Over 95% of India consumers expect firms to deploy new tech: Salesforce study

More than 95% of Indian customers expect companies to use new technologies to create better experiences, said a study by customer relationship management (CRM) software firm Salesforce.

While 96% of customers in India expect companies to use new technologies to create better experiences, 90% of customers are open to using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve their experiences, the study noted.

According to the study, customer expectations were changing in terms of engagement with companies because of the influence of technologies. It said that 89% of customers in the country expect companies to interact with them in real time.

The San Francisco-based CRM giant said that within five seconds or in three clicks, half of all customers expect to find information for what they are looking for.

AI and the Internet of Things (IoT) will help companies offer differentiated products for which the customers are often willing to pay a premium, Salesforce said.

“Technological innovations have changed the face of modern customer engagement. Today's customers are more selective about which brands they place their trust in. Companies that put trust and customer experience at the heart of their engagements gain competitive differentiation,” said Sunil Jose, senior vice-president and country leader, Salesforce India. 

Salesforce said that, in the fourth industrial revolution, technology and ethics are intertwined, with customers expecting companies to operate in a way that advances causes such as equal rights, philanthropy and sustainability.

As customers get more empowered and gain awareness, a company’s corporate values become vital in influencing buying decisions, the study said. It also found that 69% of Indian customers will not buy from a company that doesn’t value equality.

The study said that trust has become a more nuanced quality in an era marked by security vulnerabilities. More than two-thirds of customers in India have stopped buying from a company that did something distrustful, with 51% of customers agreeing that firms don’t care about the security of their data.