Tag: customer experience (CX)

South Africa narrowly escaped a technical recession, according to the latest figures released by Stats SA in early March. Recession or no recession, growth is just not high enough to improve economic conditions and coupled with record interest rates and increasing prices at the fuel pump and grocery store, South Africans are under pressure.

In today’s rapidly evolving market, customer experience (CX) is a battleground for companies vying to secure a competitive edge. Globally, evidence of the unequivocal correlation between CX and a company’s financial performance is widely understood.

Generative AI (Gen AI) has burst onto the scene. It appeared fast and is evolving even faster. It’s impact on value chains will fundamentally transform the nature of work, reshaping how businesses deliver value and better experiences for employees and customers.

South Africa’s major banks registered resilient growth against difficult operating conditions and a complex macroeconomic environment. Combined headline earnings growth of 13.8% against FY22 to R113.2 billion, combined ROE of 17.6% (FY22: 17.1%), net interest margin of 458 bps (FY22: 430 bps), credit loss ratio of 102 bps (FY22: 82 bps), cost-to-income ratio of 52.2% (FY22: 53%), common equity tier ratio of 13.2% (FY22: 13.5%).

Moving to the cloud is essential. Businesses that don’t move to the cloud can, to some degree, add complicated layers to their legacy systems in an effort to keep up with the times, but eventually, they will be forced to make the move.

In recent years, retail and eCommerce businesses have adapted to the increasing influence of digitalisation. Customers now demand user-friendly digital interactions, with little tolerance for inconveniences. Surprisingly, 86% of customers are willing to abandon a brand after just two negative experiences.

There’s widespread acceptance that improving customer experience will go a long way towards attracting and retaining customers, especially at a time when there’s increased competition for valuable consumer spend. Naturally, all eyes turn to technology to remove friction, add convenience, automate, drive personalisation and much more.

In today's fiercely competitive retail landscape, prioritising customer experience has become crucial for attaining sustainable competitive advantages and ultimately ensuring long-term success. This underscores the need for retailers now more than ever to prioritise customer engagement and aim to enhance the overall customer experience and deliver unparalleled customer satisfaction.

Consumers in South Africa are under immense pressure with a cascade of bad news resulting in increased prices at the till. Producer Price Inflation continues to rise, with the latest figures showing an increase from August’s 4.3% to 5.1% in September: things are going to keep becoming more expensive following higher fuel prices, a high lending rate to try to keep inflation in check and a weak, volatile Rand. Despite this, retailers have to sell goods and consumers need to buy goods.

During discussions with several of our contact centre customers, the topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on call centres and customer experience (CX), strategies is often raised. Various articles have been published relating to AI, machine learning (ML) and bots replacing humans in contact centres, focusing on the advantages that AI brings when compared to having people servicing customers and more.