KPMG 2020 NL Customer Experience - Customer in the eye of the storm - September 2020

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Arnold de la Fuente
Arnold de la Fuente Member Posts: 5 Seeker
edited September 2020 in Strategy & Planning
KPMG 2020 NL Customer Experience Excellence report - September 2020

Authors:

Arjen van Ulden
Kay van der Vleuten
Leonie Vervelde Martijn
Helder
Myrthe Baars
Nienke Wichers Hoeth
Suzanne Sweers

Almost overnight, the storm of COVID-19 smashed the fundamentals of customer engagement. With physical stores shut and digital channels under pressure, many brands suddenly realised they needed to quickly reassess the needs of their customers and redesign
their customer experiences if they hoped to remain relevant in the hearts and minds of Dutch consumers.

Our research identifies the true customer experience (CX) champions. They were the ones who were able to demonstrate their brand values, their integrity and their ability to move quickly and stay connected with customers. And they have been rewarded with strong and growing customer loyalty – and some of the highest customer experience (CX) scores ever recorded in our research.

Some brands, however, were not as successful. Those that were unable to capture the minds and wallets of their customers during the initial phases of the COVID-19 virus have slipped down our rankings. The big question is whether they will ever return.

Yet all is not lost; there is still time for brands to step up their game and take (back) the spotlight.

Brands must remember that the way they act today and throughout the crisis will strongly influence how customers feel about them in the future.

In this rapidly-changing environment, brands will need to continuously reevaluate their customers' expectations, learning from the past while remaining focused on the future. Which is why, in this report, we go beyond the rankings to explore some of the key considerations as brands strive to shape and enhance their customer experience.

We discuss the critical importance of trust and how customers are looking for brands with clear moral standards and reputations built on trusted relationships – particularly in uncertain times. We explore how leading brands are rethinking their organisational structure and making new connections in order to create clear alignment between the employee and customer experience.

We also take an economic view, illustrating how brands can better manage CX investments through a balanced approach of customer centricity and economics. And we look at the characteristics of sustainable, resilient organisations who are able to navigate through the storm with strong connections to their customers.

While the future may remain uncertain, we suspect there is no 'going back' to  the customer experiences of before. Those brands that hope to survive and thrive into the new reality will need to recognise this quickly if they hope to lay the foundations for future growth.

We hope this report will challenge you to reflect on your initial actions. We also hope it inspires you to prepare your brand to move forward into the new reality. Only time will tell who the CX leaders of tomorrow will be.
What we do know, however, is that they will be the ones that embrace integrity and continue to win the trust of their customers.

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