One of the things that caught my eye in the Institute of Customer Services UK’s (UKSCI) most recent report on customer satisfaction was the suggestion that a growing number of customers are prepared to pay more for improved service.

We’re releasing our new research into the issues facing people in unmanageable debtin the midst of an economic crisis triggered by Covid-19, which is tipping many people into financial difficulty through no fault of their own.

Retailers need to stop expecting business to return to “normal”. 

Is online the future, and are high streets flourishing? Just as they have for centuries, bricks and mortar retailers are reinventing themselves – competing and complementing the online option, and even stealing a march on it.

Today, technology has drastically redefined how brands deliver customer experience.

Retail technology is perhaps one of the fastest growing industries coming out of the pandemic, with digitisation being one of the key aspects of this transformation.

You have a problem. Someone else has been talking to your customer. The likes of Amazon, Apple, Nordstorm – and the other gods of customer service have been educating your customer in what excellent looks and feels like.

Customer loyalty is the holy grail of brand. Less than a decade ago, consumers told marketing research company IPSOS MORI that they trusted certain household brands (Heinz, John Lewis, Walmart) more than the Government.

A popular online brokerage prided itself on building a customer experience that made trading stocks as easy as swiping right or left to purchase a book online.

While technology offers many opportunities in the quest to deliver a more proactive and efficient customer experience, it’s the human interactions between brands and their customers that often make the difference, writes Oli Freestone, Institute Lead at Capita.