Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Customer Experience in Apac Trend Report
Customer Experience in Apac Trend Report
EXPERIENCE IN APAC
TREND REPORT
Insight from a research group of 50 CX practitioners on the
factors shaping the CX industry and how APAC brands are
working to provide meaningful experiences for customers
DISCLAIMER:
The information in this piece does not constitute as legal advice and so should not be regarded as such.
Foreword 2
Research on the future of CX from PWC involving 15,000 customers from around the world found it
Contents
would only take two or three negative brand interactions for 92 per cent of customers to abandon
doing business with a company.
The impact of the global coronavirus pandemic has last few years and this growth is set to continue.
had far reaching consequences for brand loyalty Research analyzing network data from over 200
and has placed customer retention on the line for territories found that internet users in APAC grew by CX trends and customer behavior shifts - Pg 4
businesses all over the world. The crisis has bought 10 per cent which was ahead of the global average.
the importance of providing experiences that are This advancement in technology access is exposing
relevant and meaningful for customers, no matter individuals to new capabilities and broader avenues
the circumstance, into sharp focus. to voice their opinions. Channel integration and journey optimization - Pg 8
Strong visibility on voice of the customer data This report examines how customer experience
insights are crucial to brands acting in a timely and practitioners within APAC are responding to the
relevant manner to overcome the customer pain evolving environment their brands exist in. The Challenges - Pg 10
points that surface in journeys. For instance, a spike exclusive insights provided by a research group of
in web traffic on cancellation pages may signal that APAC CX professionals will map out key localized
customers are concerned about the future of their customer engagement trends and pain points. These
service and want to know the protections in place will be compared to the trends found in the rest of Investments and opportunities - Pg 13
should they need to make amendments. A wise the world. CX innovators in the region will also give
response to this would be to communicate these insight on how they are removing areas of friction in
protections upfront to allay fears and remove a the buying journey and delighting customers.
barrier-to-purchase for prospects. Culture change and achieving stakeholder buy in - Pg 16
Use the findings of this report to benchmark your
Customers in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region have company’s progress and prioritize your plans for the
seen significant technological progression over the next 12 months accordingly.
To get a better understanding of the survey results, here is a visual breakdown of the 50 APAC customer experience experts surveyed, including their seniority, company size, industry,
geography and budget.
Manager
19% Early implementation
22%
Director 19% Established 16%
Head 11% Pre-deployment (building a roadmap) 5%
SVP/VP Advanced
8% 5%
C-level Non-existent
Other 5% N/A 3%
Industry Function
Other Healthcare Automotive Customer experience Executive team
Financial services IT High tech Marketing CRM
Government/public sector Manufacturing Utilities Digital customer experience Customer service
Media/entertainment Retail Customer insight IT
Consumer goods Telecoms Digital marketing Other
19% 51%
20% 55%
16%
Respondents (%)
Respondents (%)
11% 11%
8%
5% 5% 5% 5% 5%
4% 11% 11%
3% 3% 5% 5% 5% 3% 3% 3% 3%
0% 0%
47%
38%
33%
24%
Data and analytics 24%
Digital customer 19%
Customer loyalty 18%
experience
Artificial intelligence 15%
and retention
Digital 14%
(AI) /chatbots
transformation Employee
Rising customer
14%
experience
expectations Omnichannel
(channel integration) Human-centered
*respondents could select multiple answers design Personalization
strongly believe that believe that customers are believe customers are more
56% expectations from customers 90% more impatient than ever 97% willing than ever to switch
are rising before brands if unsatisfied
Digital customer experience service so they can troubleshoot issues when they
get home from work, it may be a wise consideration
Similar to the global results, digital customer to explore the solution of virtual assistants that can
experience features as one of the top CX trends in provide 24/7 customer care. Also, AI systems could be
APAC. However, digital experiences appear to be a useful for suggesting relevant support content and
stronger focus for our APAC participants than those in resources to customers.
other parts of the world.
Digital channels have proved vital in response to the
Based in the Philippines, Aaron Delapaz, vice president Covid-19 outbreak, allowing brands to deliver services
of customer experience at Allcard Inc., highlights the customers need while adhering to social distancing
importance of brands digitally transforming so they mandates. Live chat pop-ups have been added to
are present on the platforms and channels of choice selected high-traffic webpages to allow chatbots and
for customers. Voice of the customer data will be virtual assistants to shoulder additional customer care
useful in order to identify new opportunities for digital burdens. For example, AirAsia’s virtual assistant AVA has
transformation that align with customer desires. For its own bright red pop-up on every webpage which
instance, if customers are requesting out of hours helps deflect user enquiries.
A lack of agility to the new landscape created by the the world are experimenting with digital platforms so When angled correctly, these targeted strategies can
crisis has cornered some brands into providing frustrating, workforces can collaborate and staff can still deliver the enhance product utility, customer proximity, rapport,
indifferent experiences to panicked customers, with services their clients’ need while working remotely. time saved for customers, familiarity and trust that
some customers suffering eye-watering load times for positively influences buying decisions and converts
webpages and malfunctioning features due to high Personalization engagement into brand loyalty. Data and analytics,
traffic levels. With many respondents in the APAC research which is another strong trend identified by the
indicating that customers are more prepared than ever A noticeable difference between APAC and global CX APAC practitioners, will be key to driving meaningful
to switch brands if they are unhappy, brands need to be practitioners was that personalization featured higher experiences that are customized to user preferences.
cognizant of the lasting effects these disconnects can up in the list of top CX trends. In the mission to identify
have on customer retention and loyalty in the long term. areas of value for customers and prospects, brands
“APAC companies are leading the way
are beginning to see traction from mining data to
when it comes to providing localised
Jean Leong, head of marketing at Goodrich Global, uncover trends in customer preferences which is inspiring
reflects on how the virus has forced a new wave of personalization strategies.
experiences on an international scale.
digital transformation for the building materials supplier. APAC businesses are quite unique in that
With face-to-face communication no longer an option, they often operate across borders and
the company is exploring digital channels such as video languages and customs, so they have
calls, online catalogues and paperless contracts to learnt to understand the need to factor
communicate and conduct business with customers.
in cultural differences and preferences,
A participant in the research group from the telecoms
compliance rules, expectations and the
industry flagged that the act of shifting customers from
consumer and business landscape.”
physical to digital channels augmented with self-serve
options can significantly lower cost-to-serve levels.
David Blakers,
Leong agrees with Delapaz that digital transformation Managing Director APAC, InMoment
has a wide circle of influence that stretches beyond
customer experience. One of those areas impacted is Recent research has evidenced the true power of
another top trend outlined in the research, employee customization with one particular study revealing that
experience. She reminds that in response to social personalized experiences trigger 49 per cent of
distancing mandates, companies in APAC and around buyers studied into making impulse purchases.
David Blakers, Managing Director APAC for InMoment, Zoysa, group chief customer officer at Dialog Axiata have proved useful with YouTube’s view count metric
maintains that geographic context is a necessity for stresses that care must be taken by the organization switch for Indian users. The move from the regular units
personalizing customer experiences. to obtain necessary consent and transparency so of thousand, million and billion to lakhs and crores
personalization achieved is not at the detriment of was intended to personalize for the Indian audience,
Brands operating in APAC may need the resource-heavy the customer. however it wasn’t well received by many users voiced
capability of communicating with customers in a wide their frustration on Twitter as they had become
range of languages and tailoring linguistics in literature. She adds: “Another potential pitfall to avoid is getting comfortable with the earlier metric. Reactions like these
When businesses meet customers in their local language, distracted by all the data points available to the can be more clearly forecasted through extensive
they are more likely to be thrilled with the experience, extent that you forget the true focal point of any user testing, these experiments can provide jaw
engage with the company on a deeper level and journey - the customer.” dropping insights that can save millions in both journey
recommend to their peers. optimization and cost of rework.”
“Any journey added or changed should not only be
In looking to harness the opportunities that lie within created with the customer in mind but validated by
customer data, CX Asia Week 2020 speaker Sandra De customers themselves through user testing. This could
How close is your brand to providing an Omnichannel instance, as indicated by the APAC respondents earlier
omnichannel model? on in the report, there are distinct differences in channel
Similar to their global counterparts, APAC participants preferences between certain customer segments.
Not sure acknowledge that despite provided a multichannel
We only have one or two key customer contact channels model, connections between channels can be Szymczyk continues: “Everyone knows the adage: ‘Give
We have a multichannel model but the connections fragmented. the consumer what they want, when they want’. The
between them are quite fragmented
reality is that consumer takes it when they want it. So
We have synergy between some of our channels
However, businesses must press on in the journey to you have to serve it up on an easy enough platform for
There is a strong synergy between all of our channels,
reduce this fragmentation. Omnisend’s 2019 research them to take what they want, when they want.”
but connections aren’t completely seamless
found that marketers campaigning via three or more
We have an omnichannel model
channels could expect a 10 per cent higher purchase
rate from customers than if a single channel strategy
50% was used. Also, as the wider industry progresses with
46%
omnichannel customers will have less tolerance for
brands that still have fragmentation between channels.
Mapping personalized customer journeys On the APAC region, Humeau noted: “In China, the “Finally, the sensitivity of the data privacy can be
connected services on board are crucial for customers, different. For example, Germany is very stringent, but
After mapping out regional differences in customer sellers in this country will need to provide detailed data privacy is not a big problem in China.
journeys, Marion Humeau, global head of customer information on this.
experience and digital innovations at Groupe Renault, “These elements can alter the solution, the tools, and
found that while there were similarities in the steps of “Interaction habits can be different as well. For the delivery that is best suited to that customer. Yes, you
customer journeys across the globe, the importance of the example, it’s much more interactive in China. With apps have to leverage and take extra care at the steps that
steps differed depending on where the user was located. like WeChat customers are happy to chat with sellers. are of more importance for that region, but the global
This is completely different to the more traditional vision of the customer journey are the same.”
Some regions saw longer research phases than others, interactions we saw in France where customers visit
and in certain locations customers placed more the seller’s premise and don’t chat with sellers on
importance on delivery delays or stock availability levels. messaging apps.
Across the globe, the staple CX challenges of evidencing She explains: “That does not necessarily always mean
ROI and obtaining senior-level buy-in appeared to shrink financial impact but could be impact in terms of NPS, CSAT
in significance. This movement backs up the observation and CES etc. The key in all of this is being able to back the
made in the Customer Experience Predictions Report: priorities with resultant impact which will help make the
2020 that CX is finally acquiring more respect from senior most informed choices amongst competing priorities.
leadership teams and stakeholders. The drop may also
be because as practitioners improve on evidencing ROI In searching for the strongest priority, De Zoysa notes:
for CX projects it simplifies the task of obtaining buy-in “One thing to keep in mind though is not to overdo the
from senior management. analysis to quantify the impact or else it can lead to
“paralysis by analysis” when nothing gets done.”
Culture and competing priorities
Data silos and incomplete customer views
Similar to the global consensus, building a customer-
first culture remains the hardest challenge to overcome Siloed data and incomplete customer profiles will
in CX in Asia. The task of being customer-centric can complicate the progress of most CX projects. Poor data
lose precedence in business when company leaders management will blur the visibility a company has on
are distracted by other corporate priorities, be it cost past purchasing behaviors and customer preferences. A
reductions or product development. This reality has been worrying reality considering that the APAC participants
evidenced consistently in The Global State of Customer have signaled there are clear differences in how certain
Experience series as hundreds of CX practitioners have customer segments prefer to be contacted.
flagged their struggles to build customer-first corporate
cultures over the last four years. This reality is inspiring many brands to build a
360-degree view of their customers. Along with
Interestingly we see that competing priorities appeared strengthening the firm’s data literacy, one of the main
as a stronger challenge for professionals within Asia. strategies to build this view is to boost data integration
De Zoysa of Dialog Axiata says: “Given that, we live in across multiple sources into one centralized location.
a constant tussle of competing priorities trying to make This single source of truth for customer data will require
sure we get the biggest bang for our buck is important in pulling together the likes of voice of the customer data,
the end, the decision is always based on impact. operational data, financial data and interactional data.
I am part of I have no
Who is responsible for investing in new
the decision My direct influence
customer experience management
initiatives, products and services?
59% making 22% I am
11% manager 8% over
team investments
APAC
Annual budget for CX solutions Top 10 strategic investment priorities* Investment obstacles*
Investment goals
GLOBAL
As seen in the other sections of this report, global CX
investment priorities do not differ greatly for APAC
Top 10 strategic investment priorities* Investment obstacles*
organizations. There are, however, some key differences.
Data and analytics The top three APAC investment categories are digital
28% customer experience (38 per cent), voice of customer
Digital customer experience
27%
45% Demonstrating ROI (27 per cent) and data analytics (27 per cent), with APAC
practitioners placing more investment focus onto voice
Customer journey mapping
of the customer than their global counterparts.
26%
Customer insight
Digital CX and data and analytics both remain a high
23%
Integration into company culture investment priority regardless of region. This is not
Voice of the customer
19%
45% and processes surprising, as these are key areas for improving customer
experiences and previously ranked in the top two spots
Customer loyalty and retention
in the 2019 Global State of Customer Experience report.
17%
CRM
In the 2019 report James Alexander, decisioning director
16%
at Sky, explained: “The two concepts intertwine, as
Customer feedback
14%
41% Integration into existing tools
the key to enhancing the digital customer experience
CX governance
for connected customers starts around the concept of
individual customers and address any points of concern. “Let’s be frank—establishing a customer experience program’s ROI is one of the
Troy Barnes, chief digital officer at Pizza Hut Asia greatest challenges that CX practitioners and the organizations they serve face in
highlights that: “In today’s environment, proliferation
the modern experience landscape. Across all businesses, the entire C-suite leadership
can happen quickly due to social media. One negative
team is looking to validate an experience management program by understanding:
complaint is no longer limited to the individual anymore.
Very quickly it can be exposed to 10,000 people in that
what is the financial impact of my CX investment?
space, and we’ve already seen this happen to a number
of companies across the world.” “One of our retail clients at InMoment with 169 stores nationwide has confirmed that
through the implementation of CX technology and best practices, the business tripled
Obstacles its feedback rate, responded to nearly 9,000 customer concerns, and realized almost
US$9m in new revenue. In under six months, the program paid for itself many times over.”
The primary investment obstacles APAC practitioners are
facing once again are not significantly different to the
rest of the world. The top three perceived obstacles for
David Blakers, Managing Director APAC, InMoment
both regions are the same, with some slight difference in
their ranking.
APAC GLOBAL
Which of the below describes your business culture best? Which of the below describes your business culture best?
We have had a few wins from CX projects, which are helping us gain buy-in from various We have had a few wins from CX projects, which are helping us gain buy-in from various
stakeholders stakeholders
The CX department needs to deliver returns to be taken more seriously in the business The CX department needs to deliver returns to be taken more seriously in the business
The CX department isn’t really held accountable for the returns it delivers The CX department isn’t really held accountable for the returns it delivers
Due to the solid returns we have delivered from CX efforts, we are trusted to be more Due to the solid returns we have delivered from CX efforts, we are trusted to be more
experimental with CX projects experimental with CX projects
Don’t know Don’t know
8% 8%
10% 8%
40%
45% 11%
12%
27% 33%
The most persuasive business metrics for obtaining buy-in for CX cases in APAC*
Global means that a brand could be achieving returns we could infer that businesses in the APAC region are
from CX initiatives but lacks the ability to correctly beginning to trust in the power of customer experience
One of the key challenges CX practitioners experience attribute these rewards back to CX projects. This is slightly faster than some of their global counterparts.
when trying to implement a customer-centric culture concerning as, here, just under 30 per cent of the APAC
is obtaining the buy-in and support of key business practitioners flag that returns are vital for CX gaining In APAC, revenue is a very persuasive metric for
stakeholders. In recent CX Network research, the the respect it deserves in their business culture. gaining CX buy-in from colleagues, with 24 per cent
majority of CX practitioners surveyed said the pressure of professionals naming it the most powerful metric for
is rising for them to prove the ROI for CX projects. In comparison to the rest of the world, APAC participants supporting business cases. Net Promoter Score (NPS)
However, more than half of those industry experts convey more cultural buy-in for CX at their organizations, comes in at second place, with nine per cent fewer
doubt their company’s ability to accurately identify with 53 per cent noting that they have gained some professionals believing this to be the strongest metric for
the business benefits CX initiatives can bring. This form of stakeholder buy-in thanks to returns. From this supporting business cases.
FINAL REMARKS
Looking ahead, with the global pandemic complicating business operations across the globe, it will be interesting to see how brands negotiate the trends identified in this
research in order to drive meaningful experiences to customers, especially in moments that matter.
2020 CALENDAR
CX Network
CX EXPERT PODCAST ONLINE CONFERENCE and Satisfaction
Customer Data and Analytics CX APAC EXPERT INSIGHTS EBOOK
GUIDE GUIDE Chatbots in CX
Winning Tactics for B2B CX CX Metrics Checklist CX EXPERT PODCAST
CX Network is an online resource for customer SURVEY LAUNCH Self-Service in CX
experience professionals providing value-rich The Global State of CX GUIDE
Rules for Self-Service in CX
content such as industry reports, customer trends,
best practice, latest industry news, interviews with
CX leaders and so much more! Our focus on the
EXPERT INSIGHTS EBOOK APRIL RESEARCH REPORT MAY ONLINE CONFERENCE JUN
Building a customer first culture Global State of CX CX Design Thinking
content that matters to customer experience leaders CX EXPERT PODCAST CX EXPERT PODCAST EXPERT INSIGHTS EBOOK
most, allows us to cut through the white noise that Telecoms in CX AI in CX CX Market Leaders in Telecoms
GUIDE GUIDE SURVEY LAUNCH
surrounds this ever-changing subject, and makes us
CX Market Leaders in Financial Services CX in Travel and Hospitality Big Book of Customer Insight, Data
the primary resource for CX executives to turn to. ONLINE CONFERENCE and Analytics
Global State of CX Day GUIDE
Omnichannel Case study book
By joining our network you will receive expert
commentary, reports, and resources developed
by and for experiences customer experience
EXPERT INSIGHTS EBOOK JUL EXPERT INSIGHTS EBOOK AUG ONLINE CONFERENCE SEPT
CX Market Leaders in Retail Design Thinking and service design Customer Data, Insights
professionals and industry insiders. With a growing CX EXPERT PODCAST CX EXPERT PODCAST and Analytics
membership and global portfolio of events, CX Telecoms in CX CX in Financial Services RESEARCH REPORT
GUIDE GUIDE Digital customer experience
Network ensures you keep your finger on the pulse by UX and UI in CX Key CX trends in APAC CX EXPERT PODCAST
delivering practical and strategic advice to help you Mastering Omnichannel Models
GUIDE
achieve your business goals.
Top CX marketing mistakes to avoid
EXPERT INSIGHTS EBOOK OCT ONLINE CONFERENCE NOV EXPERT INSIGHTS EBOOK DEC
AI in CX EBOOK Digital CX CX Predictions 2021
CX EXPERT PODCAST RESEARCH REPORT CX EXPERT PODCAST
Digital CX Big Book of Customer Insight, Data and Telecoms in CX
GUIDE Analytics GUIDE
Sign up for free today! Key CX trends in NorAm CX EXPERT PODCAST Key CX trends in EMEA
CX Metrics
www.cxnetwork.com GUIDE
A guide to customer acquisition
Customer Experience
Leverage our team of CX experts and consultants
who will work with you to design a bespoke CX
program that is focused on measurable results
To discover how InMoment can help unlock the value of your experience management strategy,