The Cross Channel Customer Experience Survey 2010 - EMEA

1. The Cross Channel Customer Experience
Challenges, Trends, and Gaps in Customer
Expectations Across the EMEA Economy
September 2010

2. Executive Summary
Snapshot of Key Findings by the Numbers
Percent of consumers who have interacted
89 across multiple channels in the past year
in the EMEA* region
Percent of consumers who state that
45 “better human service” is the best way
to improve cross channel conversations
Percent of consumers who would like
25 customer service to leverage Twitter
to communicate with them
The number of frequently-used types
of cross channel conversations that
8 consumers say occur
Cross channel conversations occur when a consumer initiates
a request or poses a query in one channel, and then continues
that same conversation through multiple contact methods in
order to reach a resolution.
Cross channel conversations have had a major impact on
customer service expectations for consumers across all age
groups, not just for those who are younger and more tech-savvy.
*EMEA for this survey includes: the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia,
Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom
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The Cross Channel Customer Experience: Challenges, Trends, and Gaps in Customer Expectations across the EMEA Economy

3. Introduction
Introduction
T his survey asked consumers which new communication channels they prefer to use when interacting
with a company, and what they think enterprises should be doing across multiple channels to address
the pace of change in customer service.
In the distant past, companies across industries controlled the customer experience through face-to-face retail
environments. Then, a few decades ago, a significant part of the customer service experience moved to phones
and contact centres, enabling longer hours, greater convenience, and increased efficiency.
Today, companies are facing even greater customer service challenges. As baby-boomers move toward retire-
ment, an even larger consumer population with potentially greater influence is emerging. These are the millen-
nials, or Generation Y, born between 1982 and 2001 — a generation that readily embraces most new communi-
cation channels.
It is important to note, however, that the move toward cross channel conversations is not purely age-based.
Whilst many analysts have seen the evolution of customer service as a generational change, it is not so; cross
channel conversations appeal to all ages.Virtually all types of consumers are already leveraging cross channel
conversations in some form or another, whether via e-mail, smartphones, or Internet-based self-service.
Consumers today expect companies with which they do business to interact with them through a growing
number of channels. These channels — whilst still dominated by voice — increasingly include SMS (texting),
e-mail, live chat, Web self-service, and social media. Many companies have already begun adopting these
emerging channels to give customers choices that go beyond traditional phone interactions.
As consumers adopt the use of new communication channels, enterprises are adjusting their entire customer
service strategies. The critical challenge is to transform the customer experience from a series of single, inde-
pendent channels to multiple, integrated ones.
What channels do consumers use most today? What do consumers think about the progress that has been made
to-date? What new channels would they like to see implemented? And what steps do consumers believe that
companies must take in order to evolve? To answer these questions, Genesys collaborated with leading industry
analysts at Datamonitor/Ovum to assess the progress of cross channel conversations.
Genesys engaged an independent research firm, Greenfield Online, which conducted an online poll of over
4,000 consumers in eight EMEA countries. The detailed results of the survey feedback and research are
included in this report. This report presents the survey results from consumers in this region only; additional
individual country reports and a global report are available separately from Genesys.
At Genesys, we believe it is important to continually gain perspective on the changing nature of customer
service, as well as consumer perceptions of it. We are extremely aware of the challenges enterprises face in
today’s dynamic environments as they strive to deliver on their vision of a great customer experience. We hope
this survey will be of use for customer service organisations, as well as others, to help them understand the
opportunities and the challenges ahead for all involved.
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The Cross Channel Customer Experience: Challenges, Trends, and Gaps in Customer Expectations across the EMEA Economy

4. Key Findings
89% of Consumers Interact Across Differences in Preferences
Multiple Channels Consumers were also identified by age group to determine
Behind the Numbers whether any particular scenario applied largely to a certain
specific generation. In general, the older the respondent,
How often do consumers interact today via multiple
the less likely they were to start on the Web and move to a
communication channels?
live agent.
More than 89% of 4,000 plus consumers in EMEA said
Chart 2a: Comparing age groups in cross channel conversations
they had at least one cross channel conversation in the
from Web to IM or chat
past year. Although the average for each country was
close to 89%, at the high end was Russia where 97% of 25%
respondents had interacted across multiple channels, 20%
20%
compared to the Netherlands, where only 81% had. 18%
15%
Consumers were asked to identify what scenarios were 13%
applicable to them when they interacted across more
10% 9%
than one channel. To ensure accuracy, consumers were
asked to identify specific instances in which they began 5%
an interaction through one communication channel, and
then switched to a second one to resolve the same 0
Under Age 27 Age 27-43 Age 44-62 Above 62
enquiry. Respondents reported eight frequently encoun-
tered scenarios where they continued a customer service
conversation whilst switching channels. When comparing between countries, consumers in the
Across these European countries, there was a noticeable
Netherlands and France were the least likely, the Poles and
divide between those who preferred to self-help to those
Germans were most likely, and the remaining countries were
who wanted a human touch. Each technology and the
clustered in the middle.
general country preferences are reviewed in the follow- Chart 2b: Cross channel conversations from Web to IM or chat
ing pages. by country
In general, consumers start customer service in a channel 25%
they find most convenient, but if issues arise or transac- 20% 19%
18%
tions are too complex, the preferred escalation was to a 17%
16% 15%
customer service representative who can consult and 15% 13%
12%
11%
resolve the issue. 10%
Chart 1: Reported paths of actual and desired cross channel 5%
conversations
0
e
bil
Czech Germany Poland Russia The Italy France UK
e/ to
t
en
mo
t
Republic Netherlands
S t/
on k
en
ag
TO
ph bac
SM ha
ag
GO
ice
/C
b
ll
We
Vo
Ca
IM
START FROM
Web 32% 16% Behind the Numbers ­ From Social Media
–
E-mail 20% A small, but significant, number of consumers are already
Social media 9% starting out in social media and moving to engage with
Fax 5% customer service. The younger a consumer was, the more
Voice agent 14%
likely they were to start out in social media.
Mobile/SMS 3% 7%
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The Cross Channel Customer Experience: Challenges, Trends, and Gaps in Customer Expectations across the EMEA Economy

5. Introduction
Key Findings
Chart 3a: Comparing age groups in cross channel conversations Via E-mail
from social media to assisted service
When asked whether they had interacted with a customer
20% service organisation via the Web, overall use was high for all
groups, with no significant difference between them. Across
15%
13% all age groups in EMEA, over 86% of consumers said they
10% had interacted with a customer service organisation via
10%
8% e-mail in the past year.
6%
5% Chart 4a: Generational comparisons for e-mail
100%
0 85% 87% 87% 86%
Under Age 27 Age 27-43 Age 44-62 Above 62
80%
60%
Consumers in Poland were more likely to start in social
media compared to those in the Netherlands, who were the 40%
least likely to start in social media.
20%
Chart 3b: Cross channel conversations from social media to
assisted service by country 0
Under Age 27 Age 27-43 Age 44-62 Above 62
25%
20% The spread between the countries was small, with only a
16% 10% difference in whether a consumer was likely to start
15% 13% in e-mail.
10% 9% 9%
7% 7% 7%
Chart 4b: Comparisons for e-mail by country
5%
5% 100%
91% 88% 91%
85% 85% 87%
81% 82%
0 80%
Czech Germany Poland Russia The Italy France UK
Republic Netherlands
60%
40%
All Ages Embrace New Communication
Channels 20%
0
One of the drivers toward moving to cross channel conver- Czech Germany
Republic
Poland Russia The
Netherlands
Italy France UK
sations is the rate at which consumers are starting out in new
communication channels. For example, consumers who start Via Web Self-service
out on the Web are more likely to require chat, voice, or Web self-service also shows significant traction, with an
some other communication channel. By that measure, cross average of 67% of all consumers responding that they
channel conversations should rise as consumers rapidly have used Web self-service in the past year. As a consum-
embrace the Web, chat, SMS, and e-mail. Overall, a signifi- er’s age goes up, the use of Web self-service goes down.
cant number of consumers from all age groups are leveraging
new channels of communication for customer service
engagement, with the highest uptake in e-mail.When asked
whether they had interacted with a customer service
organisation via the Web, overall use was high for all age
groups, with little difference between them.
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The Cross Channel Customer Experience: Challenges, Trends, and Gaps in Customer Expectations across the EMEA Economy

6. Key Findings
Chart 5a: Generational comparisons for overall use of Web self-service By country, roughly 38% of the Germans, Poles, and Russians
100% were likely to use Web chat, compared to Italy and the
82%
Netherlands with only 25%.
80% 76%
Chart 6b: Comparisons for overall use of Web-to-agent by country
59%
60% 50%
52%
40% 39% 39%
40% 37%
34%
30% 29%
26% 26% 25%
20%
20%
0
Under Age 27 Age 27-43 Age 44-62 Above 62 10%
When viewed by country, Germany and France were highly 0
Czech Germany Poland Russia The Italy France UK
likely to use this method with an average of 82% responding Republic Netherlands
they have used Web self-service, whilst only 53% of consum-
ers in the Netherlands have.
Via Text Messaging
Chart 5b: Comparisons for overall use of Web self-service by country Text messaging (SMS) is still less popular than other new
100%
83%
channels for customer service, although it is gaining
81%
80%
71%
77% ground. Overall, 17% of consumers said that they have
61% 64% used SMS for customer service in the past year, with no
60% 53% 49% significant differences between the age groups.
40%
Chart 7a: Comparisons by country for overall use of SMS text
20%
messaging in customer service
0 20% 19%
Czech Germany Poland Russia The Italy France UK
Republic Netherlands 17% 17% 17%
15%
Via Web-to-agent
Web chat is also being embraced for customer service, and 10%
shows slightly more difference in the breakdown by age
group, with those under 44 more likely to have engaged 5%
in it than older consumers.
0
Chart 6a: Generational comparisons for overall use of Web-to-agent Under Age 27 Age 27-43 Age 44-62 Above 62
40% 37%
34% Unlike by age, there is a large difference in use based on the
30%
30% country the consumer is in. Only 6% of consumers in the
27%
Netherlands use SMS, whilst the Czech Republic tops the list
20% with 28%.
10%
0
Under Age 27 Age 27-43 Age 44-62 Above 62
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The Cross Channel Customer Experience: Challenges, Trends, and Gaps in Customer Expectations across the EMEA Economy

7. Introduction
Key Findings
Chart 7b: Comparisons for overall use of SMS text messaging Chart 9: Preferred communication channels
by country
Phone
30%
28% E-mail
25%
25%
23% Web
21% Mobile phone with SMS/Text
20%
Web chat
15%
15% Voice self-service
12%
10% Paper mail
10%
6% Fax 1st Choice
5%
Other 2nd Choice
0 0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Czech Germany Poland Russia The Italy France UK
Republic Netherlands
Comparing Progress Amongst Industries Areas Needing Improvement
No industry had a large lead in delivering cross channel When asked where they would most like to see companies
conversations. However, the financial services industry, deploy additional methods for customer service communica-
telecommunications, and consumer product industries have tion, consumers overwhelmingly asked for better integration
leading positions. Whilst telecommunications rated the of human contact centre agents with other channels. It is
best, consumers did not identify any industry as doing interesting to note that consumers in the UK felt the strongest
an excellent job of delivering integrated cross channel about this, with over 60% saying better human service was
conversations. needed compared to Russia and the Czech Republic with
only 34% believing that better service was needed.
Chart 8: Which industry does the best job of customer service?
Everyone also wanted newer delivery methods, including ava-
25%
tars, social forums, and multimedia.
20%
20% 19% 19% Chart 10: Most requested areas of investment
Cross Channel Industries
Consumer best rated
Other 7% Virtual assistants or
15%
13% avatars 17%
10%
7%
6% 6% 6% Multimedia 16%
5%
5%
Better human
service 43%
0
Improve SMS text and chat 13%
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Uti
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Social media 4%
e
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Hea
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Proactive Contact
Fin
Con
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Tel
Gov
Consumers overwhelmingly said they would like more
Best Communication Channels proactive outreach. More than 84% of consumers said they
would find proactive engagement either a “strong benefit” or
Consumers were also asked to select the most satisfying would “welcome proactive assistance” when they were stuck
areas of customer service. When asked to cite the areas on the Web or in self-service. The Italians were most
where companies are most effective, consumers selected welcoming of proactive outreach, with only 8% expressing
their preferred channels of interactions (first or second disinterest in it whilst over 32% of respondents in the
choice). The consumer’s first choice is shown in blue, and Netherlands did not welcome proactive contact.
the second choice in red.
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The Cross Channel Customer Experience: Challenges, Trends, and Gaps in Customer Expectations across the EMEA Economy

8. Chart 11:Consumer views of proactive contact
No thanks 16%
Genesys Worldwide
Strong plus 41%
Genesys is the leading provider of software
to manage customer interactions over
the phone, Web, and mobile devices. The
Genesys software suite manages customer
conversations across multiple channels and
resources — self-service, assisted-service,
Welcome 43% and proactive outreach — to fulfill customer
requests, optimize customer care goals, and
efficiently use resources. Genesys software
Twitter for Service Updates directs more than 100 million customer
Consumers are starting to use social media in small, but still significant, numbers. When interactions every day for 4,000 companies
asked whether they would like to receive updates via Twitter, 22% of all consumers said and government agencies in 80 countries.
These companies and agencies can leverage
yes, although the number is likely to grow in the near future, as younger consumers their entire organization, from the contact
become a focal point. center to the back office, to dynamically
engage with their customers. As a result,
By country, consumers in the Netherlands felt strongly that they would not sign up for Genesys stops customer frustration,
Twitter service updates, with over 75% responding that way. This compares to only drives efficiency, and accelerates business
21% of Polish and Russian consumers who would not be interested. innovation. For more information, go to
www.genesyslab.com
Chart 12: Would you sign up to use Twitter for customer service updates? Americas
Corporate Headquarters
No 43%
Genesys
2001 Junipero Serra Blvd.
Yes 22% Daly City, CA 94014 USA
Tel: +1 650 466 1100
Fax: +1 650 466 1260
E-mail: info@genesyslab.com
www.genesyslab.com
Unsure 35%
Europe, Middle East, Africa
Conclusion EMEA Headquarters
Genesys House
Although many enterprises have accelerated their implementation of select, new communi- 100 Frimley Business Park
cations channels, few have tied them together into a complete system of customer care. Frimley
Camberley
Businesses should plan for an integrated solution that plans for the future and is designed to Surrey, GU16 7SG United Kingdom
evolve and adopt new cross-channel mechanisms – but first and foremost, they must
Tel: +44 1276 44 7000
provide and support the mechanisms the market in their country favours today. Fax: +44 1276 44 7001
To provide the best customer experience, enterprises need technology to retain the context Asia Pacific
of a customer transaction as it moves across channels. For example, this context includes the APAC Headquarters
identity and intent of the customer, so that a customer who escalates from self-service to an Genesys Laboratories
agent will not have to repeat information such as an account number or query that they Australasia Pty Ltd
already provided in the other channel. Level 17, 124 Walker Street
North Sydney NSW 2060 Australia
Companies need to become more personalised in their overall treatment of consumers by Tel: +61 2 9463 8500
integrating customer data and developing processes that recognise the value and history of
each customer.
This region-based survey is part of a series conducted by Genesys in partnership with
Genesys and the Genesys logo are registered
key industry thought leaders, such as Datamonitor/Ovum. For individual reports on trademarks of Genesys Telecommunications
the countries included in this overview, please visit: www.genesyslab.com Laboratories, Inc. All other company names
and logos may be registered trademarks or
trademarks of their respective companies and
are hereby recognized.
© 2010 Genesys Telecommunications
8 Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Cross Channel Customer Experience: Challenges, Trends, and Gaps in Customer Expectations across the EMEA Economy
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