Chatbots, emojis and GIFs: how companies should communicate with customers

Companies wishing to retain their customers amid a cost of living crisis should pay close attention to how they communicate with customers, with 60 per cent of consumers saying they would leave a business if they didn’t feel valued, a new survey has found.

The research, which was carried out for Irish tech unicorn Intercom, found more than three quarters of Irish consumers felt communication that makes them feel valued is a top factor in continuing to do business with a brand.

Failing to have their issue resolved would encourage 73 per cent of consumers to leave a business, while getting ghosted by a support representative or taking too long to get a response was a reason for more than 65 per cent of customers to take their business elsewhere.

“Irish consumer expectations for customer support are evolving quickly, and as we face an impending recession it’s important to listen to them or risk losing their business,” said Intercom’s vice-president of Customer Support Declan Ivory. “The results of this study underscore the need for urgency in providing personalised support, and showing your customers that you value them, which will be crucial for retention in today’s economic climate where retaining and growing your customer base is critical.”

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However, exactly what good communication looks like varies from generation to generation, showing how important personalised customer support can be to business growth.

For 38 per cent of consumers, a customer support agent failing to treat them as an individual would be enough for them to stop doing business with the company, while misusing slang, trying to hard or over-use of emojis were also cited as reasons to leave.

However, almost 60 per cent said the use of emojis was acceptable in support conversations, with younger generations more likely to find them acceptable. Some 55 per cent of consumers said they preferred casual language from companies, with that figure stretching to 64 per cent in Gen Z.

Consumers are also more likely to favour companies that use their familiar channels of communication, with 58 per cent preferring text or direct messages, and 29 per cent of respondents preferring a stream of shorter messages instead of longer paragraphs.

Automated phone systems were the most disliked channel Of communication, but for Gen Z, that was live phone calls.

Automated customer support tools such as chatbots have split consumers, with 60 per cent finding them aggravating and only 40 per cent finding them helpful. But they are more liked among younger age groups.

“The way that businesses support their customers needs to change,” said Mr Ivory “Irish consumers want and demand easy, proactive and personal customer service experiences, and they’re willing to put their money behind it.”