Designing for Dignity: Why South Africans Value Empathy Over Speed.

Customer experience isn’t just about what gets done. It’s about how it feels while it’s happening.

That may sound simple, even obvious. But in a CX world increasingly driven by automation, efficiency metrics, and self-service tools, “how it feels” is often treated as a bonus, not a baseline. In South Africa, that’s a mistake.

The Local Standard: Dignity First, Always

Our 2025 study shows that South African consumers measure service in more than speed or tech. What tops their list?

• Cleanliness and upkeep
• Friendly, professional staff
• Knowledgeable, helpful responses

These are hygiene factors - not delight moments. But when they’re missing, everything else falls flat. In global markets, “delight” is often framed as surprise and delight. Here, delight starts with dignity.

Consumers don’t want extravagance. They want to feel taken seriously. Seen. Spoken to properly. Helped without hassle.

Or in plain terms? They want things to be lekker.

Not Just Warmth - It’s a Strategic Signal

One of the clearest patterns in our data was around empathy. In industries like healthcare, telecoms, and financial services, empathy scores consistently fell below expectations even when issues were resolved. The message? Politeness without presence doesn’t land.

And critically, empathy isn’t just a soft skill. It’s a design principle.

We’ve seen empathy show up in:

• The tone of automated responses
• Scripts that acknowledge frustration
• Systems that guide, instead of confuse
• Staff that are trained to listen, not just log

Brands that embed care into the customer journey, not as an add-on, but as part of the core flow, see longer retention, better feedback, and more trust across touchpoints.

Younger Consumers Still Want Real Connection

Another myth worth busting: that digital-native generations don’t need the human element.

Our research tells a different story.

Even among the youngest age group (18–27), when the stakes are high - money, contracts, emotions - the preference is clear: they want a human.

As one participant put it:

“I just want someone to take it seriously, not send me a link.”

It’s not resistance to technology. It’s a demand for accountability. And it runs across age, income, and region.

What This Means for CX Teams

If you’re building journeys, designing scripts, or training staff - empathy needs to be built in from the start.

That means:

• Allowing space for emotion in high-stakes moments
• Training teams not just to handle tasks, but to hold space
• Rewriting scripts to sound more human, and less like policy parrots
• Using digital tools to reassure , not replace, the emotional connection

In South Africa, service is a deeply relational act. When the interaction feels cold, rushed, or dismissive, customers don’t escalate. They disconnect.

Final Thought

Empathy is the single most undervalued and underdelivered component of CX in South Africa.

And yet, it’s also the most memorable. The most human. The most enduring.

When brands treat empathy as design infrastructure, not just training content, they don’t just improve service.

They change how people feel about being customers at all.

Want the full study?

Download CX Is Local to access all the insights, data, and design principles that are reshaping experience in South Africa — from feedback loops to personalisation, and everything in between.