Rebalancing digital and traditional
investments to drive growth
Digital Disconnect in
Customer Engagement

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11th Annual Global Consumer
Pulse Research
• In our 11th year, the Accenture Global Consumer Pulse
Research surveyed more than 24,000+ consumers in
33 countries across 11 industries to evaluate issues
ranging from service expectations and purchasing
intentions to retention, loyalty, satisfaction, and
switching.
Digital Disconnect in Customer Engagement

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Abandon the human
connection at your own risk.
WARNING!

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Digital Disconnect in Customer Engagement
Accenture Strategy research highlights three
key issues that show companies have lost
sight of the importance of human interaction.

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Issue 1: Too much reliance on
digital technologies has given rise
to “human-less” customer services.

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Accenture Strategy research revealed…
of U.S. consumers prefer dealing with human
beings over digital channels to solve customer
services issues.
83%
52%
of consumers have switched provider in the
past year due to poor customer service.

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The worst offenders for delivering poor customer service:
Banks Retailers Cable & Satellite
Providers
Accenture Strategy research revealed…

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The estimated cost of customers
switching due to poor service in the U.S.
$1.6 trillion
Accenture Strategy research revealed…

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Issue 2: Human interaction is a vital
component of customer satisfaction,
even in the “digital age.”

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of U.S. consumers prefer
dealing with human beings
over digital channels to get
advice.
77%
Accenture Strategy research revealed…
46%
agree that in-store service
is the best channel for
getting a tailored
experience.

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Issue 3: There is huge room for
improvement in the delivery of
today’s customer services.

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of consumers admit that it is extremely frustrating
dealing with a company that does not make it easy
to do business with them.
81%
Accenture Strategy research revealed…

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expect customer
service to be
easier and more
convenient.
73% 61%
want customer
service to be
faster.
Accenture Strategy research revealed…

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of consumers will not go back
once they have switched providers.
68%
Accenture Strategy research revealed…
of “switchers” feel the company could
have done something to retain them.
80%

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report that if companies could provide customers with
better live or in-person customer service, it would have
impacted their decision to switch provider.
83%
Accenture Strategy research revealed…

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How leaders of customer services succeed
Organizations that want to rebalance their digital and traditional customer service
channels should look to:
• Put the human and physical elements back into customer services: Rethink your investment
strategy. The focus should be on delivering satisfying customer experiences – not methods of interaction.
Ensure your channel management approach delivers integrated experiences.
• Make it easy for customers to switch channels to get the experiences they want: Build
customer service channels that enable consumers to fluidly move from digital to human interaction to get the
outcomes they desire.
• Root out toxicity: Define and address the most toxic customer experiences across all channels. These
experiences can directly impact profitability. Identify the experiences that have the greatest potential
downside and leverage those insights to guide an investment strategy.

LEARN MORE
about how companies need to rebalance
digital and traditional investments on our
website:
Digital disconnect in customer engagement:
The need to rebalance digital and traditional investments

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About Accenture
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Contact:
robert.e.wollan@accenture.com
rob.w.honts@accenture.com
Kevin.n.quiring@accenture.com
Join the conversation:
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