SDL Survey on CXM Reveals Product Information Essential to Creating a Great Customer Experience

Dec. 17, 2012 - PRLog -- SDL (http://www.sdl.com/) (LSE: SDL), the leading provider of Global Information Management solutions, today released a survey (http://www.sdl.com/campaign/sct/cxm-market-survey.html) report that uncovers new findings about the importance of product content in customer experience management (CXM) (http://www.sdl.com/solutions/business-need/global-customer-experience-management/) and why interactive, contextually-aware, multimedia product information is a must-have in any customer engagement strategy.

Product information – whether that’s user manuals, how-to guides, or installation and troubleshooting guides – has always been considered a staple component in any customer purchasing experience. Yet little research has been done to analyze exactly how users access and leverage product information, and how it influences their perception of a product or brand.

The survey, which was conducted online among 1,000 adult consumers in the United States, demonstrates the impact that high-quality product information can have on the customer experience. The majority of respondents agreed that high-quality product content is essential to good customer service (82 percent), makes it easier to solve service problems on their own (87 percent), and improves their impression of a product or brand (79 percent). The survey also reveals:

·        * How product information is being used: Most respondents stated they use  product information to learn more about a new product before they use it, while  others use it to troubleshoot. The remaining group use product information to  discover new functions and features.

·         * How consumers access product content: When searching for product information,  respondents stated that they most frequently turn to the manufacturer’s website  or a search engine, such as Google or Bing, to find content.

·         * How consumers feel about user-generated content: When it comes to younger  consumers (aged 18 – 24), content found on forums, news groups and wiki sites  is a significant source of trusted product information. This group was most likely  to turn to user-generated content for product information, compared to a mere 5  percent (aged 55-64) who said they did.

Additional findings are available in the full survey report, titled “Measuring the Importance of Product Content in Customer Experience Management”:www.sdl.com/cxm-survey (http://www.sdl.com/campaign/sct/cxm-survey.html).

“This survey validates our belief that high-quality product content plays a critical role in improving the customer experience,” said Jan Jaap Kolleman, CEO of SDL Content Technologies Division. “Taking the time and effort to deliver valuable and relevant content is a win-win situation—it helps businesses enhance brand loyalty, while enabling consumers to get the most out of their purchases.” SDL conducted the survey in August 2012 to uncover important trends about the ways customers use product information, and the role that product content plays in the customer experience. To qualify, respondents had to indicate they use product information both at work and at home.

About SDL
SDL enables global businesses to engage with their customers in the language, the media and at the moment they choose. We help businesses manage their brands, drive global revenues, accelerate speed to market and enrich their customers’ experience. SDL’s enterprise-ready innovative technology and service solutions span the entire customer journey and include social listening and marketing analytics, campaign management, language management and services, video and written content creation, web content management, dynamic technical documentation publication and eCommerce. SDL solutions drive global reach across multiple languages, cultures, channels and media. SDL has over 1,500 enterprise customers, 400 partners and a global infrastructure of 70 offices in 38 countries. For more information,  visit www.sdl.com.