Consulting firm Deloitte Digital presents the second edition of its CX Drivers report, analyzing the consumer purchasing journey from an international perspective. As it turns out, customers derive the greatest satisfaction from the moment of making a purchase itself.

They rate their first and last encounter with a company lowest – that is, searching for information and contacting and evaluating the cooperation. Poles are least satisfied with service in the healthcare sector, while Americans are the most satisfied nation at every stage of the customer journey. Slow and inefficient service effectively puts off nearly all respondents. What matters most is the ability to make fast, easy and secure purchases.

The goal of the CX Drivers report is to understand the quality of customer experiences at various stages of their journey on an international scale. Seven thousand respondents from six countries took part in the study: Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, France and the United States. Consumer experiences were analyzed from the perspective of a five-stage customer journey.

It covers searching for product information, purchasing a product or service, starting to use it, daily use and providing feedback. The study covered eight industries: banking, insurance, urban transport, medical services, telecommunications, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and slow-moving goods (non-FMCG). The aim was to understand the universal mechanisms shaping the customer experience throughout the entire customer journey.

The study allowed us to determine which factors matter from the buyer's perspective and influence their final decisions. Interestingly, consumer needs and expectations turned out to be universal, regardless of their country of residence. This allows the results obtained to be treated as key guidelines for building a high-quality customer experience. Slow and inefficient service effectively puts off nearly all respondents. What matters most is the ability to make fast, easy and secure purchases – says Wiesław Kotecki, Partner at Deloitte Digital, leader of Customer Strategy and Design in Central Europe.

Convenient shopping with a trusted provider

Deloitte Digital experts examined customer satisfaction in each of the eight industries, in six countries and at all levels of making a transaction. The first contact with a company, i.e. searching for information, received the lowest score in all countries – 4.08 points on a five-point scale. Americans showed the greatest satisfaction at this stage. In Poland and the Czech Republic, the telecommunications industry received the lowest scores.

This first moment of searching for information gained importance especially during the pandemic and became crucial in the customer journey we studied. Often it is already at this point that the decision to use a given service and purchase a product is made. Importantly, this is the most digitalized stage, during which customers most readily use smartphones. They compare prices, look for additional product information, check availability and the entire offer. The growing importance of this stage is visible across all categories – says Barbara Koźbiał, manager in the Digital Strategy team, Deloitte Digital.

What shapes consumer experiences along the purchasing journey

The best-rated stage of the customer journey was making a purchase of a product or service (4.33 points). These results are consistent across both the selected industries and countries, and the differences are marginal. In this respect, the entertainment industry and banking services were rated highest. The exception is medical services in Poland, which received the lowest satisfaction score (3.95 points). A sense of security (a trusted provider) during purchases turned out to be key, while the entire process should run conveniently, smoothly and efficiently. It is precisely the sum of experiences that makes up satisfaction with the transaction.

The next step in the purchasing journey, i.e. starting to use the chosen service or product, is the first verification of the promises made by the company. The telecommunications industry in the Czech Republic and the healthcare sector in Poland received the lowest ratings, which affected the overall average across all countries – 3.76 and 3.78 points respectively. Respondents pointed to problems with contact and, in their assessment, too long a waiting time for information. The highest scores went to the slow-moving goods sector (home furnishings, books, electronics).

The fourth stage in a typical consumer journey, i.e. daily use of the purchase, is a special moment because it allows one to assess not only first impressions but also functionality and overall satisfaction with the choice. At this stage, the entertainment sector (4.37 points) and banking services (4.26 points) enjoy the best reputation. The lowest score, below 4 points, went to the medical industry, mainly due to low ratings from respondents in Poland and Hungary. It is worth noting, however, that study participants from other countries rated this sector positively.

The moment of contacting the company and providing feedback, i.e. the last stage of the customer journey analyzed in the study, was rated the worst (4.06 points), particularly in the case of telecommunications and medical services. The financial sector in Hungary and the FMCG industry in Germany stand out positively.

It is precisely feedback and the final contact with the customer that many companies consider the summary of their work and the key moment of truth. Customers show emotions, give opinions, decide whether they stay with the brand or not. Awareness of the journey a customer takes and the signals they send during individual steps allows a company to prepare adequate communication and response. In today's digital and multichannel world, satisfaction cannot be measured by surveys alone. We are dealing with a far more sophisticated process, and the development of technology can help raise the quality of customer experiences in every industry. Increased revenue and a reduced churn rate are the most common business benefits of high-quality customer experiences – says Paulina Rzymska, senior manager, Deloitte Digital.

Rapid development of digital customer service

At least one in four respondents began using services and shopping online in ways they had never done before. In Poland, this figure is 38 percent. It is difficult to clearly determine what was the cause and what was the effect; what is certain, however, is that the digitalization of customer contact has clearly accelerated, especially during the pandemic. We are increasingly boldly entering into digital interactions and the automation of customer service.

Awareness is growing of how important it is to care for satisfying customer experiences with a brand. Companies are persistently working on intuitive, personalized contact with their audiences at various touchpoints throughout the entire customer journey. An excellent omnichannel experience is still a challenge, but the quality of experiences can be a significant differentiator of a company's value proposition and a competitive advantage. The relationship with the customer is becoming much more refined, and after all, customers expect authentic, personal, emotion-based contact – concludes Paulina Rzymska.