Brands in India are offering a poor customer experience with a range of issues holding back improvement, a study has found.
The complexity of the customer experience and a lack of a strategy and vision were identified as the two key issues hampering brands, although most believe they have the ability to improve.
Closer internal collaboration and better use of data were revealed as ways of improving the customer experience.
Overall, almost half the 300 respondents admitted their companies were “not very advanced” in their approach to customer experience.
Jefrey Gomez, managing director Asia Pacific at Econsultancy which worked on the study, said: “The research findings confirm that a greater focus on marketing operations is needed.
“Internal collaboration between teams, which is regarded as very important to delivering a great customer experience, as well as strategy, identified as lacking, are key principles of marketing operations.”
The Customer Experience Maturity Report found only 9% of companies in India have a dedicated budget for understanding the customer journey.
Almost 80% of client-side respondents defined their understanding of the customer journey as at a beginner or intermediate stage, with just 17% believing they are ‘advanced’ and have a coordinated approach across online and offline touchpoints.
The survey revealed that email service platforms remain a focus in the area of customer experience technology with just under three-quarters of client-side respondents and 70% of supply-side respondents using it for CX initiatives.
Despite the issues, around half rate their ability to improve the customer journey as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’., with around 40% believing they are in an ‘okay’ position to improve.
Epsilon Asia Pacific managing director Michael Kustreba said: “Customer experience will continue to be the key differentiator for brands, and the Indian market is no exception.
“The research shows that many marketers in India have recognized the importance of enhancing customer experience and are actively looking for solutions.
“The good news is that there are valuable insights from data, technology and proven methodologies to help marketers improve their customer experience delivery and achieve greater CX maturity.”
