NEWS20 October 2014

Human interaction ‘drives brand advocacy’

UK — 33% of consumers said they would be more likely to make a purchase (after doing research online) as a result of talking to an operator on the phone, according to a new study.

70% of consumers feel that speaking to an operator on the phone gives them peace of mind and confidence, according to the research from ResponseTap, a call-based marketing automation company. Furthermore, 64% are frustrated by only being able to interact with a company online.

The research gathered thoughts from 4,000 UK and US consumers on the impact of the phone call on the customer journey.

“As consumers today carry out most pre-purchase research independently online, they only interact with a brand physically when going into a store or picking up the phone,” said Bhavesh Vaghela, chief marketing officer for ResponseTap. “This is the point at which the brand promise often does not live up to the customer’s expectations. So it’s vital that brands leverage the data they are collecting to drive actionable insight to help them improve the overall experience they’re giving the customer.”

Full findings can be found here.