Singapore brands leading way in SEA on customer experience

Zendesk has released its 2019 Customer Experience Trends report, highlighting the key factors consumers care about in their engagements with brands.

A global study using benchmark data from 45,000 companies worldwide and surveying more than 2,500 stakeholders, the report finds that consumers are constantly comparing every brand to their best customer experience, regardless of vertical.

In Asia-Pacific specifically, Zendesk’s customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores found brands in Australia and New Zealand performing best, with Southeast Asia towards the bottom and India lagging far behind.

Within Southeast Asia, CSAT scores in Singapore have seen a steady rise, while the opposite has taken place across the rest of Southeast Asia.

However, the whole region including Singapore continues to underperform when certain CSAT metrics are specifically addressed, such as the time taken to resolve a consumer issue.

Reflecting the report’s global findings, Southeast Asia highlights the need for brands to have an omnichannel customer support solution, as consumers are increasingly using a range of mediums to engage brands.

Overall, Zendesk’s 2019 study found that global CSAT scores dipped 2.1% to 92.5% in 2018, while consumers are becoming even more demanding. Moreover, 84% of consumers said customer service is important when considering whether to purchase a brand, more so than convenience or reputation.

AI is also forecast to have a huge impact on customer support, although most respondents said for now, human interaction was significantly more preferable.