Nuance Communications has released the results of research carried out by research firm Harris Interactive. The study, commissioned by Nuance, surveyed 622 UK residents aged 18 or over who had received some form of proactive communications in the last six months. It found that consumers are enthusiastic to receive proactive communications, mostly by email or text message, from pre-selected companies to deliver “imperative information”.
Nuance says the findings illustrate that not all calls and messages, even at home or in the evenings are frowned upon. The Harris study found that over 80% of consumers surveyed wanted to be alerted when there is a threat of fraud, or a home visit from a service technician is cancelled. The most common outbound messaging services are order status and account information, but as consumers become more engaged with electronic communications, Nuance believes the applications for outbound messaging will grow, as other business segments want to keep their customers informed.
Research findings include:
- 87% are receptive to receiving a proactive communication from a company with whom they do business if they allowed you to opt-in to receiving this service.
- While the majority felt their permission is needed before proactive communications about marketing or sales promotion are sent, a significantly lower percentage felt they needed to give permission to receive proactive communications about outage notifications, order status, and travel status updates.
- Most respondents would not pay for the convenience of proactive alerts.
- 48% had received a proactive alert by SMS or text messaging, reflecting a significant opportunity in the future.
Nuance says the findings indicate demand for a full end-to-end customer care solution from enterprises wanting to deliver a superior experience to its customers, adding that with inbound and outbound solutions, as well as an on-device mobile solution, its customer care products provide the customer tools to help drive a consistent, user friendly consumer experience at every touch point. With text messaging on the rise and the availability of automated customer service solutions to ease call centres and alert consumers of imperative information, Nuance says it is well-positioned to ensure that customer service evolves to meet and exceed expectations for consumers as well as the enterprise.
“The private and professional lives of today’s always-on generation of consumers, is far busier and more complicated than ever before,” says Nuance General Manager, Northern EMEA, Ian Turner. “Proactive outbound messaging can make their lives easier through measures such as timely reminders or helpful information alerts. This service is not invasive, and it has been well received by consumers who have come to value its efficiency. From an enterprise perspective, the survey results from Harris Interactive are especially compelling for those companies looking to reduce agent costs, while still delivering an exceptional experience for their customers.
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