Customer experience

Why is customer experience so vital?

Customer experience is defined by interactions between the client and an organisation during their business lifestyle (interaction). 

A large portion of organisations’ client bases consists of millenials who have grown up with technology. Getting an answer to a problem is as easy as pulling out their mobile device. It’s instant gratification as answers are available at the mere swipe of a button. 

Google or friends are available on various social media platforms. Their network of friends will be sure to give a “no holds barred” personal experience of the brand in question. Brands therefore, really cannot afford a bad customer experience as it will spread like wildfire. The customer is now in control more than ever. 

The old saying “You are as good as your last mistake” could not ring more true. Chances are their competitor is offering a similar product but with a better customer experience. 

We have a running group of about 10 ladies that meet 3 times a week. One friend mentioned on a run how impressed she was with a digital food delivery brand that she had started using. The story didn't start out as one would imagine, she said the food she had ordered was supposed to be delivered on a Friday, but they delivered it on the Saturday afternoon - 1 day late. Not only did she receive a huge apology but her next 2 weeks food delivery was ‘on the house’. I have retold that story about 4 or 5 times and recommended the brand based on that story. They turned a bad experience into a positive one based on how they resolved an issue. 

This company has digital at its core, you choose your menu, order and pay using a sophisticated and mobile friendly site. They understand that technology has enabled an increasingly connected and demanding generation of people. 

Tanja Ferreira put it quite aptly in her article in The South African Insurance Industry Survey 2017:  “Millennials grew up in a digital media saturated world.... Their early experiences with technology, having copious amounts of real-time information available to them and being shaped by convenience has influenced their behaviours, opinions and choices on which products and services to use.” 

We have seen how digital has truly transformed the way in which business is done and how customers interact with brands. FNB really transformed how banking in South Africa is done with the launch of their banking app. Uber has decreased drinking and driving internationally by 27 - 30 %  with their on demand taxi offering. And yet the insurance industry in South Africa “is characterised by bloated on-boarding and administrative processes”

Insurance is a grudge purchase and one that should prioritize customer experience above all else but very seldom do you hear how technology has been used to improve or streamline processes to the benefit of the consumer. The time is now to exploit this arena - it’s a prime opportunity to disrupt the insurance industry in South Africa. 

Please note that the views in this article are not intended to provide or constitute advice

Written by Abigail Schilperoort

Abi is part of the JaSure marketing team. She is passionate about digital and how it can change peoples lives for the better. Her dream is to see JaSure become the leading on-demand insurance brand that challenges how insurance is done in this country. In her spare time, she can be found doing some form of exercise or with a glass of vino in hand.