‘Know us’, 92% of UAE consumers tell brands – News

UAE consumers rate healthcare and government services as top customer experiences

Almost all UAE consumers expect commercial brands to understand and cater to their individual needs, according to a report released today by digital workflow company ServiceNow.

The study – which researchers interviewed 13,000 adults in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), including 1,000 in the UAE – reveals the key success factors for brands in the country to compete to deliver the best customer experience. Some 92% of respondents said it was important for brands to know them.

The findings come at a time when brand loyalty is at an all-time low – 91% of consumers surveyed in the UAE (15 percentage points higher than the EMEA average) said they are now less loyal to brands than they were two years ago. Almost four One in three (23%) attributed this to a disappointing experience.

“Some of the findings were not surprising,” Ali Kaddoura, GCC Country Manager, ServiceNow, said of the report, which revealed that 93% of UAE consumers expect seamless service and 94% expect customers to Service reps are able to resolve issues with ease. “But what’s really striking is that more consumers than ever expect their brands to actually understand them and cater to their individual preferences.”

When asked about specific expectations, the researchers found that 79% of the UAE sample population said it was important for brands to remain aware of shoppers’ buying habits. 86% say companies should keep their preferred communication channels in mind. Nearly everyone (91%) is asking for personalized discounts, and 86% are urging brands to showcase tailored recommendations during engagement sessions.

ServiceNow Middle East and Africa Vice President Mark Ackerman (left) and GCC Country Manager Ali Kadulla. — Photo provided

“Given the tech-savvy tendencies of the UAE consumer base, we found it interesting that consumers here have a technology-based motivation to be loyal to a brand,” Kaddoura said, citing a finding that 86 percent, or 15 percent, 100% above the EMEA average, citing it as important for brands to provide a customer experience powered by the latest technology. Nearly the same number (85%, 21 percentage points higher than the EMEA average) said they were likely to be more loyal to brands that invest in technology to provide a better customer experience.

“Whether we’re zeroing in on consumers’ direct calls for better technology, or hinting at their calls for it through their urges for a more personalized experience, it’s clear that UAE organizations need better technology,” Kaddoura said. “Brands must invest in a unified underlying technology platform for all enterprise digital workflows, enabling them to maximize the value of existing technology investments and connect siled systems, departments and processes.”

He advises brands in the UAE to focus on two industries that rank highly for customer experience – healthcare and government.

“Think about the UAE government’s implementation of UAE Pass, a trusted identity system,” he added, “or its response to the Covid crisis, starting with lockdown management and ending with an app-driven vaccine rollout – all of these Driven by technology. Let’s not forget about the country’s healthcare system and how it has used technology to bounce back under the pressures Leveraging technology to deliver an exceptional customer experience.”

ServiceNow’s Customer Experience Report reveals more than just what consumers think about their experience. In the ESG era, consumers are also concerned about how brands treat their employees. A majority (91%) of UAE respondents said it was important to them, with three quarters saying they would be less likely to work with a company if they knew its employees were unhappy.

“We often talk about the connection between employee experience and customer experience, but this latest study really speaks to it,” said Mark Ackerman, ServiceNow’s regional vice president for the Middle East and Africa. It’s invigorating to somehow start to realize that we’re all consumers, but we’re all employees too. We can’t just provide consumers with a great experience; we also have to make sure our internal “consumers” are happy — Whether it’s through better pay and benefits, or through better technology and resources, or through better development opportunities. Today, if you ignore any of these, your brand loyalty will suffer. The data tells us. “