Marketing

Consumers want personal communication but split on definition

Photo by istock.com

December 20, 2022

Three in four consumers, 75%, say communication that makes them feel valuated is a top or most important factor when doing business with a brand.

The finding is from an Intercom study on how company communication to customers can impact retention and business growth. It polled 1,000 U.S. consumers. The data revealed 64% would leave a business if they didn't feel valued and 61% said feeling valued and respected is even more important than fast support response, according to a press release on the findings.

The data also revealed generation differences in the style and tone consumers want in brand communication.

"Consumers have higher expectations for businesses to be transparent, to be present and to be available to connect with. How you talk to customers, where you talk to them and what you say impacts whether or not they continue to give you their business," Intercom co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer Des Traynor said in the release. "This study underscores that the best way to keep customers is to make your communication more personal — to show each customer that you know them, understand their issues and can resolve them in the way they want."

Additional findings include:

• Tone is key: Consumers say disrespecting them (64%), using cringe-worthy language (41% — think misused slang), trying too hard with inauthentic communication (35%) or using too many emojis (28%) in support interactions will cause them to take their business elsewhere.
• Not all emojis are created equal: While 59% of people are okay with companies using emojis in support conversations, they prefer facial expressions over objects. Unsurprisingly, there appears to be a shift here along generational lines: younger generations are twice as likely as older ones to want companies to use emojis and GIFs, signaling a shift in how businesses will need to adapt their support and communication strategies as younger generations become primary buyers.
• Knowing a customer's purchase or usage history is the top way to make them feel valued: 66% of respondents rate it among the top three factors that show they are valued, including receiving VIP treatment (52%) and proactive tips and support without needing to initiate a conversation (51%). Surface-level personalization, like using their first name in communications and added greetings and goodbyes, rank lowest.
• When asked which ways consumers like connecting with family and friends that they wish businesses would use, respondents across all generations (60%) said communicating by text or direct messages. From Gen Z to Boomers, this is the more welcome approach.
• More than one-third (35%) of respondents also ranked sending a stream of shorter messages instead of longer paragraphs as a top wish. Millennials showed the strongest preference (49%) for this style.
• Automated phone systems are the most disliked channel across all respondents, followed closely by live phone calls. Gen Z and Gen X in particular dislike live phone calls even more than the dreaded phone tree.