Study Links Hybrid CX To Customer Loyalty In HK

As businesses in Hong Kong scramble to keep up with the rapidly evolving customer expectations, a new study has found that a hybrid customer experience (CX) is key to boosting customer loyalty.

The study, titled 'Redefining Human and Automated Engagement – How APAC Consumers Have Impacted the CX Agenda', was conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Infobip and explored what businesses must prioritize to address the changing needs of customers in the region.

Hybrid CX is a mix of human and automated customer engagement that offers the best of both worlds – the convenience of automation with the personal touch of human interaction.

According to the study, customers in Hong Kong are becoming more comfortable with automated chatbots for purchase journeys, with the percentage rising from 24% to 26% in 2019. However, they still prefer human interaction for more complex queries or issues, with 43% of respondents saying they would instead contact a human agent over the phone.

For companies looking to implement a hybrid CX model, the study provides some key insights into what customers in Hong Kong are looking for.

• A seamless customer journey: Customers in Hong Kong expect a consistent and seamless customer journey regardless of the channel they use, whether online, in-store or over the phone. Almost 4 in 10 respondents said that their last customer experience did not leave them with positive emotions.

• Personalized experiences: Customers want to be treated as individuals and not just another number. They expect companies to remember their preferences and provide personalized experiences. The study identified four distinct customer personas that have emerged in the digital era – affluent hybrid shoppers, reserved high-touch seekers, low-touch digital natives, and neutrals. Companies will need to tailor their CX strategies to meet the needs of each persona.

• Efficient and effective human-agent interactions: This is where businesses will need to focus their efforts on training staff to provide quality customer service. The study found that organizations fail to address consumer demands for human agents as part of a hybrid CX; among respondents who said that their recent customer service interactions failed to meet expectations, 60% felt that it was not easy to connect with a human agent.

• An omnichannel approach: A disconnected or siloed customer experience can be a dealbreaker for customers in Hong Kong. They expect companies to provide a consistent and cohesive experience across all channels. To achieve this, businesses need to invest in cloud-based technology that will enable them to create a single view of the customer and provide a seamless omnichannel experience.

“As Hong Kong businesses increasingly realize the importance of hybrid CX, we are seeing a significant uptick in the number of organizations that are planning to upgrade their CX strategies to generate tangible business value. With elevated CX, customer loyalty can be heightened, leading to increased advocacy, retention, and revenue for businesses and brands, which are crucial to thriving in such a competitive market," said Tina Wang, Regional Manager of Infobip APAC.