Page 16 - Optus Future of Business Report 2013

15
Businesses and
customers using digital
channels largely agree
on the benefits
While digital channel usage varies
among business and consumers,
businesses’ faith in the ability of digital
channels to make life easier and more
convenient for customers is largely
backed by their customers.
More than half of organisations using
online, social media and mobile believe
that these channels will benefit their
customers by offering them ease and
convenience. This is among the most
cited benefits alongside making it
easier for customers to find information
and enabling 24/7 access to their
organisation. Consumers are convinced
that online will save them time and is
simple and easy to use, with growing
awareness of these benefits for mobile.
In the case of social media, consumers
are evenly split in their perceptions of
its ability to deliver benefits to them.
Businesses in 70% of cases highly
rank online’s ease and convenience
for customers and making it easier
for customers to research their
offerings (65%), followed by around-
the-clock availability of the brand
(62%). Consumers are most likely
to see clear benefits from online, with
40% saying it saves them time and
another 40% saying it is simple and
easy to use, followed by it being more
convenient (32%).
The response from mobile customers
is still in alignment with business
perceptions of customer benefits,
although a bit more equivocal than
online. Sixty-four percent of businesses
cite ease and convenience as their top
perceived customer benefit, followed by
24/7 availability (47%), and making it
easier for customers to find information
about their brand, products or services
(43%). Customers in 26% of cases cite
mobile’s ability to save time, followed
by it being simple and easy to use (24%)
and the most convenient channel (23%).
In social media, consumers reported a
more even spread of channel benefits
compared to business responses to
the types of benefits it offers. Fifty-five
percent of businesses cite ease and
convenience as the channel’s most cited
customer benefit, followed by 24/7
availability (41%), and making it easier
for customers to find information (40%).
The top response from 21% of customers
is that social media is simple and easy to
use, followed by saving time (17%).
BENEFITS OF USING DIGITAL CHANNELS – BUSINESS VS. CONSUMER
(%)
EASE AND
CONVENIENCE
FOR CUSTOMERS
EASIER FOR
CUSTOMERS TO
RESEARCH OR
FIND INFORMATION
70
55
64
65 62
40 41
43 47
24/7 AVAILABILITY
OF THE
ORGANISATION
EASE AND
CONVENIENCE
FOR CUSTOMERS
EASIER FOR
CUSTOMERS TO
RESEARCH OR
FIND INFORMATION
24/7 AVAILABILITY
OF THE
ORGANISATION
EASE AND
CONVENIENCE
FOR CUSTOMERS
EASIER FOR
CUSTOMERS TO
RESEARCH OR
FIND INFORMATION
24/7 AVAILABILITY
OF THE
ORGANISATION
BUSINESS
40
17
26
40 32 27 22 16
21 15 16 16 12
24 23 17 14 8
CONSUMER
IT SAVES
TIME
IT IS MORE
CONVENIENT
THAN OTHER
CHANNELS
SIMPLE
AND EASY
TO USE
IT TAKES
LESS EFFORT
THAN OTHER
CHANNELS
IT IS A
CHEAPER
OPTION
I DON'T
HAVE TO
TALK TO
A PERSON
IT SAVES
TIME
IT IS MORE
CONVENIENT
THAN
OTHER
CHANNELS
SIMPLE
AND EASY
TO USE
IT TAKES
LESS
EFFORT
THAN
OTHER
CHANNELS
IT IS A
CHEAPER
OPTION
I DON'T
HAVE TO
TALK TO
A PERSON
IT SAVES
TIME
IT IS MORE
CONVENIENT
THAN OTHER
CHANNELS
SIMPLE
AND EASY
TO USE
IT TAKES
LESS
EFFORT
THAN
OTHER
CHANNELS
IT IS A
CHEAPER
OPTION
I DON'T
HAVE TO
TALK TO
A PERSON
ONLINE
SOCIAL MEDIA
MOBILE
ONLINE
SOCIAL MEDIA
MOBILE
of businesses CITE
online’s ease and convenience
for customers as a benefit
70%