Poor multichannel customer engagement costing billions

A new survey reveals that UK companies are losing a quarter of their entire annual online revenue as a result of poor multichannel customer experiences

Linking online and offline channels and sharing insights between them is a major challenge for businesses according to the survey of more than 500 businesses, with only 3% describing the multichannel experience they provide as excellent.  Just under a quarter (24%) rate it as poor or very poor and only about a half (49%) have processes in place to prioritise and rectify the problems and issues customers face online.

Respondents to the ‘Reducing Customer Struggle’ survey conducted by Econsultancy and commissioned by Tealeaf estimate that 15 per cent of total inbound calls relate to website problems but, despite this, 68 per cent fail to give call centre agents access to information about the online experience of individual customers.

 Although the majority of companies (86%) say their call centre staff are able to escalate website issues to the right people in the business, only approximately a third (36%) measure the extent to which these problems are then resolved.

“This research demonstrates a clear link between online customer experience and revenue generation,” said Geoff Galat, CMO of Tealeaf. “Ebusinesses have much to gain from better online visibility, particularly at the bottom of the sales funnel, where conversion rates should be highest. A poor online user experience, coupled with a lack of visibility and understanding, translates into a significant amount of lost revenue as well as added costs due to increased inbound enquiries.”

“The web lies at the heart of any multichannel business these days and so providing visibility across all business units will ensure a seamless experience at all brand touch points” said Ashley Friedlein, CEO at Econsultancy.

 “As the online channel becomes increasingly valuable for business, it is vital for companies to ensure the customer journey is as pain-free and seamless as possible. Companies that fail to put in place the technology and processes necessary to improve online experiences will miss out on this growing financial potential.”

The poor online customer experience is cutting an estimated 24 per cent of online sales which is £14bn alone in the past year amongst online retailers in the UK. This is despite 84 per cent stating that selling more products or services is a key objective for the business.  Close on one-fifth (18%) of businesses rate their understanding of the online customer experience as poor or very poor, with only 4% classifying it as excellent.