The emergence of new post-pandemic customer personas in Asia

With an increased reliance on digital services like e-Commerce, online banking, and similar ones, enterprises now have a need to optimize the consumer experience. Today, a firm could suffer significant consequences from a badly implemented digital platform that does not prioritize user experience.?

A study by Forrester Consulting found that despite the importance of customer experience in terms of competitive differentiation, businesses frequently fall short of meeting customers' expectations. 1,200 customers were questioned for the "Infuse Digital Experiences with the Right Dose of Human Touch"?study in Malaysia, Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Singapore. It is the first study that aims to pinpoint changes and trends in consumer behavior in the post-pandemic Asia Pacific region.?

(This article references several data points from a Forrester Study: source https://campaign.cinnox.com/forrester-cx)

Only 16% of the customers polled reported interactions that went above and beyond their expectations, with established markets like Hong Kong and Singapore reporting lower sentiments at just 7% and 9%, respectively. The statistics are undoubtedly alarming because unsatisfactory customer service will only cause consumers to look for alternatives and eventually?erode brand loyalty.?

Unresolved comments and enquiries, long wait times, slow engagement results, the need to use several channels to fix a problem, and poorly trained customer service staff are just a few of the factors that contribute to a bad customer experience. Customers had been dissatisfied, irritated, and frustrated with the brand as a result of this.?

The emergence of new customer personas?

"Many brands do not provide consumers with a smooth, integrated experience. Customers who are unhappy and disappointed will not only stop using the brand, but they will also be less inclined to recommend it to their friends, according to Teow Yi Qin, a consultant with Forrester.?

Yi Qin continued by saying that as consumers in developed economies have higher expectations and prefer a flawless customer experience, the situation is more alarming. The retail, technology, and financial sectors, she claimed, demonstrated the most demanding customer experiences even though the study looked at companies across industries.?

It's interesting to note that the report also highlighted the post-pandemic emergence of five distinct consumer personas, which have allowed businesses to develop targeted strategies to improve customer experiences. These are the?five personas:?

????????Omni-shoppers: This type of consumers values both physical and virtual points of contact. They desire omnichannel experiences that easily switch between touchpoints and feel secure in digital interactions. They had already engaged in online activities before the pandemic, and their online usage has risen as a result of the pandemic.?

????????Multichannel enthusiasts: This group uses numerous channels for customer care and support, and they expect their problems to be resolved completely at one point in the interaction, without them having to switch channels. They increased their engagement in online activities after the pandemic, much like Omni-shoppers had been doing.?

????????Reserved digital immigrants: Users that prefer offline touchpoints or online touchpoints with live customer service.?They avoid switching communication channels if possible. Most of these?users have not engaged in more online activities since the pandemic due to worries about the security of digital interactions.?

????????Affluent high touch seekers: These are high-income individuals who favor offline touchpoints. They are also at ease with digital touchpoints however they value a smooth experience above all else. To build more rapport and trust with them, they expect a high level of personal interaction both offline and online.?

????????Low-touch digital natives: These customers tend to be younger and are content with self-service digital touchpoints throughout the customer experience that require little to no human interaction, such as using?chatbots.?

As a result, the survey unequivocally demonstrates that businesses must redefine and customize their strategy in order to deliver the ideal client experience, both online and offline.