The hidden costs of unclear B2C communications

What does unclear communication look like?

Unclear communication can take several forms.

It might be a letter or an email with a block (or a few blocks) of text, which causes readers to lose interest. There might not be any call-to-action. If there are, they might be hidden in the text or laid out in such a way that they don't catch the readers' eye. Additionally, black-and-white printing might save you money, but customers might ignore or miss something important in the communication because it wasn't attention-grabbing.

In their own words: customers share thoughts on unclear communications

Our recent report, Message matters: what consumers want from their banking communications, revealed how customers act when they receive unclear communications.

Nearly two-thirds of consumers (61%) said they trust their financial institutions much more when communications are clear. When they receive unclear communications, they reported feeling frustrated. Some customers will even switch financial institutions if they continue receiving unclear communications. This behavior is more common among Millennials and Gen Z. As Millennials and Gen Z age and inherit their parents' wealth, they'll become a powerful market segment. Financial institutions can't afford to alienate them.

Costly customer behavior: turning to contact centers

Our research also revealed most customers will call your most expensive customer support channel when they receive an unclear communication. Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z survey respondents stated they'd reach out to the contact center if they receive a communication that they didn't understand.

Voice calls require the highest amount of labor out of any customer support channel. They're not scalable. And in fields such as finance and insurance, handle time is longer because situations are more complex and because of high-risk customer outcomes if the agent doesn't handle the interaction properly.

Clear communications, with attention-grabbing calls-to-action and color printing that catches the eye, give customers the information they need so they can avoid calling the contact center.

Costly customer behavior: ignoring communications

Let's say you send a bill. The information on how to pay it is buried in the text. The due date is printed in a small font that doesn't catch anyone's eye. What does the customer do? Ignore the bill, because they're not sure when they need to pay it.

Not only are you losing revenue because customers aren't paying their bills on time, but you're also spending money on sending out repeated notices. If the bill had an eye-catching layout or had been printed in color the first time, the customer would have understood when to pay their bill.

Lower communications costs with clear communications

Unclear communications come with hidden costs that can quickly add up. Those costs can be more than financial; they can come in the form of lost trust. Clear communications, conversely, foster strong, trusting customer relationships.

To learn how to eliminate the hidden costs of unclear B2C communications, contact us.