Survey reveals key takeaways for brands looking to activate the customer’s voice and drive revenue in uncertain times.
In a new study by Talkwalker and Trustpilot, more than 1,000 global marketing, PR and consumer insights professionals were surveyed on the importance of customer-centricity and conversational Intelligence for enterprise brands amid the coronavirus.
Unsurprisingly since COVID-19, 82 per cent of surveyed industry professionals believe that the pandemic has changed their understanding of the consumer.
Talkwalker and Trustpilot’s State of Conversation 2021 report reveals how different regions of the world have experienced changes in consumer conversations due to the pandemic and regional perception of brand intelligence and data maturity.
Key takeaways from the report include:
- Brands need to humanise customer engagement and optimise customer experiences.
- While COVID-19 has boosted digital interactions, consumers have been looking for more human contact and support in their brand experiences.
- Technology and digital transformation are essential to survival in the new normal.
- There is much to be done in analytics training and education, with less than 44 per cent of respondents seeing their brand as highly data-driven. Yet, experts identify technology as a key in 2021 to make sense of sentiment around brand, competition or industry at scale.
- Speed to insights becomes critical to understand changing consumer demands.
- With more than 50 per cent of respondents confirming the existence of data silos within their organisations, it is time for leaders to break down information barriers and let customer and consumer intelligence flow from all channels.
“Not only are online conversations critical to make short-term decisions by reacting to an ever-changing world of temporary lockdowns and changing societal rules, but it’s become a fundamental base to plan business for the mid-term and to predict long-term effects of the pandemic on future consumer behaviour,” says Tian Kai Feng, Global Director, Voice of Consumer Analytics at adidas.
Cara Buscaglia, Chief Innovation Officer at Talkwalker says, “Today’s consumers expect brands to meet them where they are, with empathy and a shared
set of values. Conversational Intelligence is the key to unlocking meaningful customer relationships by understanding what customers are saying, where they are saying it and why.”
“Listening to and understanding customers is key to building a trusted brand,” says Peter Simpson, Head of Enterprise and Global Partnerships at Trustpilot. “This principle is core to the services of both Trustpilot and Talkwalker, making us natural partners for this report. The findings published here will help businesses better learn what consumers expect of them, and how they can position themselves to deliver.”
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Featured image by Blake Wisz on Unsplash.
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