Today’s customers are an exacting lot with little tolerance for suppliers that fail to meet their ever-increasing expectations. Almost 94 per cent of Australian consumers stopped purchasing from at least one company after a negative experience, according to CPM’s 2025 The State of Customer Experience in Australia Report.
Getting the basics right
As to what comprises great customer service, customers today want access to the correct information, knowledgeable representatives, consistent information across digital and human interactions, access to courteous human representatives where necessary and queries resolved at first attempt, according to the Report.
‘We see the significant rise in customer service expectations that started in 2021 continues to be maintained,’ it notes.
‘…Australian consumers now expect service interactions to be not only accurate and efficient but also consistently human centric.’
Unfortunately, delivering the goods consistently and well can be a bridge too far for organisations that don’t take a data driven approach to managing and monitoring CX.
Measuring what matters
That’s why it pays to establish some form of customer health monitoring system, one that allows your organisation to establish clear visibility into the health – or otherwise – of individual customer accounts, at as granular a level as possible.
Consolidating all data pertaining to their interactions with your organisation into a platform that serves as a ‘single source of truth’ will enable your team to identify and respond to emerging risks and prioritise strategic outreach more effectively.
You can’t manage what you don’t measure and that’s where customer usage and satisfaction surveys come into play. If you’ve not conducted one before, your first will serve as both a benchmark and a snapshot of where improvements can be made.
Re-surveying customers regularly will enable you to gauge your progress and ascertain where more work is required.
Starting off strong
The way in which a customer engagement commences generally sets the tone for the ongoing relationship. That’s why it pays to focus on developing an onboarding experience that’s absolutely flawless.
Automating aspects of the process by, for example, creating self-paced digital modules, may enable you to get new customers up and running seamlessly at scale.
But decreasing the need for manual guidance doesn’t necessarily mean taking people out of the equation entirely. Building human interactions into the onboarding process at key moments can help you create an experience that blends the best of both worlds – efficient, automated service with the personal touch only your well-trained customer service representatives can provide.
Highlighting the benefits you bring to the table
While it’s important to ensure your customers feel valued and heard, it’s just as important to ensure you’re providing genuine value to them.
Depending on the nature of your business, that could mean enriching or improving the lives of consumers, or delivering a solid return on investment for businesses that purchase your goods or services.
Make it easy for customers to see and understand the benefits they’re receiving, along with the slick, seamless service that’s your speciality, and you’ll stand a great chance of retaining their business long term and turning them into strong ambassadors for your brand and business.
Setting your organisation up for success in 2026 and beyond
In today’s difficult economic times, meeting and exceeding customers’ expectations is the surest way for businesses to retain and grow market share and profitability. If creating a customer experience that shines isn’t something you’ve focused on to date, there’s never been a better time to start strengthening those connections.