2. Multi-channel Customer Experience
The aggregated experience a customer has of a brand gained from
all interactions across managed and unmanaged touch-points, for
the duration of that relationship.
3. Contents
1. About Foviance 2
2. About Econsultancy 3
3. Executive Summary and Highlights 4
4. Introduction by Foviance 6
5. Methodology and Sample 8
5.1. Methodology 8
5.2. Respondent profiles 8
5.2.1. Role within responding organisation 8
5.2.2. Business sector 9
5.2.3. Geography 10
5.2.4. Annual company turnover 10
5.2.5. Job role 11
5.2.6. Type of company 11
5.2.7. Type of agency 12
6. Findings 13
6.1. Customer experience strategy 13
6.1.1. Dominant competitive strategy 13
6.1.2. Differentiation through superior customer experience 13
6.1.3. Importance of multi-channel customer experience strategy 16
6.1.4. Company strategy for improving the customer experience 17
6.1.5. Ease of implementing a customer experience strategy 20
6.1.6. Long-term business performance and customer experience 21
6.1.7. Gaining a single view of the customer 24
6.2. Touch-points 26
6.2.1. Touch-points used to communicate directly with customers 26
6.2.2. Integration of channels with customer experience strategy 28
6.3. Barriers 30
6.3.1. Greatest barriers to improving the multi-channel experience 30
6.3.2. Problems improving the customer experience 33
6.3.3. How to improve the customer experience 36
6.4. Measurement 38
6.4.1. Organisational framework for measuring multi-channel 38
6.4.2. Methods to measure effectiveness of customer experience 39
6.4.3. Most useful data source for measuring customer experience 40
6.5. Ownership and budget 44
6.5.1. Ownership of multi-channel customer experience 44
6.5.2. Dedicated budget for improving customer experience 47
6.5.3. Job roles 49
5. 2. About Econsultancy
Econsultancy is a digital publishing and training group that is used by more than 200,000
internet professionals every month.
The company publishes practical and time-saving research to help marketers make better
decisions about the digital environment, build business cases, find the best suppliers, look smart
in meetings and accelerate their careers.
Econsultancy has offices in New York and London, and hosts more than 100 events every year
in the US and UK. Many of the world’s most famous brands use Econsultancy to educate and
train their staff.
Some of Econsultancy’s members include: Google, Yahoo, Dell, BBC, BT, Shell, Vodafone, Virgin
Atlantic, Barclays, Deloitte, T-Mobile and Estée Lauder.
Join Econsultancy today to learn what’s happening in digital marketing – and what works.
Call us to find out more on +44 (0)20 7269 1450 (London) or +1 212 699 3626 (New York).
You can also contact us online.
Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report 3
6. 3. Executive Summary and Highlights
The Multi-channel Customer Experience Report, published by Econsultancy in association
with Foviance, is based on a survey of more than 500 companies and agencies. The research
examines the extent to which organisations have a strategy for providing a joined-up customer
experience and how close companies are to the holy grail of a single customer view.
It is clear that while the vast majority of companies understand its impact on business
performance, very few organisations have integrated, cross-channel processes and systems in
place, or a strategy to help them to achieve this.
• Almost half of companies (49%) say a joined-up multi-channel customer
experience is very important to their organisation, and a further 41% say it is
quite important.
• More than two thirds of companies (68%) recognise a strong link between long-
term business performance and customer experience, while 24% say there is a
weak link. Only 8% say there is no link.
• But nearly one in 10 companies (9%) surveyed, including organisations with
revenues exceeding £1 billion, say there is no strategy for improving the customer
experience. A further 69% say they are just beginning to develop the strategy. Only
22% of companies say they have a well-developed strategy.
The research highlights how an increasing number of online and offline customer touch-points
are making it even more difficult for organisations to ensure a consistent cross-channel customer
experience. Nine different online and offline touch-points are relevant for at least half of the
companies surveyed.
Survey respondents were asked how close their own organisations are to having a single view
of the customer. Only 32% of companies say they have the integrated systems and processes
required to give customers a joined-up experience.
Companies are typically trying to integrate systems and adopt a customer-centric approach, but
haven’t yet reached the stage where they have properly managed to harness these different
processes in a way which allows for seamless cross-channel engagement.
Respondents were asked to indicate the most significant barriers which prevent them from
improving the multi-channel customer experience.
• The greatest barrier is organisational structure, which is one of the three greatest
barriers for 41% of respondents.
• The next most significant issue is complexity of customer experience, cited as a
major barrier by 38% of respondents.
It is clear that many organisations are lacking an individual or department to take responsibility for
the customer experience within the business. For some companies, the problem is compounded by
a lack of budget.
4 Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report
7. • More than a third of companies surveyed (38%) say that ownership of the
multi-channel customer experience lies with a mixture of different departments,
and less than a third of companies (31%) have a budget which is dedicated to
improving the customer experience.
• More than a quarter of companies (28%) say there is no budget at all for
improving the customer experience, while a further 41% say that they use
budget which was assigned for other things.
Encouragingly, most companies are at least trying to tackle the challenges of a multi-channel
customer experience even though, for most, there is still a long way to go. This report enables
organisations to benchmark their progress and think about how they can become more advanced
in their approach, at a time when customer expectations are higher than ever.
Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report 5
8. 4. Introduction by Foviance
This report provides real insight about how businesses are thinking and acting in the area of
multi-channel customer experience. The issue is important today because it builds upon the
retention strategies that many have adopted as a result of the global recession.
But there are other, more pressing reasons why it is a key strategic challenge for organisations
as they face an increasingly commoditised service economy and greater customer power brought
about by the continuing evolution of the internet.
Most importantly, it is a source of competitive advantage for those that can become truly
customer-centric and there are various examples in the report that identify where businesses are
on this journey.
The vast majority of the world’s businesses operate in a service economy and as competition
has increased they have taken steps to streamline service delivery and drive out operational
inefficiencies. Sometimes these changes have enhanced the customer experience, for example
by reducing waiting times or delivering a more consistent service.
More often than not though, they have commoditised the way services are delivered and in doing
so have lost the ability to differentiate and have become indistinguishable from the pack.
The challenge is further compounded by the dramatic effect the internet has had on multi-channel
marketing and customer experience. Power has moved with data-driven insight from the FMCG
behemoths, to the supermarket chains and now finally toward the customer.
The internet is the point of integration for many of the different channels customers use and
provides far richer data about customer journeys and behaviours than ever before. But the rise
of social networks has put the power with customers and it has never been more important for
organisations to create an environment where customers notice a positive difference.
Foviance believes there are 5 key areas that need to be addressed if an organisation is to improve
performance by adopting a more customer centric strategy. These are: leadership & culture;
systems and processes; customer insight, customer touch-points; and alignment with brand.
By establishing the degree to which these areas are considered and integrated toward customer
centricity we can position an organisation on our customer experience maturity model and create
a road-map to move them forward.
This report reveals that the majority of organisations are considering how to address the
challenges that multi-channel customer experience brings. It also indicates that most are at the
cluttered stage with just a handful achieving considered or even capable status.
Fewer still are in a position where customer centricity has become part of the culture of their
business – part of their DNA.
Ten years ago, with the internet in its infancy, customers were satisfied just to be exploring the
brave new world that being online delivered to them. Some businesses tried to make websites more
usable, others simply focussed on acquisition but as they worked towards these goals they were
leapfrogged by their customers who adopted technology faster and culturally became multi-channel.
These customers are no longer prepared to accept that businesses are still learning and view their
multi-channel interactions through a single lens sharing their experiences widely and candidly.
6 Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report
9. The Foviance “Customer Experience Maturity Model”
Paul Blunden
CEO
Foviance
At Foviance we recognise that for a business to completely
embrace multi-channel customer experience it is not a
trivial undertaking.
As this report reveals, the challenges range from organisational
culture to basic budgeting, but the opportunity is tangible and
most people surveyed recognise the direct link between customer
centricity and business performance. Those that manage to
pull it off will be the brands we all look to in the future and that
customers talk about both off and online.
Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report 7
10. 5. Methodology and Sample
5.1. Methodology
This report is based on a survey of more than 500 respondents to an online survey carried out in
June and July 2010. Respondents included both client-side (in-house) and supply-side respondents
(i.e. those working for agencies, consultancies or technology companies with an interest in
customer experience).
The findings are shown for both client-side (“company respondents”) and supply-side (“agency
respondents”) separately.
Information about the survey, including the link, was emailed to Econsultancy’s user base.
The incentive for taking part was access to a complimentary copy of this report just before its
publication on the Econsultancy website.
If you have any questions about the research, please email Econsultancy’s Research Director,
Linus Gregoriadis (Linus@econsultancy.com).
5.2. Respondent profiles
5.2.1. Role within responding organisation
More than half of survey respondents (53%) work for an organisation “interested in improving the
customer experience”, while some 41% work for agencies, consultancies or technology vendors.
Figure 1: Which of the following most accurately describes your job role?
6%
41% 53%
Client -side - company interested in improving the customer experience
Supply- side - an agency helping companies to improve their customer experience
Other Response: 541
8 Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report
11. 5.2.2. Business sector
Client-side survey respondents are spread across a range of business verticals. The best
represented sectors are retail (19% of client-side respondents) and financial services (18%).
Companies
Figure 2: In which business sector is your organisation?
20%
19%
18%
18%
16%
15%
14%
12%
10%
9%
8%
7%
6%
6%
5% 5%
4%
4%
3% 3%
2%
2%
1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
0%
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Response: 233
Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report 9
12. 5.2.3. Geography
Just over two thirds of client-side respondents (68%) are UK-based, while 15% are based
elsewhere in Europe. Respondents from North America make up 6% of the sample.
“Other” regions represented include Australasia, Africa and the Middle East.
Companies
Figure 3: In which country/region are you (personally) based?
80%
68%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
15%
11%
10%
6%
0%
UK Europe (non-UK) North America Other
Response: 236
5.2.4. Annual company turnover
Companies
Figure 4: What is your annual company turnover?
25%
22%
21%
20%
20%
15%
14%
13%
11%
10%
5%
0%
<£ 1 million £ 1-10 million £ 10-50 million £ 50-150 million £ 150 million - More than £ 1 billion
£ 1 billion
Response: 236
10 Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report
13. 5.2.5. Job role
Survey respondents are most likely to work within their organisation’s e-commerce or digital
department. This reflects Econsultancy’s user base and broad reach within the digital marketing
industry. A third (34%) of company respondents work for marketing / sales.
Companies
Figure 5: Which part of your organisation do you work for?
50%
45%
43%
40%
34%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
8% 7%
3% 2% 3%
5%
0%
0%
ns
l
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M
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Response: 289
st
Cu
5.2.6. Type of company
Figure 6: Is your company a multi-channel organisation or pure play?
8%
92%
Multi-channel Pure play (100% Internet)
Response: 236
Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report 11
14. 5.2.7. Type of agency
Agencies
Figure 7: What type of company do you work for?
45%
40%
40%
35%
30%
27%
25%
20%
18%
15%
10%
8% 8%
5%
0%
Full-service digital Independent consultant User experience Web design agency Other
agency specialist agency
Response: 215
12 Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report
15. 6. Findings
6.1. Customer experience strategy
6.1.1. Dominant competitive strategy
More than half (61%) of respondents say the most dominant competitive strategy for their
company is service or product differentiation.
Exactly a fifth (20%) of respondents say their organisations have a niche focus, while only 7% say
their strategy is price leadership.
This question is based on Porter’s Competitive Advantage model which states that companies need
to focus on either low cost or differentiation to prosper.
Companies
Figure 8: What would you say is your company’s most dominant competitive strategy?
70%
61%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
20%
11%
10%
7%
0%
Price leadership Service or product Niche focus It's not clear
differentiation
Response: 264
6.1.2. Differentiation through superior customer experience
The vast majority (86%) of companies say that they make some attempt to differentiate their
brands through superior customer experience.
Just under half of companies (46%) say they do this to a certain extent, while 40% say it is very
much part of their strategy.
Supply-side respondents [Figure 10] aren’t as convinced as company respondents that there are
widespread attempts to differentiate through customer experience.
A quarter of agency respondents (26%) say their clients don’t try to differentiate through
customer experience, and only 15% say it is very much part of their strategy.
Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report 13
16. Companies
Figure 9: Does your organisation try to differentiate its brand through superior customer
experience?
14%
40%
46%
Yes, this is very much part of our strategy Yes, we do this to a certain extent No, we don't do this
Response: 264
Agencies
Figure 10: Do your clients try to differentiate their brands through superior customer experience?
15%
26%
59%
Yes, this is very much part of their strategy Yes, they do this to a certain extent No, they don't do this
Response: 198
14 Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report
17. Richard Sedley
Commercial Director at Foviance
and Course Director for Social
Media at the Chartered Institute
of Marketing
In memory of the multi-channel
customer experience
Sometimes I’m pretty spontaneous and buy stuff straight away
after a single website visit (a single customer journey). Sometimes I prevaricate, make selections
online, change my mind and leave, come back, add to basket, get distracted, check out another
website, check my bank account, leave the website, a week later return and then finally buy
something completely different from the high street store of the original company I was visiting
the website of (a customer odyssey across both managed and unmanaged touch-points).
At the heart of measuring the multi-channel customer experience is our desire to shape that
experience, not just when a customer interacts with us, but also between those touch-points.
Just because someone has seen or interacted with us doesn’t mean that they have been influenced.
And even if they have, what did the influencing? Or, more importantly when considering a customer’s
multi-channel odyssey, what is remembered? There is no point influencing someone if they neither
act immediately, nor remember for later, that influence. (Indeed this could be the definition of
uninfluential.)
The science of psychology understands two different types of memory.
• Episodic Memory. The memory for ephemeral details, the individual features or the unique
particulars of an experience.
• Semantic Memory. The memory of meaning. Memory that preserves only the gist, the
general significance of remembered experiences.
Both of these memory types can be vital in shaping a multi-channel customer experience, which
leaves the question, ‘what can we do to help our customers with their semantic and episodic
memories?’ One of the most effective techniques is the use of the Peak-End Rule.
This Behavioural Economics theory states that people are most likely to remember the best/
worst part of an experience and the end of it. So ensuring that experiences have one exceptional
moment and finish on a high could be the best way to ensure our customers remember us over
our competition.
Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report 15
18. 6.1.3. Importance of multi-channel customer experience strategy
Almost half of companies (49%) say a joined-up multi-channel customer experience is very
important to their organisation, and a further 41% say it is quite important. Only 9% say it is not
very important and 1% say it is not at all important.
A similarly large proportion (91%) of supply-side respondents [Figure 12] believe that a joined-up
multi-channel experience is either very important or quite important (for their clients), but slightly
fewer respondents (42%) believe that it is very important.
Table 1 shows that, of those companies who say that differentiating their brands through superior
customer experience is very much part of their strategy, a high number (67%) are not prioritising
a joined-up multi-channel approach.
Companies
Figure 11: How important is a joined-up multi-channel customer experience to your organisation?
60%
50%
49%
41%
40%
30%
20%
10%
9%
1%
0%
Very important Quite important Not very important Not at all important
Response: 264
Table 1
Breakdown - importance of joined-up multi-channel customer experience by
extent to which organisations try to differentiate brand through superior customer
experience
Very Quite Not very Not at all
important important important important
Yes, this is very much part of
67% 27% 5% 1%
our strategy
Yes, we do this to a certain
39% 49% 11% 0%
extent
No, we don’t do this 31% 53% 14% 3%
16 Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report
19. Agencies
Figure 12: Typically, how important is a joined-up multi-channel customer experience to your clients?
60%
49%
50%
42%
40%
30%
20%
10%
9%
0%
0%
Very important Quite important Not very important Not at all important
Response: 199
6.1.4. Company strategy for improving the customer experience
Nearly one in 10 companies (9%) say there is no strategy for improving the customer experience,
and a further 69% say they are just beginning to develop the strategy.
Despite the almost universal consensus around the importance of a joined-up customer
experience, only a relatively small proportion of companies (22%) say they have a
well-developed strategy.
It is clear that those looking from the outside are more sceptical about how well developed
company strategies are.
Companies
Figure 13: How well developed is your company’s strategy for improving the customer experience?
80%
69%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
22%
20%
9%
10%
0%
There is no strategy We are just beginning to develop the We have a well developed strategy
strategy
Response: 263
Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report 17
20. Companies with a turnover of less than £1 million or more than £1 billion are most likely to claim
to have a properly formulated strategy [Table 2].
Despite this, it is clear that there are large organisations out there which are not paying any
attention to this area. Some 4% of companies with a turnover of more than £1 billion have no
strategy. Of those companies with a turnover of between £150 million and £1 billion, 7% say this
is the case.
Looking specifically at chief-level or board level managers [Table 3], the vast majority (82%) say
they
are only just beginning to formulate a strategy. Only two of these respondents said there was no
strategy.
The same table shows that those working in marketing and sales are most likely to claim their
company has a well-developed strategy.
Table 2
Breakdown - strategy for improving the customer experience by size
of the organisation.
Just beginning to Well developed
No strategy
develop strategy strategy
<£1 million 8% 68% 24%
£1-10 million 14% 74% 12%
£10-50 million 17% 66% 17%
£50-150 million 4% 78% 17%
£150 million - £1 billion 7% 76% 17%
More than £1 billion 4% 69% 27%
Table 3
Breakdown - strategy for improving the customer experience by
business department
There is no We are just beginning to We have a well
strategy develop the strategy developed strategy
C-level / board level 9% 82% 9%
E-commerce / digital 6% 73% 21%
Marketing / Sales 10% 64% 26%
Customer experience /
18% 71% 12%
customer insight
18 Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report
21. Agencies [Figure 14] are more likely than company respondents to say that there is an absence of
any such strategy (24%) and less likely to say their clients have a well developed strategy (8%).
Agencies
Figure 14: Typically, do your clients have a well developed strategy for improving the
customer experience?
80%
68%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
24%
20%
10%
8%
0%
No they don't have a strategy They are just beginning to develop their They have a well developed strategy
strategy
Response: 198
Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report 19
22. 6.1.5. Ease of implementing a customer experience strategy
This research clearly highlights the difficulty faced by most organisations when trying to implement
a strategy for improving the customer experience.
Two-thirds of companies (65%) say it is quite difficult, and a further 16% say it is very difficult.
The larger the organisation, the more likely they are to say that this is very difficult [Table 4].
Only 18% of companies say implementing a customer experience strategy is quite easy, and this
number decreases to just 5% for agencies [Figure 16].
Companies
Figure 15: How easy or difficult do you find it to implement a strategy for improving the
customer experience?
70%
65%
60%
50%
40%
30%
18%
20%
16%
10%
0%
0%
Very easy Quite easy Quite difficult Very difficult
Response: 264
Table 4
Breakdown - ease of implementing customer strategy by size of the organisation
Easy Quite difficult Very difficult
<£1 million 17% 74% 9%
£1-10 million 33% 53% 14%
£10-50 million 16% 68% 16%
£50-150 million 10% 76% 14%
£150 million -£1 billion 15% 65% 20%
More than £1 billion 14% 62% 24%
20 Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report
23. Agencies
Figure 16: How easy or difficult do your clients find it to implement a strategy for improving the
customer experience?
90%
80%
77%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
17%
10%
5%
1%
0%
Very easy Quote easy Quite difficult Very difficult
Response: 199
6.1.6. Long-term business performance and customer experience
More than two thirds of companies (68%) recognise a strong link between long-term business
performance and customer experience, while 24% say there is a weak link. Only 8% say there
is no link.
Supply-side respondents [Figure 18] are not as convinced that companies recognise this
correlation. Only 45% of agencies say their clients typically recognise a strong link.
The discrepancy between the client-side and supply-side perspective on this may be because
agencies are not necessarily aware that their clients’ senior managers do in fact perceive a link.
Agencies may be dealing with a particular silo within an organisation which has not been properly
assimilated into a broader company strategy or exposed to senior management thinking.
Smaller companies are more likely to recognise a strong link [Table 5].
Table 6 shows that there is a strong correlation between recognition of the link with business
performance and the extent to which companies have developed a strategy for improving
customer experience.
Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report 21
24. Companies
Figure 17: Does your company recognise a link between long-term business performance and
customer experience?
8%
24%
68%
Yes, a strong link Yes, a weak link No Response: 262
Agencies
Figure 18: Do your clients typically recognise a link between long-term business performance and
customer experience?
13%
45%
43%
Yes, a strong link Yes, a weak link No Response: 198
22 Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report
25. Table 5
Link with long-term business performance and size of the organisation
Yes, a strong
Yes, a weak link No
link
<£1 million 77% 12% 12%
£1-10 million 70% 26% 5%
£10-50 million 62% 21% 17%
£50-150 million 62% 24% 14%
£150 million -£1 billion 66% 32% 2%
More than £1 billion 70% 23% 7%
Table 6
Breakdown - Link with long term business performance by extent of customer
experience strategy
Yes, a strong
Yes, a weak link No
link
There is no strategy 38% 29% 33%
We are just beginning to
67% 27% 6%
develop the strategy
We have a well developed
82% 15% 4%
strategy
Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report 23
26. 6.1.7. Gaining a single view of the customer
Survey respondents were asked how close their own organisations (or their clients) were to having
a single view of the customer.
Based on the Foviance Customer Experience Maturity Model [Figure 19], an organisation’s progress
in this respect can be broken down into four phases based on long-term business performance and
the approach to customer experience:
• Cluttered: Operational systems and processes are tactical and single-channel driven
• Considered: Individual systems and processes are customer focussed but lack
links cross-channel
• Capable: Integrated systems and processes but not fully harnessed cross-channel
• Cultural: Fully integrated systems and processes harnessed cross-channel
Figure 19: Foviance Customer Experience Maturity Model
Figure 20 shows that the majority of organisations are either at the “cluttered” (24%) or
“considered” stage (44%), and therefore lacking joined-up systems and processes.
Just over a quarter of companies (28%) say they are now at the “capable” stage, with integrated
systems and processes which are customer-focussed but not fully harnessed cross-channel.
Only 4% claim to have reached the promised land of “cultural” customer experience, built on
cross-channel integration which is being fully harnessed.
According to agencies [Figure 21], their clients are typically lower down the ladder of maturity,
with only a quarter in the capable or cultural phase.
24 Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report
27. Companies
Figure 20: How close is your organisation to having a single view of the customer?
Cluttered:
Operational systems and processes are tactical and single-channel driven
24%
Considered:
Individual systems and processes are customer focused but lack links cross-
channel 44%
Capable:
Integrated systems and processes but not fully harnessed cross-channel 28%
Cultural:
Fully integrated systems and processes harnessed cross-channel
4%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
Response: 263
Agencies
Figure 21: Typically, how close are your clients to having a single view of the customer?
Cluttered:
Operational systems and processes are tactical and single-channel driven
28%
Considered:
Individual systems and processes are customer focused but lack links cross-
channel 47%
Capable:
Integrated systems and processes but not fully harnessed cross-channel 23%
Cultural:
Fully integrated systems and processes harnessed cross-channel
2%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
Response: 198
Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report 25
28. Table 7 shows the breakdown of responding companies by size. The largest companies (those with
a turnover of more than £1 billion) are most likely to say that they are at the cluttered stage.
These companies struggle the most to get a single view of the customer because of the way they
have typically evolved into sprawling businesses with a multitude of different business units, each
with their own data, technology and processes.
Table 7
Breakdown - gaining a single view of the customer by size of the organisation
Cluttered Considered Capable Cultural
<£1 million 27% 50% 19% 4%
£1-10 million 18% 34% 41% 7%
£10-50 million 28% 55% 17% 0%
£50-150 million 13% 43% 39% 4%
£150 million - £1 billion 30% 43% 28% 0%
More than £1 billion 36% 40% 24% 0%
6.2. Touch-points
6.2.1. Touch-points used to communicate directly with customers
Figure 22 shows a range of different customer communication touch-points and the extent to
which they are used by responding companies.
It can be seen that nine different online and offline touch-points are relevant for at least half of the
companies surveyed. Against this backdrop, it is easy to see why so many organisations struggle
to ensure a consistent cross-channel customer experience.
The almost universal nature of digital communication is highlighted by the fact that 97% of
companies use websites to communicate with customers, while 87% use email.
The most commonly used offline channel is telephone support or sales which almost three
quarters (74%) of companies use. Two thirds of companies (66%) say they carry out offline
brand advertising.
The same proportion (66%) use digital advertising as a touch point, while almost the same number
of respondents (65%) say they use social media. It is a sign of the times that as many companies
now communicate through social media as offline direct marketing (also 65%).
Despite the growth of mobile marketing in recent years, fewer than a quarter of companies say they
use mobile applications (23%) or text or picture messaging (22%) to communicate with customers.
26 Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report
29. Companies
Figure 22: Which touch-points does your organisation use to communicate directly with customers?
120%
100%
97%
87%
80%
74%
66% 66% 65% 65%
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Figure 23: Which touch-points do your clients typically use to communicate directly with customers?
100%
90%
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Response: 192
Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report 27
30. 6.2.2. Integration of channels with customer experience strategy
Less than a third of companies (31%) say that the different customer channels relevant for them
are well integrated into their overall customer experience strategy. Only 7% say that there is no
integration, but 62% say that the channels are not very well integrated.
The findings here are consistent with earlier data which showed that companies are typically
trying to integrate systems and adopt a customer-centric approach, but haven’t yet reached the
stage where they have properly managed to harness these different processes into a truly
seamless cross-channel experience.
Companies
Figure 24: Thinking about the different channels you have, how well integrated are they into your
overall customer experience strategy?
70%
62%
60%
50%
40%
29%
30%
20%
10%
7%
2%
0%
Very well integrated Quite well integrated Not very well integrated Not at all integrated
Response: 258
Agencies
Figure 25: Thinking about the different channels your clients have, how well integrated are they
into their overall customer experience strategy?
80%
67%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
24%
20%
10%
8%
1%
0%
Very well integrated Quite well integrated Not very well integrated Not at all integrated
Response: 190
28 Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report
31. Neal Preece
eCommerce Development Director
Shop Direct
Multi-channel waits for no-one
In the ten years that eCommerce has come into its own, it’s
amazing to think that we are yet to get ahead in multi-channel
integration. This is underlined by the two themes that come
through in this report – firstly, internal silos where different
channel teams haven’t realised the joint opportunity (like stores
seeing online as cannibalising sales for example) and secondly,
technology struggling to keep up where legacy systems and eCommerce platforms are not talking
to each other.
It is now the customer who is driving business to change its attitude toward integration. It’s no
use ignoring the customer who walks into your store with a product print-out from your website or
the contact centre advisor not knowing what products are on sale online. The customer only sees
one business and they expect the right hand to know what the left is doing.
What’s more, multi-channel no longer means stores, internet and contact centres. It now means
multi-device too as eCommerce merges into mCommerce and we have to include iPhones, Android
and Google TV. Consumers are blurring the lines once again, expecting to get a consistent
experience across these new channels.
Luckily eCommerce technology is getting better and once we have embraced the concept
of a multi-channel experience it is going to be simpler to offer customers exactly what
they want regardless of the channel they choose.
At Shop Direct, we’re as multi-channel as we can be considering we don’t
have stores. We’ve tackled that head-on by building our Collect+ capability
which allows delivery to over 3500 local drop-off points nationwide and by
improving our offer to customers to meet their needs with time choices
such as ‘avoid the school run.’ Our new ATG eCommerce platform has
multi-channel and multi-device capability in its development path so we
can improve the service we offer to our customers over the next year to
get us into that small group in the report who see themselves as ‘cultural.’
Foviance: Multi-channel Customer Experience Report 29
