Big push by Malaysian companies on customer experience front: Avanade research

• Nearly all Malaysian respondents say that IT plays a greater role in the overall customer experience
• 94.4% of companies in Malaysia have changed at least one business process in past three years

OVER 95% of Malaysian respondents in a global survey on the changing sales process and buying patterns of business said that IT plays a greater role in the overall customer experience than it did in the past.
 
The survey, commissioned by global business technology solutions and managed services provider Avanade, also saw more than 96%of respondents in Malaysia saying that they believe technology will primarily replace human interaction with customers in the next 10 years.
 
Anticipating this change, businesses in Malaysia are making new technology investments, changing business processes and redesigning organisational roles, Avanade said in a statement.
 
The survey was conducted in October 2013 by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com), an independent research firm. It polled 1,000 C-level executives, business unit leaders and IT decision-makers at top companies in the following countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
 
Avanade said its latest research shows that the ‘consumerisation’ movement is shifting the sales process away from the sellers’ control, as enterprise buyers begin to mimic consumer shopping behaviours.
 
With this shift, now, the value of the customer experience is more important than cost to business and IT decision-makers.
 
Other highlights of the survey:

• Over 94% of Malaysian companies surveyed have changed at least one business process in the past three years to better interact with customers.

• Three quarters of all Malaysian business decision-makers report, third-party sites, feedback from business partners, industry peers or social channels is more important than conversations with the company’s sales teams when making a purchasing decision for their company.

• Nearly one-third of Malaysian customers report that they are willing to pay up to 50% more for a superior customer experience.

• More than two-thirds of Malaysian respondents report paying more for a product in the last six months for a superior customer experience over other less expensive options.

“The nature of work and how business gets done is going through a dramatic transformation,” said Ong Ken Teong (pic), Avanade Malaysia country manager.
 
“Technologies in the workplace are a significant catalyst for this transformation, especially in Malaysia where we’re already seeing employees using smartphones and tablet devices for both basic and advanced business functions.
 
“Moreover, the ‘consumerisation of IT’ is dramatically transforming the traditional ways through which companies sell products and services to other businesses and consumers. In Malaysia, most companies are recognising this and changing their business processes to adapt to the current trend.
 
“It’s no longer ‘business-to-business’ but ‘business-to-everyone.’ Businesses that embrace today’s complicated customer relationships are creating longer-term and profitable relationships with their customers,” Ong added.
 
In the latest survey, Avanade found that in Malaysia, businesses are changing processes to embrace the new business buyer by increasing customer sales and support technologies (61%); adding the number of employees interacting with customers (67%); and automating the sales process (42%).
 
The research also shows, in Malaysia businesses investing in technology to support better customer service and modifying internal roles are seeing positive results.
 
Specifically, the companies making these changes are experiencing increases in revenues (77%); customer base (58%); and customer loyalty (68%), Avanade said.
 
Executives are capitalising on the opportunity these technologies offer by adjusting business processes and updating policies with measurable results in areas such as customer service, profitable growth, happier employees and bringing new products and services to market faster, the company added.
 
As reflected in the recent Accenture High Performers in IT: Defined by Digital report, companies that prioritise customer experiences as one of their top-three business objectives are performing better than organisations that primarily focus on cutting costs and increasing productivity.
 
To learn more about Avanade’s views on the new customer journey, please visit http://avana.de/CustJourney.
 
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