49% consumers believe media services free by 2025
December 10, 2015
A Xerox State of Customer Service in 2015 survey reveals that almost half (49 per cent) of consumers believe that they will not have to pay for their media services by 2025 – regardless if they prefer traditional media (48 per cent) such as film, TV, music, radio, news and sports outlets established in the pre-Internet age or new digital media (47 per cent), such as social media, which exists exclusively online.
Today, 43 per cent of consumers pay to access their favorite media outlets. Two thirds (66 per cent) of these high-value, paid subscription media consumers disagree that the quality media they have become accustomed to will be available for free in the coming 10 years.
The report asked 6,000 media consumers in France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the US to reveal the status of media in their lives, finding that dependency on the channel through which most of today’s media is consumed, the Internet, is not set to waver in the next decade. In fact, over two thirds (69 per cent) of consumers predict that access to the Internet will become a basic human right in a decade’s time.
“With smartphones and tablet devices becoming our constant companions, consumption of media services is exploding,” said Greg Schoenbaum, Media Industry Leader at Xerox. “Whether online, TV, radio, or social media – these services are becoming central to our everyday lives.”
Other trends revealed by the report include:
• New media users more satisfied: New media consumers are generally more enthusiastic about recommending media services, with a Net Promoter Score (NPS)[1] of +28.5 compared to traditional media’s +14.8. The most loyal new media customers are those who pay a subscription, with only 6 per cent likely to switch over the next 12 months.
• The battle for privacy vs personalisation: Half (51 per cent) of traditional media consumers are still uncomfortable with media brands’ use of their personal data. They are also nearly twice as likely as new media consumers to perceive that they receive no personalisation from their media provider.
• Digital contact or the call centre?: New media users will turn to website self-help (20 per cent) and email (18 per cent) before contacting the call centre (16 per cent). Users of traditional media outlets however, are twice as likely to use the call centre than their new media counterparts.
“As this survey shows, many of us are increasingly expecting these media outlets to be provided free, while at the same time demanding customer service via the channel of our choice, from brands that can show they understand us,” said Schoenbaum. “In order to provide this standard of service, brands should ensure they are providing the communication channels that suit their customer base best – whether that’s the call centre, email or digital self-help. The consumer may just have to pay them more for it.”