We’re not just scratching the surface of B2B customer experience in this infographic of the week. By going directly to the buyers themselves and asking them what constitutes an exceptional experience, we’re ascending to previously unexplored levels of CX management.
The analysis and infographic below are taken from B2B Marketing’s latest report CXcellence: How to achieve CX success in B2B.
Is the customer experience that important?
For starters, let’s examine just how important CX is for the B2B buyer. A conclusive 96% of buyers state customer experience directly affects their decision to buy again. It’s a stat that irrevocably underlines the importance of delivering good CX, which is further cemented by the fact that 47% of respondents said not delivering on promises is the biggest reason for ending or not renewing a contract.
A telling 70% of B2B marketers say creating an excellent customer experience is a top priority. However, taking into account the reluctant 30% who don’t view CX as a significant deliverable, 84% state they’ll be placing more emphasis on CX in the next 12 months.
And for those failing to deliver a good customer experience? Over half (53%) of marketers surveyed admit they can lose up to 50% of their customers as a result of bad CX, with only 12% declaring they don’t lose any.
How to get your foot in the CX door
Now, we’ve all heard the ‘X% of a prospect’s journey is already completed before they get to sales’ stat, and our research comprehensively supports this. Straight from the horse’s mouth, 79% of buyers are already aware of at least three potential suppliers at the very beginning of the buying process, and 28% didn’t look to identify any additional suppliers.
It confirms what we all knew: the customer experience is just as important right at the start of the buying process as it is during any other point. And, although this might sound theatrical, it also confirms how competitive and unforgiving the B2B battleground can be.
Furthermore, only 14% of buyers have absolutely no preference before making a detailed supplier evaluation. That’s an extremely small number of untapped prospects to try and attract.
So, how exactly can you convince that remaining 86% who have a supplier preference to abandon their prepossessions and go into business with you? And the answer is human interaction. When asked what the most influential CX factors are in their decision-making, 32% of buyers cite meeting with suppliers, 17% say talking to colleagues and peers, and 13% cite opinions of industry analysts.
