Services and products are not static. They adapt to the constantly changing business environment. In addition to market conditions, it is above all the customers who have an influence on this. Their wishes and needs are constantly changing and are often shaped by their experiences with the leading players in the digital B2C world. But what happens when these experiences are transferred to the B2B world, more specifically to the consulting industry, in the form of an expectation? A thought experiment.
1. B2C Customer Experience as a benchmark
As an example of well-functioning companies in the B2C world, let’s look at the online fashion retailer ABOUT YOU. Founded in 2014, it is now one of the fastest growing eCommerce companies in Europe. How did the founders Sebastian Betz, Hannes Wiese and Tarek Müller manage that? The answer is quite simple: Customer Experience!
This is what a high-end customer experience at an online retailer could look like:
In search of a new sneaker, the fashion-conscious corporate manager uses a search engine we all know well. He clicks through several online stores and finds out about the product. He gets answers to his questions via chat(bot). He closes the browser again and later in the day scrolls through his Instagram feed, where suddenly the sneaker appears as a sponsored ad (advertisement). One click on the post and he’s on an eCommerce platform. Within three clicks, he has ordered the sneakers. That same evening, they are shipped. The customer is happy. What is the expectation for his next order?
Customers’ expectations are primarily generated by positive experiences in their interactions with companies as private individuals. Technology companies in particular are rated very highly by customers in terms of customer experience. Large corporations such as Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft are drivers when it comes to new customer worlds. They set the highest standards and repeatedly succeed in raising customer expectations. Through the targeted use of service, design and technologies, they satisfy the needs of their customers. This is leading to a new standard of good customer experience.
2. New technologies raise customer expectations
If you want to meet customer expectations, it’s essential to keep an eye on B2C trends. BenjaminTalin from MoreThanDigital has summarized the most important developments:
- Fast service delivery
- Self-service option
- Constant accessibility
- Cost savings
- Omni-channel
The Salesforce Research Studie ”State of the Connected Customer” from 2020 confirms these trends. For 84% of the customers surveyed, a company’s customer experience is just as important as the products and services themselves. 73% state that positive experiences with a company in particular raise their general expectations. At the same time, 66% of customers would even be willing to spend more money for a first-class experience.
According to a Zendesk -Report from 2020, around half of customers would switch to a competitor after just one bad experience. With more than one bad experience, the number increases rapidly to 80%.
This impatience is expressed, for example, when a competitor offers faster and cheaper shipping or the desired information is not available in the shortest possible time. According to Salesforce Research, 59% of customers prefer to buy from Amazon if shipping is faster and cheaper there. Interaction between companies and customers is very similar: more than 75% of respondents expect complex problems to be solved by the first contact person — as quickly as possible. For even faster resolution, 67% of customers even prefer self-service portals such as databases or customer portals. The Zendesk report concluded that customers increasingly want to take action themselves and have a say in the process.
Our increasingly hectic everyday lives and shorter attention spans are making customer journeys more and more complex and spreading them across a multitude of touchpoints. Omni-channel is the buzzword. This includes mobile apps, phone calls and emails. 40% of customers ignore companies they can’t interact with through their preferred channels, according to Salesforce Research.
3. When B2C experience becomes B2B expectation
An outstanding customer experience in the B2C sector leaves its mark on the understanding of “good” or “bad” service. Consumers take these experiences with them into their everyday working lives. As a result, their expectations of their business partners adjust. What does this mean for the consulting industry?
Fast and precise service provision is important. This is why the question of how conveniently customers can access consulting services is also becoming increasingly important in the consulting industry. Since they also expect a uniform conversation with the company, customer interactions must be networked and employees must coordinate continuously. Data must be shared across teams and common tools must be used. (See also my article on knowledge management). By the way, none of this is new, but rather areas in which consulting companies have been supporting their clients all along. But where is the implementation in your own industry?
If we follow this train of thought a little further into the future, the effects become even clearer: Today’s 25–35 year olds — the next generation of clients of consulting companies — have grown up with digital media and are very familiar with them. Accordingly, their expectations will be many times higher. Consulting companies would be well advised to prepare for this.
