Customer first. Customer obsessed. Global Customer Experience Excellence report, 2019 kpmg.com/customerfirst The quality of customer Businesses are finally coming to Three sectors dominate the experiences are improving around grips with escalating customer 2019 hall of fame. First place the world. All countries researched expectations, as new rankings are occupied by: in 2018 have seen an uplift in organization models emerge and Financial Services, Travel & their overall Customer Experience firms become more agile by Hotels and Retail. Excellence (CEE) score this year. deconstructing silos. 6 New entrants globally are In six markets, the number one The battle lines for ‘platform wars’’ redefining the way experiences ranked brand holds the position are being drawn as organizations are delivered and are solving for a second consecutive year. create an ‘operating system’ for life problems rather than just retail that includes an entire eco- selling products. system of technologies, partners, sophisticated supply chain and delivery management. 10% Personalization drives loyalty in The top-ranked brand in each Personalization as an approach is 18 out of 20 markets. In a world market typically outperforms becoming increasingly anticipative – of mass marketing and mass the respective market as firms use advanced analytics to reach production, consumers still want to average score for each pillar out to customers before they even feel unique. Firms that play to this by around 10%. realize they have a need. Relevance and with mass customization – through cut-through are becoming the drivers their platforms – are winning out. of purchase decisions. Integrity drives advocacy in 14 Integrity is rooted in the purpose Empathy appears to be the out of 20 markets. Consumers of the organization. Firms most challenging pillar. are concerned about trusting with a strong sense of purpose On average, performance is half organizations and, in particular, what are attracting generation Z, a point lower than across the they do with their data. This will limit millennials and baby boomers, as remaining five pillars. the amount of personalization firms environmental and social concerns are able to achieve. increase in many countries. 4 Customer first. Customer obsessed Winning this battle for an ever-evolving consumer requires deep, holistic insight; a willingness to design distinctive, personalized and – critically – intentional customer experiences and then, crucially, the ability to execute these experiences across the life cycle of the customer throughout the organization. Foreword It requires all layers of an organization to be obsessed with the customer. Obsession describes an idea or Everything about the thought that continually intrudes upon customer is changing – the mind. For leading organizations, motivations, connections, the customer continually pervades their thinking. Serving customers by expectations, time and solving their problems and meeting purchasing power. Life their changing needs is their raison events are less predictable d’être, their motivation and their than they were in the past. enduring quest. Organizations that don’t I believe there are three defining and competitively advantageous detect these shifts, and fail characteristics of customer to build strategies based obsessed organizations: on the new realities and They are customer first: they put lives of the customers their customers at the heart of their they serve, will struggle strategy, planning and execution and to remain relevant in continually ask “what does this mean to my customers?”, “what is the today’s marketplace. impact on my customers?” and “how will my customers respond?” © 2019 KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”). KPMG International provides no client services and is a Swiss entity with which the independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated. Customer first. Customer obsessed 5 They are insight driven: these companies know their customers at a deep and profound level, they know their physical and their psychological needs and, as a consequence, they craft market leading propositions. They are continually listening to customer feedback in real time and choreographing experiences that are It requires all layers of an organization inspirational and motivational. to be obsessed with the customer. They practice customer foresight to Obsession describes an idea or thought anticipate customer needs: many are organized around the customer, with that continually intrudes upon the mind. ‘test and learn’ a way of life. They are For leading organizations, the customer organized to respond quickly and to execute efficiently and effectively, continually pervades their thinking.” so that in many cases they meet the need just as the customer realizes they have one. Leading companies’ obsession These firms are breaking away from with building long term customer the pack because they have built firm relationships generates a foundations for success by cultivating customer focused mind-set that the right internal capabilities. They penetrates strategic thinking and are distinguishable by the degree to operational reality. which their customer experience (CX) efforts are integrated and connected. In this report we look at four lenses of The boundaries between their front customer obsession and how these and back offices are blurring and they translate to market success: are intimately close to their customers The purpose of the organization, its and driven to innovate by the insights brand and how it is lived internally so they gain. They are structuring their it is felt authentically externally; how businesses in new and exciting ways greater potential can be unlocked and, in the process, they are within its teams for the betterment of delighting their customers and the consumer – and ultimately creating lifelong fans. the business. These customer obsessed The products, services and organizations see customer propositions that the firm develops experience as a source of commercial in response to its customers’ needs, value; not just a differentiator versus the supply chain and supporting competition (although it certainly is partnership eco system that supports that) but a mechanism for superior rapid product delivery. profitability. The net result? Customer obsession results in a sustainable Customer interaction management source of financial value for and the use of predictive analysis shareholders and owners. to anticipate customer needs, the supporting systems, technologies and support services required to deliver a seamless experience. The organizational design model, its closeness to the customer and the degree to which the front, middle and back office are connected. We have incorporated our research findings from 2,075 brands across Julio Hernandez 20 countries, regions and jurisdictions, sharing the experiences of leaders Head of Global Customer Center of Excellence, who are customer obsessed and KPMG International, making real progress transforming US Customer Advisory Lead, their businesses and, in the process, KPMG in the US enhancing their customers’ lives and gaining competitive advantage. © 2019 KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”). KPMG International provides no client services and is a Swiss entity with which the independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated. 6 Customer first. Customer obsessed Contents Introduction 01 About the research 08 The Six Pillars 10 2019 hall of fame 02 The leading brands from 12 the research The four lenses of 03 customer obsession The power of purpose 14 Spotlight on: Singapore 16 Airlines (SIA) Products, services and 18 propositions Spotlight on: Zalando 20 Customer interaction 22 management Spotlight on: Edward Jones 24 Customer oriented 26 business models Spotlight on: Monzo 30 © 2019 KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”). KPMG International provides no client services and is a Swiss entity with which the independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated. Customer first. Customer obsessed 7 Industry view 04 Air travel 34 Romania 78 Telecoms 36 Singapore 80 Grocery retail 38 Slovakia 82 Hotels and hospitality 40 United Kingdom 84 Insurance 42 United States 86 Banking 44 Market overviews Further information 05 Australia 48 06 KPMG contributors 88 Austria 50 Methodology and terminology 90 Brazil 52 How KPMG can help 91 Czech Republic 54 Denmark 56 France 58 Germany 60 Hong Kong (S.A.R), China 62 Italy 64 Luxembourg 66 Mexico 68 Netherlands 70 New Zealand 72 Norway 74 Poland 76 © 2019 KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”). KPMG International provides no client services and is a Swiss entity with which the independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated. 8 Customer first. Customer obsessed Last year we expanded our research around the globe, and have continued this year by taking in the views of more than 84,000 consumers across 20 markets. The research for this report was conducted via an online survey About the methodology, completed Q1-Q2 2019. A nationally representative consumer sample was targeted for each market, to be representative in terms of age and gender, whilst also targeting regional representation. research To participate in the research, and to be able to respond to questions on a specific company, respondents must For the last decade, our have interacted with that company in member firm professionals the last 6 months. An interaction is have been asking defined as making a purchase, using