Byravee Iyer
Mar 20, 2014

Marketers know customer-service is lacking in APAC: CMO Council

ASIA-PACIFIC - A new CMO Council study reveals that only 26 per cent of marketers believe their back-office systems and structures enable their companies to live up to brand promises and marketing claims.

CMOs in APAC and Japan feel customer service doesn't live up to brand promise
CMOs in APAC and Japan feel customer service doesn't live up to brand promise

The study, done in partnership with SAP, spoke to 245 senior marketers in 16 Asia-Pacific countries during the third and fourth quarters of 2013. Only 10 per cent of marketers felt there was a strong alignment and synergy among functional heads when it comes to providing a seamless experience across all consumer touch points. Just 11 per cent of marketers in the region are highly satisfied with their ability to listen and respond to the needs of the customer.

Twenty-three per cent of marketers calculate how customer experience directly impacts business performance through lost or gained revenue, retention, defection, detraction or advocacy, the CMO Council noted. What’s more, marketers in the region feel customer experience lacks measurement, accountability and dedicated resources.

“There is no point wasting marketing resources on seducing customers with offers, incentives and captivating branding if there is a big disconnect on the product, business policy or service experience site,” said Donovan Neale-May, executive director of the CMO Council. “You will just see churn, disaffection and bad word-of-mouth, which can be quite damaging in a socially connected region like Asia.”

Brands in the region also feel global brands trump regional or local ones when it comes to customer centricity: 55 per cent said global brands have better customer centricity, while 37 per cent felt regional brands fare better.

Ownership of the customer experience is a contentious issue as it is found to be fragmented and distributed across multiple titles including the CMO, head of service and support, VP or director of customer service, chief operations officer, sales officer, experience officer and so on.

These individuals have the authority and budget to influence and impact customer experience, according to 39 per cent of marketers interviewed.

Few companies (25 per cent) in the region have conducted a customer experience management audit across all touch points and only 36 per cent of marketers report having a formal customer experience strategy or programme in place.

 

 

 

Source:
Campaign Asia

Related Articles

Just Published

11 hours ago

40 Under 40 2024: Mamaa Duker, VML

Notable achievements include leading VML through a momentous merger, helping to reel in big sales, and growing WPP’s ethnic and cultural diversity network by a mile.

11 hours ago

Will you let your children inherit a world without ...

A raw, unflinching look at the illegal wildlife trade, starring Ray Winstone, will force you to confront the horrifying truth... and act.

13 hours ago

Campaign CMO Outlook 2024: Why marketers still want ...

In the second part of the Outlook series, global marketers weigh in on Amazon Prime’s move into ad-tier streaming, how video-on-demand will reshape strategies, and where it's still falling short.

14 hours ago

Jaguar's identity crisis: A self-inflicted wound ...

Jaguar's baffling attempt at reinvention from feline grace to rock-based abstraction is a masterclass in brand self-sabotage, says Resonant's Ramakrishnan Raja—and it risks destroying the marque entirely.