South African consumers were interviewed about their real experiences and expectations of 200 brands across 26 industries. The study design involves 154 variables, has 31 core measures, and tests customer experience interactions across 21 contact channels.
Dr Sarina de Beer, director of Global Products at Ask Afrika
Delivering insights annually for more than two decades on CX trends and developments, the Ask Afrika Orange Index has proven its trustworthiness and ability to keep up with societal changes. “The fact that this long standing benchmark has been around for longer than many of the brands it measures, speaks to the survey’s rigour and quality. Ask Afrika has gained amazing insights in the analyses we could track over decades. The benchmark is rightly considered the most comprehensive CX research study in South Africa, and measures, among other things, customer satisfaction, emotional satisfaction, and loyalty,” Dr Sarina de Beer, director of global products at Ask Afrika says.
What value does the Ask Afrika Orange Index deliver?
"It's important to understand that the Ask Afrika Orange Index is not a just tactical measurement only providing a ranking per industry. The survey is a localised strategic measure that directs and supports leadership decisions on customer relevance,” explains De Beer.
“The fact that it is a global benchmark localised per geographical market, makes it a really powerful tool in helping companies achieve business growth in a tough and topsy turvy economic climate.” Ultimately, the Ask Afrika Orange Index is not just an evaluation tool but a catalyst for growth and innovation, enabling businesses to deliver superior value to customers and maintain industry leadership.
To ensure the results are a true reflection of reality, they are independently audited every year by the auditing firm, BDO, and the statistical consultant and sampling specialist, Dr Ariane Neethling.
Why is benchmarking important?
The advantage of an independent benchmark study is that a company not only gets its own customer experience results. Businesses can compare their results with category competitors, or they can review the results of businesses in other categories. Sometimes leading CX is delivered by organisations that operate in completely unrelated industries. Clients can also access comparative results of at least nine years’ Ask Afrika Orange Index data. This enables a company to really investigate its CX DNA.
Any benchmarking study must stay in step with what is being measured. In 2001, the Ask Afrika Orange Index measured just seven industries and 26 companies, compared to this year's 200 brands in 26 industries. Industries and brands have been redefining themselves to best reflect customer experience, for example, banks now also offer services such as driver's license renewal, and security companies will offer access to high-speed fibre services.
Customers’ needs and expectations in terms of CX changes as their environments change. With Artificial Intelligence (AI) being an everyday reality in many people’s lives, the data have revealed a few new variables that are incredibly important for successful CX strategies.
“Humans need humans to feel human, and businesses successfully delivering CX understand that all their interactions across an omni-channel experience must be perceived and experienced as human, even when a specific interaction is digital or through AI,” De Beer mentions.
Is CX important in achieving business success?
According to De Beer, companies that focus on customer experience show an increase in revenue, are more profitable, have more engaged employees (which in turn leads to better customer experience), and build a more loyal customer base willing to pay more for products/services.
"The critical contribution that customer experience makes to business success has elevated it from simply a customer service conversation to an Exco agenda item. In this context, an independent, reliable benchmark study is critically important to clarify and support strategic decisions," concludes De Beer.
Ask Afrika has invited relevant stakeholders to attend the 2024/5 Ask Afrika Orange Index Insights Conference and Winners Announcement and will also be hosting three industry-specific workshops, unpacking the results in greater detail for each of these industries. Interested CX stakeholders that would like to attend may contact Tsholofelo Mnisi at az.oc.akirfaksa@molefolohst.
Companies that would like to obtain more information about their brand's customer experience performance in the Ask Afrika Orange Index, can contact Maria Petousis at az.oc.akirfaksa@airam.
To arrange additional interviews, please contact Faye Joubert at az.oc.akirfaksa@eyaf.
