“Build an app and they will come!”. This may have held sway ten years ago, but the reality is that customers are smart, more demanding and less loyal than ever before. We live in an age of mass personalisation, peppered with instant gratification and service experience that needs to be exact. Customers are increasing expecting the same journey and relationship with a brand, be it in-store or online. Having a slick UX can definitely engage customers for longer, but if that level of efficiency ends there, then the consequences will be dire.
On a personal level, I refer to my experiences when applying for a loan. There are disruptors in the market who can make an assessment and give me what I need in a short space of time, often while I am still engaged with them. Then, there are others were the back-office process is slow, manual and dated.
However, I think that companies in South Africa are starting to turn this around, incorporating enterprise-wide automation that enables better and more effective service. As a consumer, I want what I ask for and I want it within a reasonable amount of time. Perhaps I’m getting older and am less phased by aesthetics, but functionality, self-service and multi-channel use is paramount.
Ryan Matthews is the Content Director for Corinium Intelligence MEA. His primary concern is to help companies and individuals navigate the mystifying path to digital nirvana.
