Twilio released a study showing that consumers want to talk to real people. The study found that 48% of UK and German consumers feel most understood when speaking to a person. This suggests that good listening is crucial for building customer loyalty.
The study also found that consumers feel listened to when brands provide personalized solutions to complaints, respond to feedback with tailored answers, improve products based on customer input, communicate on the customer’s preferred channel, and target advertising to specific needs.
This good listening leads to increased customer loyalty, with 69% of consumers more likely to repurchase and 67% more likely to recommend the brand.
Although most consumers value customer service, many still feel unheard. Phone and email are the preferred communication channels, but consumers get frustrated when these methods fail to resolve issues.
Sam Richardson, customer engagement consultant at Twilio commented: “From social media, to instant chat, to telephony, customers have never had more ways to get in touch with brands, and brands have never had more ways to listen.
“This presents a golden opportunity for businesses. Good listening is the gateway to better understanding, providing brands with rich insights, helping them to solve problems, and enabling them to fully connect with their customers.
“But it also presents risks and the cost of not listening is being felt by businesses of all sizes. With customer loyalty a critical revenue stream, brands should be looking to ensure every customer interaction hits the mark to avoid losing out.”
The report offers practical tips for businesses to improve customer listening.