INFOGRAPHIC
important than price. These figures outpace
the respective global averages of 79% and
63% respectively, indicating a growing
demand for ‘SuperServe’ organisations in
the country.
The report also found that South African
consumers expect a higher level of
engagement from the organisations
they interact with, with 90% wanting an
immediate response from the organisations
they contact.
“South Africans increasingly demand
‘SuperService’ from the organisations
they do business with,” said Danny Drew,
Managing Director – South Africa, Avaya.
“The research indicates that customers will
remain loyal to organisations that provide
outstanding customer service across every
channel and make communication easy.
“Based on this research, the path to
becoming a SuperServe organisation
involves taking on a number of
considerations. The most obvious is that
SuperServe organisations will provide easy
and immediate responses to customer
queries across any channel; the best will
provide the same high level of service
through instant messaging as they do
through phone support.
“The self-service model is also being revised,
with the leading companies implementing
new technologies that empower customers,
rather than offload work onto them. These
companies will also augment new channels
with AI and predictive analytics, and they’ll
extend stellar customer experience across
the entire enterprise, meaning employees
are just as empowered as the customers
they’re serving.”
In line with their demand for more
convenient and proactive service, South
African consumers expressed an openness
for large organisations to adopt emerging,
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advanced technologies such as AI and
predictive analytics. Over four in five say
they like it when organisations notice if
they’re having difficulty with a process,
and 80% want AI to notify them if there’s
a problem with a product or service.
Additionally, South African consumers
expressed trust in the algorithm; 52% want
AI to make better recommendations about
new products and services.
Voice remains a cornerstone of the customer
experience. Almost three-quarters of South
African consumers prefer using the phone to
explain customer service problems, and 71%
say they get the best answer to queries by
using the phone.
“
SUPERSERVE
ORGANISATIONS
WILL PROVIDE
EASY AND
IMMEDIATE
RESPONSES
TO CUSTOMER
QUERIES ACROSS
ANY CHANNEL.
This preference for voice as the primary
user interface also extends to the latest
technologies as over 63% of respondents
said they’d like to use a smart speaker such
as an Amazon Echo to access customer
service, while 80% would like to use voice
biometrics to bypass identification and
verification questions.
Although South African customers crave
a personalised service experience, the
report goes on to caution that SuperServe
companies must be careful around the use
of personal data.
The results show that consumers buy more
from organisations that make it easier to do
business with them, but 91% worry about
security when giving out credit card details
over the phone. What’s more, 87% believe
that large organisations are not handling
their data securely.
“Too often, protecting personal data
inevitably means poor customer experience
as extra layers of interaction, data or
passwords are required,” added Drew.
“SuperServe organisations will utilise
technology to help enhance security whilst
improving customer ease going forward.” n
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