Humanizing B2C experiences in a digital world

With insights from the latest PWC’s research on customer experience, industry leaders are deepening trust and relationships with customers to quantifiably set themselves apart from the competition. Tom Puthiyamadam, PWC’s Digital Products and Consumer Markets Advisory Leader, says trust needs to be built early in the sales cycle by bringing in a customer success resource during the pre-sales phase. According to the research, human interaction matters now—and 82% of U.S. and 74% of non-U.S. consumers want more of it in the future. The message to the prospect shall be clear:

“We will be your champions and advocates on this entire journey. Build trust early, and keep building it throughout the entire journey.”

Trust is even more important for vendors that have subscription-based revenue. Exceptional experiences are critical for them. Done right, customers will see value in what you deliver. If you have taken the time to partner with your customers and truly understand their desired outcomes, you are ensuring the stickiness of your product or service. After all, trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets. It is built by delivering on promises, and it’s eroded by mistakes. Mistakes happen even in the best ran organizations. But humanizing your relationship with customers would give you more resilience even if a mistake happens.

Emotions and big decisions

Ultimately, most consumer purchasing decisions are driven by personal needs and emotions (think lifestyle benefits). With social networks and online product review services, sales teams need to recognize that many customers are coming to the table well-versed in insights and reviews, with a clear picture of what they need. If we embrace and listen to what they want, it can actually make the sales cycle shorter.

While most consumers are emotionally attached to decisions, the sellers should be emotionally detached from the process and meet the customer in the ways and digital means they wish to connect, even if it contrasts with how things have been done. EVAS finds that 30% of the buyers really wanted face-to-face interactions in the sales process, while almost 50% of sellers thought in-person was the best way to connect with the prospect. We need to listen to that and think more often about how we engage clients. Thanks to modern technology, a face-to-face meeting is now possible without even leaving your home.