Almost half (49%) of consumers believe that they will not have to pay for their media services by 2025, according to a new Xerox State of Customer Service in 2015 survey.
This is regardless if they prefer traditional media (48%) such as film, TV, music, radio, news and sports outlets established in the pre-internet age or new digital media (47%), such as social media, which exists exclusively online.
Today, 43% of consumers pay to access their favourite media outlets. Two thirds (66%) 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 ten years.
The report asked 6,000 media consumers in France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States 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%) 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 included the following:
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% likely to switch over the next 12 months.
The battle for privacy vs personalisation: Half (51%) 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 personalization from their media provider.
Digital contact or the call center?: New media users will turn to website self-help (20%) and email (18%) before contacting the call centre (16%). 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.”