Personalized communication is integral to consumer trust

Customers exist in a world that is “always on,” and they expect to have access to those they do business with at times and in ways that are most convenient for them. (Credit: ©Blue Planet Studio – stock.adobe.com)

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced many folks to learn how to operate large facets of their lives online, our world was already headed in a more virtual direction. With increasing digital knowledge comes higher expectations from consumers for digital services. A report released by Smart Communications explores how customers’ expectations regarding things like personalization and digital preferences are affecting businesses’ priorities. Here are their four key findings.

Customers prefer a digital-first approach

We live in a time of 24-hour news cycles and constant internet access, and that plays an enormous part in how people prefer to do business. According to Smart Communications’ report, consumers are big fans of having plenty of digital options from which to choose. In fact, 81% of customers surveyed said communications like email, push notifications and in-app messaging are important to their experience with a company. A two-way, interactive approach is imperative to doing business.

However, their study also found that while 64% of insurance business leaders believe they have very good or excellent communication with their customers, only 45% of insurance consumers agree with that assessment. More than half of the surveyed customers also told Smart Communication they would switch companies if the communication from their current one wasn’t up to par.