• by Ray Schultz , July 8, 2022

The customer experience has not improved much over the past year, judging by CX Trends, Challenges, & Opportunities, a study by Customer Contact Week (CCW) Digital.   

Of the consumers polled, 33% say it has gotten worse, and 9% say it is much worse. Another 35% report no change, while 33% say things are better and 10% say there has been a major upgrade. 

In addition, 33% say most experiences do not feel personalized, with 15% saying most are personalized and 52% saying some. Only 14% say most encounters are personalized. 

Bad service has consequences. 

For one, 43% of consumers would switch to a competitor after two bad experiences, and 17% would jump after one. 

It would take three or fourth negative episodes for 35% to depart, and five or more for 5%. 

What would turn them off? They cite: 

• Rude or disrespectful employees — 63% 
• Brand and its employees are not helpful/problem doesn’t get solved — 58% 
• Too much waiting/too many delays during customer experience — 58% 
• Website is unattractive, slow, or otherwise difficult to navigate — 24%
• Brand raises prices/cuts value of offering — 37% 
• Change in product quality/new product doesn’t live up to original standard — 45%
• Can’t easily access help from a real person — 43% 
• Brand takes a polarizing stance/has a public image crisis — 29%
• Brand blatantly ignores your feedback; this is the only way to feel “heard” — 20%
• Brand introduces/refines a “policy” that you don’t support — 21%

Email ranks third as a channel that consumers would trust for resolving issues:

• Phone/voice — 76% 
• Live chat (web/mobile) — 59% 
• Email — 45% 
• Text/messaging — 34% 
• Mobile app tool — 28%
• Helpdesk/ticket system — 21%
• Chatbot/self-service tool — 15% 
• Instructional videos on website or YouTube — 15%
• Social media — 8%

But firms would be advised not to forego live chat or phone, forcing customers to use email or support tickets.
Consumers say: 

• It’s unacceptable — brands should always offer live/real-time help — 42% 
• It’s acceptable for some issues/companies/product types, but unacceptable in other s —39%
• It’s only acceptable if they respond quickly (within a few minutes) — 14% 
• It’s fine in most cases; I don’t expect and/or care about live conversations with brands — 5% 

Supply-chain issues are also putting CX teams on the spot. Consumers say delivery delays are handled as follows:

• I receive little help or support when my products are delayed — 21% 
• I do receive some communication and empathy, but ultimately no “solutions” to product delays — 41% 
• Whenever products are delayed, companies give me transparent communication and even offer alternative ways to get what I want more quickly — 22%
• I have not experienced many/any product or delivery delays over the past 2 years — 17%

This suggests that marketers should tone up their email notification platforms.

Should brands take political stances? Customers say they:

- Would support it, even if I disagree with or am neutral to their stance — 19%

- Would support it, but only if I agree with their stance — 27% 

 - Don’t care either way — 28% 

- Don’t support it, regardless of their stance — 26%

CCW Digital compiled this data by conducting its annual Consumer Preferences Survey, attracting participation at all income levels.