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New research reveals the growing importance of human intervention in the sales process.
ResponseTap, the call-based marketing automation company, has released new research that investigates the role of the human voice as an activation to purchase. The findings reveal that despite ever-growing digital trends in retail, voice is a vital component that develops the relationship between customer and brand, and ultimately drives brand advocacy.
The research shows that despite living in an always-on world, human interaction is valued by the modern customer, as 64% of people get frustrated when they are only able to interact with a company online. An overwhelming 70% said that speaking to an operator on the phone gives them peace of mind and confidence that they are getting exactly what they want, with 33% more likely to purchase, as a result, after doing research online.
In cases where a considered purchase is involved, consumers not only feel more confident speaking to someone on the phone, but 50% said that speaking to someone who had bought a similar product to them and who they could relate to would make them feel more confident when purchasing an item of high value.
“64% of people get frustrated when they are only able to interact with a company online”
Brands need to use the data from their customers’ online journey to improve their experience when they go offline. For a brand to be truly customer centric, they must focus on a frictionless and efficient customer transaction by using the online data available to them in the offline environment. With this achieved, brands can expect customers to share positive experiences through word of mouth. With 73% of those surveyed saying they would pass on great customer service to friends and family.
“As consumers today carry out most pre-purchase research independently online, they only interact with a brand physically when going into a store or picking up the phone. This is the point at which the brand promise often does not live up to the customer’s expectations. So it’s vital that brands leverage the data they are collecting to drive actionable insight to help them improve the overall experience they’re giving the customer,” explains Bhavesh Vaghela, Chief Marketing Officer for ResponseTap. “This data enables brands to learn what really matters to each customer and how to provide them with better service all the way through their purchasing journey.”
The whitepaper ‘Voice as the relationship milestone’ is available to download at: responsetap.com/uk-voice.
