Regardless of the well-expressed expectations of at the moment’s customers, manufacturers and companies are understandably hesitant to take sides on hot-button societal points, however new analysis from comms large Ruder Finn brings these leaders and corporations some much-sought elucidation—the agency’s newest survey finds they don’t essentially must explicitly outline a place on a polarizing difficulty, however can nonetheless engender positivity just by demonstrating that they’re listening.
The agency’s new report, Collaboration & Consensus: Do Customers Really feel Heard?, questions whether or not customers really feel listened to by manufacturers, and the way a lot customers really need to hear from manufacturers on public points—and exhibits how lively listening will help firms higher have interaction customers in a fragmented world.
Key findings included:
Customers need to be heard
Most customers (57 p.c) actively have interaction with manufacturers both by way of on-line commenting or direct outreach.
Folks need manufacturers to indicate that they’re listening
Almost all (93 p.c) customers imagine that manufacturers ought to react to public opinion.
However listening doesn’t imply agreeing
Virtually half (43 p.c) of customers say they’d really feel {that a} model listens to them—even when the model took an opposing stance on a public difficulty—so long as the corporate demonstrated that it heard their viewpoint.
Engagement breeds positivity
Customers are 4 occasions extra more likely to categorical optimistic suggestions than damaging and 7 occasions extra more likely to really feel extra optimistic a couple of model after participating with them.
Folks really feel manufacturers pay attention, however can nonetheless do extra
Customers are thrice extra more likely to say manufacturers take heed to people, and 6 occasions extra more likely to say manufacturers take heed to teams. However solely about 1 in 2 say it’s straightforward to contact manufacturers, with 38 p.c of Gen Z saying it’s straightforward to contact manufacturers in comparison with 53 p.c of Millennials and 58 p.c of Gen Xers.
“The outcomes of our newest survey point out the significance of an empathetic management type that demonstrates listening when participating at the moment’s client,” mentioned Kathy Bloomgarden, CEO of Ruder Finn, in a information launch. “This analysis additionally discovered that leaders and corporations needn’t take sides on polarizing public points, however suggests they need to permit discourse between all voices, honoring each damaging and optimistic views. It’s extra vital to indicate that you just’re listening than it’s to talk out. This has important implications for at the moment’s management type and figuring out how leaders have interaction with teams with completely different opinions.”
Learn the complete report right here.
The survey’s pattern consisted of 1,000 U.S. customers ages 16 and above, who had been surveyed between December 19, 2022, and December 20, 2022. This survey was carried out and analyzed in collaboration with Full Spectrum Insights with the pattern procured utilizing the Pollfish survey supply platform.
