State of the Connected Customer 02 Companies Face a New Connected Mandate 13 Customer service isn’t just a reactionary cost After They Buy, Customers Seek Service Beyond the Call Center center — it’s a core element of differentiated customer experience. To meet current Likelihood of Customers Rating Each Quality as Important vs. Unimportant standards, service must be quick, readily available anywhere, and even proactive. Important Important Consumers Unimportant Unimportant Business Buyers Increasingly unfamiliar with the concept of “waiting,” customers are keen on self-service tools that empower them to find quick answers on their own, when they do need 4.5x Real-time messaging when I need service 5.0x more personalized help, they’re not apt to more likely more likely wait on hold. Customers are 4.7x more likely to view real-time messaging as Self-service tools important versus unimportant. 4.8x (e.g., account portals, FAQ) 5.2x more likely more likely Despite this trend, there will always be instances when nothing but a human touch Customer service that comes to me will do. Consumers, in particular, expect (i.e., mobile service agents with the same information empowered service reps armed with decision- 2.4x and capabilities as those in a call center) 3.2x making authority and a full understanding of more likely more likely their unique journeys. Even customer service that comes to them — such as via field agents Proactive service — is increasingly important, particularly to 2.0x (e.g., based on IoT) 3.2x business buyers. more likely more likely 70% of customers say Online communities — (e.g., customer forums) 1.7x service agents’ awareness more likely of sales interactions is very important to Respondents were not required to rate a quality as important or unimportant. Data is based off respondents who elected to rate a quality as such. keeping their business. Not a complete list. See appendix page 46 for a full list broken by generational segmentations. Salesforce Research