To examine the current customer engagement practices and consumer demands, tyntec sponsored Ovum for a consumer survey and market analysis. Ovum conducted an online survey of 1,000 consumers in the U.S. and Germany, in February 2016.
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Contents
About the survey
Key Findings
Need for Speed
Voice & E-mail Waning
Single Service Number for Both Voice & SMS
Chat Apps
Demographics Matter
eCommerce
eCommerce v. Brick & Mortar
Use Cases
Conclusions & Recommendations
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3. 3
About the Survey: Who We Reached
Ovum surveyed 1,000
Respondents from the U.S. (500)and Germany (500)
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4. 4
Key Findings
Need for Speed: Speed and expertise are key to customer engagement
Voice & E-mail Waning: Mobile messaging channels such as SMS and chat apps gain
Single Service Number for Both Voice & SMS: Strong preference for two-way SMS
Chat Apps: Consumers’ openness for brand engagement rising
Demographics Matter: Channel preferences for (adult) millennials
Use Cases: Mapping channels to use cases is important
eCommerce: Driving new mobile use cases
eCommerce v. Brick & Mortar: Both lacking mobile messaging engagement
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5. 5
Need for Speed
According to survey findings, the most important priorities for consumers
are getting through to an agent quickly (80%), and the speed with which
their inquiry is resolved (74%).
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Speed and expertise are key to customer engagement
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Voice & E-mail Waning
The survey results reveal that while 18% of respondents already interact with their
customer service agents via a chat app, 50% would be open to being contacted in
this way. Consumer interest for being contacted by service providers via chat apps
grows from 50% to 65% when we look at consumers using two or more apps.
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Mobile messaging channels such as SMS and chat apps gain
All respondents Respondents using
2 or more apps
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Voice & E-mail Waning
(Continued)
56% of respondents across the US and Germany said they would like to send
an SMS to their service providers’ customer service agents using the same
number that they would use to call them, yet only 41% are able to.
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Respondents wanting to use
SMS for customer service
Respondents currently using
SMS for customer service
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Single Service Number for Both Voice & SMS
The main reasons why 56%
of respondents would like
to send an SMS to their
customer service agents
using the same number
they use to call them are
because they expect SMS
to be less time-consuming
(44%) and more
convenient (42%) than
alternative
communications forms.
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Strong preference for two-way SMS
9. Chat Apps
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A key perceived
benefit for
consumers when
interacting with their
service providers on
chat apps is more
rapid resolution of
problems (53%).
Consumers’ openness for brand engagement via chat apps rising
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Demographics Matter
When segmented by age,
the survey reveals a
significant difference in
channel preferences
between millennials and
people over 45, with the
increases of 16% for SMS
and 12% for chat apps
among millennials.
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Age 16-34
Age 45+
Overall Channel Preference
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eCommerce
45% of respondents
said that the
customer service
agents of their
eCommerce provider
definitely used
mobile
communications
effectively, with 40%
indicating the same
level for their bank or
financial services
provider.
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Driving new mobile use cases
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eCommerce v. Brick & Mortar
eCommerce providers use more
emails and web chats, compared
to brick & mortar stores.
However, both are lacking mobile
messaging such as SMS and chat
apps.
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E-Commerce providers
Retailers
Mobile engagement gap
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Use Cases
The strengths of each
channels should be
mapped against use cases
and the lifecycle of the
customer’s relationship
(availability of opt-ins,
etc.). 53% of respondents
prefer to send an SMS
(rather than call) to
request or change an
appointment.
Mapping channels to use cases is important
14. Conclusion
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Consumers’ mobile devices are increasingly being used as a portal to customer service
agents, via traditional services such as voice, email, and SMS, as well as emerging
technologies such as chat apps, app-based push notifications, and web chat.
However, there’s a significant gap between consumers’ openness to mobile messaging
engagement and what brands currently provide. Strong demands are shown for using chat
apps and a single number for both voice & two-way SMS.
eCommerce providers performed better than their brick & mortar counterparts in terms of
the overall mobile engagement; however both were lacking mobile messaging
engagements such as SMS and chat apps.
The use of chat apps will broaden the range of interactions with the customer as the chat
app evolves from messaging to features such as location sharing and payments.
Mobile messaging will be integral in helping brands engage consumers–especially for the
millennial demographics where the demand for fast two-way interaction is high.
15. Recommendations
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Brands will have to apply consumers’ changing communications behaviors into their existing
customer engagement strategies. Brands’ focus on developing their own app as a main channel is
misguided, since many consumers are using multiple third-party chat apps, making it less likely
they will use a dedicated app to communicate with just one company.
Communications channels should be mapped against the lifecycle of the customer’s relationship
and use cases.
Mobile messaging is key to meeting the speed and functionality desired by today’s consumers.
Strengths of each mobile channels should be matched with the type of interaction needed. e.g.
two-way SMS for time-critical comm such as scheduling; chat apps for sending rich media.
A business operating in a single market may be better able to negotiate connectivity via a local
mobile operator and a popular chat app in that market. But companies that operate on a regional
or global level should reduce the complexity and costs by working with a service provider that can
connect them to multiple operators and chat apps.
16. Our contact details
For more information, please contact:
press@tyntec.com
Germany: +49 89 202 451 202
US: +1 415 527 0903
UK: +44 207 436 0283
Singapore: +65 6478 3020
www.tyntec.com
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