BRAVE

NEW
W RLD
Customer experience in 2022
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We spoke to over 2,900 consumers globally

to build a snapshot of customer engagement
in a fast-changing digital world

Dive in
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Brave new world: how CX

is reinventing itself in 2022
It’s been a rough few years. And everyone has been affected.

It’s no surprise that businesses are rethinking the way they engage
with customers. And consumers have changed the way they interact
with companies, looking for more satisfying digital experiences.

The companies that shine in this new landscape will be the ones that
embrace this change, standing out from the crowd with new options,
tools, and channels. We surveyed almost 3,000 consumers around
the globe to find out how brands can employ smarter CX to build
sustainable business growth. And some of the answers will surprise you.

Why does this matter so much right now? Well, we discovered that by
changing the way we connect with our customers — and delivering
rich, value-adding interactions — we have a great opportunity to kick-
start a new era of customer satisfaction and trigger business growth.

Are you ready? Read on to find out how.

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Select a chapter
to explore

02
It’s all about trust
04
From billions of
touchpoints to a single,
human connection

01
Let’s make
03 The CX revolution —
a connection what’s next?
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01
Let’s make
a connection

How can businesses turn a message into a conversation?

See findings
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Every day, our mobile

devices are bombarded
with notifications

53%
You know what we mean: reminders, fraud
alerts, retail promotions, you name it. It can be
How can businesses give
overwhelming! And these "micro-experiences"
these engagements value?
are on the rise.

But it’s mainly one-way traffic. From 2019 to

2020, consumers who received "abandoned cart"
How can we make sure they
reminders, for example, more than doubled in say they're frustrated
don’t just interrupt or frustrate?
countries including the U.S., Canada, Germany, when they can't reply
and India. But what did customers do when to a mobile message
reminded? What was their next step?
How can we deliver an
experience that feels human?

From 2019 to 2020,

consumers who
received ‘abandoned
cart’ reminders more
than doubled
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Give customers What do customers want from their in-message interactions?

back control
More than half of customers say they’re frustrated
when they receive mobile messages they can’t reply
to. That’s not to say that one-way communication isn’t
useful; notifications such as “your package will arrive
today” are table stakes for a wide range of industries,
and customers in most regions expect them.

But to add real value, we need to build the possibility

of action into these messages. Sure, my package
will arrive today, but what if I need to rearrange the
timing? What if I’m going to be out? Could you leave
it with a neighbor? Do I really need to call a separate 69% 90% 89% 77%
customer support line to sort this out?

Today, 89% of consumers say they want two-way

conversations via messaging channels and apps.
They want rich experiences that give them the power
to take action.

89%
of consumers say they want two-
way conversations via messaging
channels and apps
Fill out a loan Get support or ask Arrange returns, Complete a health assessment
application follow-up questions exchanges, or refunds with their doctor
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So, how can we give them these

experiences? Simple, we meet
customers where they are
 urn notifications into
T Let customers reply —
conversations
L et customers check delivery times in
Messenger or WhatsApp. Offer options
in the text stream to customize
notifications or arrange a return —
nearly 9 in 10 say they’d like this
two-way option.
from all channels
 urn on two-way functionality across
T
all channels, including email and
messaging. Let AI-driven chatbots
answer routine queries and send more
complex enquiries to online resources
or customer service.

Make alerts actionable But don’t ignore the power of SMS… Shop now

Don’t just send a fraud alert to a
banking customer. Give them options!
Freeze a card, request a replacement
— all using conversational AI in the
messaging stream or banking app.
 ich messaging and in-app messaging is
R
driving conversational marketing, but SMS
is still a great tool — whether confirming a FloraBloom Fresh flowers delivered from
restaurant reservation, approving a big- local farms daily!
ticket purchase, or refilling a prescription.

Hi! Do you have two

dozen dahlias in stock?
Let customers ask questions, find products, place an
order. Engage with them and add real business value
We do! Would you like
to place an order?
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Take it up a level Which types

Whichoftypes
would consumers
messaging
of messaging would
consumers find
find useful?
useful? CUSTOMER STORY

with rich media

Chances are you already know the kinds of questions 83%
your customers are going to ask and the kind of help

68%
they’re often going to need. So why wait? Why not 81%
reach out with rich media and personalized support
that anticipates their needs? It’s time to go from
reactive to proactive, offering services that add extra 76%
value to the customer experience.
Increase in open rates
By going "above and beyond", companies can 73%
build a great dialogue with customers, building Over the last two years, few industries were
satisfaction and increasing brand loyalty. affected as greatly as travel and hospitality.
“Of course, traveling during a pandemic is
tough, so we lost relevance in many channels,”
explains Johnny Nilsson, head of CRM at
Apollo Travel Group. To re-engage customers,
Apollo created a personalized video campaign
to inspire would-be travelers and get them
thinking about their next destination. The
campaign included a highly personalized
email, a video reel of each customer’s recent
travels (e.g., hotels they stayed at, destination
photos) and a personalized landing page to
share with friends and family. The result? Open
rates jumped 68% and click-through rates grew
four-fold compared to pre-pandemic levels.
“It has been our most successful campaign
ever,” says Nilsson. 
Video tutorial based Buying guide based on
based
Video tutorial on aon
recent purchase
a recent purchase previous
Buying purchases
guide based or activity
on previous purchases or activity Johnny Nilsson
Head of CRM at Apollo Travel Group
Personalized Personalized
video tour Personalized financial assessment
Personalized financial
video tour assessment
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Let’s make Do you shop on

social platforms?
How long does it take retailers to respond
to messages on these platforms?

it social
Social channels like Instagram and TikTok are now
big-time commerce channels for many brands.
But too many companies treat them as one-way

48%
promotion machines. 

Nearly half of consumers Sinch surveyed shop on

25% 52%
Yes
social media channels, but they report that brands
aren’t engaging with them there. When consumers
message brands on channels like Instagram, Tiktok,
and Snapchat, nearly 1 in 4 say it takes a day or
more to get a response (and most say this makes
them less likely to buy from that company on
social channels).

The customers are there, waiting; we just have Instant response Several hours
to find better, faster ways to satisfy their needs.

52%
The customers are
there, waiting; we just
No 14% 7%
have to find better,
faster ways to satisfy
their needs

A full day More than one day

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02
It’s all about trust

When it comes to business — any business — trust is everything.

Every customer engagement, regardless of channel, is built on it

See findings
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The link between CX and trust

Our research shows that nearly 9 in 10 customers
simply won’t buy from brands they don’t trust.
Does your bank deliver these experiences? High trust relationship Low trust relationship
Although Boomers feel this most strongly, it
applies across all generations, including Answers questions quickly
Millennials and Gen Z.

So how do we go about earning this trust? If we 27% 69%

take the banking sector as an example, there’s a
strong correlation between positive experiences,
data security, and trust. A great customer
experience actually builds faith in the institution Protects my interests
itself, reassuring customers that the bank is
more likely to keep their personal information 21% 75%
and account secure.

Knows me and my needs

10% 46%

Offers useful financial advice

87%
“I avoid buying from brands
6%

Keeps information and account secure

42%

I don’t trust”
37% 73%
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While there’s still some reluctance to discuss What would make you feel more comfortable when discussing
financial matters via messaging, the situation
sensitive financial matters via mobile messaging?
is changing. Younger generations in general
are more comfortable with the concept. In
addition, it is possible to reassure them, with
only 15% unpersuadable.
Communicating with a human instead of a chatbot
It’s not surprising that some people prefer
discussing sensitive issues face-to-face; we’re
social animals, after all! However, by ensuring Getting clear verification from my bank that mobile conversations are secure
security and giving the option to have human
interaction where necessary, messaging
can definitely be part of the conversation. Using the messaging feature inside my secure banking app

Being able to switch from an automated conversation (i.e., chatbot) to a live customer service agent

29%

15%
32%

37%
Percentage of younger generations
that are unpersuaded on the
concept of discussing financial
matters via messaging
54%
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Want to receive medical test results

via messaging
89% Healthcare —
it’s sensitive
Interestingly, another area that deals with highly

87%
sensitive information — healthcare — shows that,
Want to get medical questions in many ways, mobile messaging can be the ideal
answered through messaging channels channel. Perhaps due to the potentially emotional
nature of the interactions, it seems a majority
would actively like to engage on sensitive issues
via mobile messaging.

Regardless of the industry, one thing is clear. When

it comes to meaningful two-way interactions,
trust is key — and the best way to build trust is by

77%
providing a satisfying, useful customer experience.
Want to fill out health assessments
on their mobile devices

Are comfortable discussing

personal/sensitive health matters
via mobile messaging 62%
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03
The CX revolution —
what’s next?

So, the customers are out there and keen to engage through a wide range
of digital channels. But how can brands best build these new relationships?
And how can they remove the barriers to meaningful engagement?

See findings
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What’s the shortest distance

between two points? A straight line
Great conversational messaging is all about removing obstacles, smoothing the path from first point
of contact to purchase (or other positive customer experience). Here’s how: INDUSTRY INSIDER

Offer self-service Simplify sign-ups David Yates

Give customers control over their experiences by
offering real-time visibility into inventory, staffing
availability, wait times, and so much more. Is your
organization facing shipping delays? Long loan-
approval wait times? Fewer product offerings? Give
them radical, real-time transparency.
Expand points of purchase
What if you could turn a notification into a purchase?
Rather than send a one-way “abandoned cart”
reminder or “back in stock” message, notify customers
with a buy button inside the messaging stream – no
need to circle back to the website to check out.
Don’t make your customers remember awkward IDs and
complex passwords. New mobile identity and security
solutions offer one-step sign-ins using the customer’s
cell phone number. The phone number in this case is an
ID and a real-time verification method. Better security,
better experience.
Offer visual signals of security
"Frictionless" experiences also need to be safe
experiences. Digital and mobile conversations must be
secure and private, often by law. Offer features such as
mobile badges that confirm callers’ identities. When
customers feel secure, they’re much more likely to engage.
Founding partner,
Uncommon CX
“As with so many aspects of great
CX, the key is transparency — setting
consumer expectations upfront, and
managing any changes to availability/
delivery times if things change. Keeping
customers in the loop is key, however
long the wait — whether it’s a year for
your Aston Martin, with updated films
on the craft of manufacture, or a few
minutes for your Domino’s, with the app
letting you track your pizza.”

87%
Keeping customers in the
of customers want mobile badges loop is key, however long
that confirm a caller's identity' the wait
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Hello "blended" experiences CASE STUDY

We’ve all been talking about "omni-channel" for

years, but 2022 is taking the concept further. This is the heart of modern WHAT IF?
Rather than thinking of meeting customers in one CX: retaining the best
particular channel, we should think of all channels,
all the time. Why? Customers can jump from one to
of human conversations
another, starting a conversation in Messenger and while scaling digital What if you were able
finishing it on a video call. It’s a seamless, blended transformation and to visit the store in
experience that combines the best of automated,
AI-driven chatbots with the personal service of a conversational AI. Multiplatform AI support and person, but complete
human interaction. service to improve customer the purchase on your
satisfaction and efficiency phone if the lines
Customers using the BizBike e-bike were too long?
service can get immediate help on their
Just because your customer contacts
mobile devices. Common requests,
you in one channel doesn’t mean you which make up 30% of engagements,
have to stay in that lane. are made through chat conversations
with an AI chatbot, freeing up live
Fred is touring a rural part of Belgium on an e-bike
rental when the motor malfunctions, leaving him
stuck on a backcountry road. He pulls out his mobile
E-BIKES agents to support customers with more
complex problems. Just two months
after implementing its conversational
phone and goes to the e-bike company’s website, messaging solution, BizBike has
where their chatbot assistant pops up to greet exchanged 54,000 messages with
him. She asks how she can help. Fred jumps at the customers, saved 40 hours a month, and
chance to get immediate assistance and replies, Hi! how can we help? increased their NPS score two points.

75%
“The motor on my bike stopped working. I’m stuck

40
on the side of the road somewhere!”

The chatbot can begin the conversation with

Fred, get some basic information, and understand The motor on my bike stopped say it’s useful
that his problem requires the care of a human working. I’m stuck on the side
representative. Fred is quickly connected to a live of the road somewhere! hours a month saved
agent who provides concierge services to get him
safely back to his hotel.
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And it’s not just about smoothing the customer

experience. Smarter digital solutions help Have you ever interacted with a chatbot?
businesses deploy resources where they’re really
needed. Rather than processing repetitive,
routine queries (which can be easily handled by
a chatbot), companies can ensure their valuable
human resources are on hand to support 100%
customers in person.

Interactions with chatbots are definitely on the rise, with

76% having interacted with one in 2021 (up from 51% in
2020). Of these, over half like the immediate availability
of an automated response. However, chatbots
should not be viewed as a standalone solution. 76%
Nearly everyone still wants the option of moving from
messaging chat to voice call to resolve complex
issues. By automating routine responses, we can more
easily free up the resources to handle these queries.

51%
50%
WHAT IF? 48%

What if you could switch

instantly from a messaging
chat to a voice call?

95%
say it’s useful
2019 2020 2021
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CASE STUDY

Empowering customers through

self-service messaging

50%
For Salud Digna, a medical lab network in Mexico, testing requests
soared during the pandemic. The company deployed a WhatsApp
chatbot to speed lab results to patients, answer routine questions
(e.g., “What’s the wait time in the office right now?”), and reduce
visits to the lab. Time spent fielding live calls dropped 50%. 

"The WhatsApp virtual assistant enables us to quickly address reduction in time spent
common questions that previously would have resulted in an in-person fielding live calls
patient visit,” says Pedro Josue Vidal Moreno, Digital Laboratory
Manager at Salud Digna. “Providing these highly responsive
communications through WhatsApp is much faster than having
to provide the same information in-person or over the phone.”

The WhatsApp virtual assistant enables us to quickly

address common questions that previously would
have resulted in an in-person patient visit
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04
From billions of
touchpoints to a single,
human connection

Businesses now have countless ways to notify,

remind, engage, and entertain

See conclusion
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In 2022, the challenge is to convert interest

to action. Here’s what it will take to get there: 

1 3
Give customers more control
over their experiences
Offer them insights to help them make better decisions.
Build trust as critical “currency”
in digital interactions
Customers will adopt new experiences if they
feel brands have their best interests in mind. 

2 4
Move from reactive to proactive Remove needless friction in
digital and mobile engagements
Don’t wait for problems to pop up; get ahead of the
conversation with in-the-moment solutions that add real value. 
Use innovative new technologies to speed sign-ups,
reduce channel barriers, and scale up conversations. 

Activating more and more of these real-time experiences across channels

and platforms will ultimately drive deeper, more profitable connections with
customers. And like any worthwhile relationship, it takes time.
This report only scratches the surface
of all the findings from Sinch’s 2022 study.
We’ve got so much more to share with you!

In each industry report, to be published in 2022,

Sinch will dive into much more granular details
specific to banking, healthcare, retail, and tech.

Visit sinch.com to learn more