The COVID-19 health crisis has shifted the relationship between customers and businesses to an unprecedented extent. Customers are approaching businesses with shifted expectations and needs. Understanding the new CX environment is vital to surviving the COVID-19 period and thriving afterwards, and this adjustment must be made quickly to adapt to the shift. Resonate Solutions has identified four main customer personas emerging during the COVID-19 crisis to give a high-level view of the new CX environment.
Customer behaviour is increasingly unpredictable but can be clustered into understandable personas. Key COVID-19 concerned customer personas identified from a cross-industry analysis of Resonate data are the Health Focused and Concerned, Hopeful but Unconvinced, Cautious Promoters, and Satisfied Customers.
Both Health Focused and Concerned and Hopeful but Unconvinced personas give low NPS scores due to their perception of the companies COVID-19 response.
1. Health Focused and Concerned
Health Focused and Concerned customers are worried about risk of infection and general cleanliness during the transaction or when on company ground. They are sensitive to perceptions of unsanitary conditions when they visit. This customer persona is likely to be found in any industry where providing sanitary conditions throughout the customer experience are expected.
2. Hopeful but Unconvinced
Hopeful but Unconvinced customers are generally waiting for an active response to the pandemic from their service providers. They provide a high potential to create promoters if their concerns are addressed satisfactorily but will contribute to churn until then.
3. Satisfied Customers
Satisfied Customers see the bright side of the experience, whether online or in-store: this persona appreciates the company’s efforts to provide a safe experience while not adding unnecessarily to the COVID-19 information barrage.
4. Concerned Customers
Concerned Customers are similar, but express worry that externalities such as government action and international supply chain disruption will impair their customer experience.
Build customer experiences around pain-point personas to make the most of resources. Recognising customer personas that can be addressed to create more promoters and reduce churn will maximise scarce CX resources through this period. Recognising the unique challenge personas in your industry provides a voice to customers most likely to promote or detract from your business during and after the pandemic period.
Prepare for shifts between the personas as the crisis evolves. As the crisis unfolds, these personas will evolve to reflect the successes or challenges of individual company’s CX responses. Continuing to monitor customer feedback through this framework is vital for companies to evaluate and build their responses. Industry leaders through and after the pandemic will be companies that proactively address these personas to create promoters.
Read more in our whitepaper – Creating customer experience opportunity through COVID-19
