in our informed markets. Consumers are no longer relying solely on the capabilities of the provider, but instead on the experiences they have each time they encounter the brand. This is especially true in the mobile carrier space. Consumers are throwing out past loyalties in favor of those able to deliver the quality of experience each and every time.
Mobile has become a key element in everyday life. We rarely leave the house without a connected device, whether we need it for work or to simply support the activities we do throughout the day. The mobile user wants an engaging experience that includes consistency in performance and a personalized approach to customer care. Unfortunately, too many providers refer to the customer as an afterthought, completely secure in their ability to deliver on demands and stay ahead of the competition.
That may have been true for AT&T (News - Alert) when they first introduced the iPhone. There were no other viable competitors able to offer the same level of connectivity or smartphone capabilities. Not to suggest that AT&T let the ball drop when it came to customer care, but the pressure wasn’t at the level it is today. Not only can consumers go just about anywhere for an iPhone (News - Alert) today, they can also get what they want without signing long-term contracts. For the provider who was hoping to shore up long-term opportunities, the market has certainly changed.
Without the multi-year contract keeping a customer on the hook with just one carrier, the likelihood of leaving after a bad interaction increases dramatically. Consider one statistic that suggests 98 percent of customers say that customer service has an impact on the likelihood that they will do business with a particular brand a second time. What’s worse is that users are downloading apps and other features that the carrier doesn’t know how to support and is therefore left to deliver a less than optimal customer experience.
What has been created is the fractured mobile experience. In fact, as consumers take advantage of all the capabilities and flexibility the smartphone has to offer, there is a significant opportunity for retailers and brands to capture the full path-to-purchase. But most don’t have the insight or the capabilities to do so.
Is this a challenge that is plaguing you and your brand? If so, it’s time to dig deeper into this trend and find out how you can set your brand apart and avoid the fractured experience that leads to churn. To do so, download this white paper, “A Fractured Experience,” from Contact Solutions.
Edited by Alisen Downey