‘Responsive customer service key to Pinoys’ brand loyalty’

SINGAPORE – A brand’s ability to quickly respond to inquiries is critical to earning Filipino consumers’ loyalty, according to software company Twilio.

Based on findings of Twilio’s 2024 State of Customer Engagement Report, Filipino consumers rank responsive customer service as the second most effective way to earn their loyalty, next to offering quality products or services.

Robert Woolfrey, vice president of sales for Asia-Pacific and Japan at Twilio said in a media briefing that another report, the Twilio Consumer Preferences Study 2024, showed consumers in APJ are looking for convenience, trust and speed when engaging with brands.

He said 86 percent of consumers in the region expect brands to use their preferred communication channels, while 56 percent will refrain from purchasing from brands they do not trust.

In terms of speed, 54 percent want faster response times from brands.

“They want a response within one hour of actually reaching out to a brand,” he said.

Unfortunately, majority of brands are missing this mark, with just 31 percent of Asia-Pacific consumers saying brands meet their response time expectations.

Twilio found that 53 percent of consumers will opt to go for another brand due to slow response times.

On the other hand, 39 percent of brands in Asia-Pacific that make rapid communication a priority have seen higher customer retention rates, showing the importance of responsiveness for businesses to succeed.

“The ability to build and maintain trust while personalizing to the customer’s needs is most important or vital to the success of businesses here in Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific. And companies who win create personalized experiences,” Woolfrey said.

To help brands communicate effectively with customers, Twilio is providing businesses with tools.

In the Philippines, Woolfrey said Twilio is working with Union Bank of the Philippines by providing solutions for the bank’s contact center.

Christopher Connolly, senior manager for solutions engineering for APJ at Twilio said the company is able to help UnionBank reduce handling time of consumer concerns using customer information.

“Behind that is something we call a task router. And so a task router looks at any of the information that we know about the user and then can prioritize it in real time,” he said.

Typically, he said organizations Twilio work with are able to reduce handling time by 20 to 25 percent.

As consumer expectations continue to evolve, Twilio said it will continue to empower businesses with the tools to effectively engage with customers.