Customer Relationships “Complacent,” Executive Survey Says

Strativity Group, Inc., a customer experience “transformation firm,” has released its 2013 Corporate Love Meter, to gauge how executives feel about how their companies’ relationships with customers. Respondents were overwhelmingly negative with 74 percent reporting their customer relationships as “open marriages,” signifying they expect their companies to use the services of direct competitors. Over half believed that 2013 will bring about stronger customer relationships, but the survey identified a gap between the perceptions of executives and non-executives. The gap occurred as two-thirds of executives anticipate a new and rejuvenating approach to customer relationships this year while 52 percent of non-executives plan to stick to the status quo.

“Much like personal relationships, companies must engage and maintain strong communications with their customers, even when they aren’t at odds,” said Lior Arussy, CEO of Strativity Group, Inc. “If you exchange infrequently, or only when a customer has a complaint, then it’s time to call in help.”

Key findings of the survey include:

• Nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of customers are not loyal to brands, requiring companies to actively woo them in order to show them their distinctive value.

• Companies must reconnect with customers to discover who they are and what they need.

• Most businesses ignore the emotional factor of customer engagement and should respond to those needs for successful customer engagement.

• Poor organizational communication and lack of employee education cause otherwise good strategies to fail. Less than half of non-executives expect to provide exceptional customer service and offer an innovative product or service.

• More than eight out of ten survey participants reported that they only speak to customers in the instance of a complaint or when otherwise necessary.