Why your assumptions might be costing you loyalty, and what to do instead
If you’re still designing your CX strategy around what you think South African consumers want , it’s time to pause.
Because in our latest report, “CX Is Local,” the data told a different story. Not just once, but again and again. Across age groups, income levels, and sectors, South Africans challenged some of the most common assumptions we hear in boardrooms and brainstorms.
They told us what really matters.
They showed us how they choose.
And in many cases, it wasn’t what we expected.
Here are six CX myths our data quietly, but definitively , dismantled.
Myth 1: Young people want everything digital.
Reality: They want human help when it counts.
Yes, South Africa has one of the youngest, most mobile-savvy populations in the world. But when the moment feels emotional or risky, like cancelling a service, signing a contract, or resolving a billing error even digital natives want a person.
In our study, 18–27-year-olds preferred human interaction in high-stakes moments at the same rate as older groups.
Takeaway: Digital maturity doesn’t erase the need for human trust. Design your journeys with escalation paths and human backup, especially when money, emotion, or uncertainty are involved.
Myth 2: Low feedback means high satisfaction.
Reality: Silence signals disengagement, not delight.
24% of South Africans told us they didn’t share their last bad experience with anyone. No call. No tweet. No review.
That’s not good news. It’s a warning sign. When customers stop complaining, they don’t stop caring, they stop believing you’ll change.
“Why complain if it won’t change anything?” Township-based respondent, 28–43 age group
Takeaway: Don’t chase more feedback. Design systems that make it feel worth giving, at the right time, in the right tone, through the right channel.
Myth 3: Personalisation is creepy.
Reality: Only when it’s not earned.
64% of customers say they prefer brands that tailor experiences. But 53% feel uncomfortable with how their data is used.
This isn’t a contradiction. It’s a condition. Consumers want to be known, but only when it feels mutual, purposeful, and helpful.
Trust lifted comfort with data sharing by 11%.
And customers were twice as likely to accept personalised offers from brands they trusted.
Takeaway: Relevance without trust feels invasive. With trust, it feels like service. Ask for less. Explain more. And personalise with purpose, not presumption.
Myth 4: Channel strategy is about age.
Reality: It’s about task, emotion, and confidence.
Forget the generational divide. The real signal in channel behaviour is contextual fit.
Channel friction isn't a tech issue. It’s a trust issue.
Takeaway: Build flexibility into your CX stack. Offer choice, but more importantly, offer fit. A chatbot should never be a dead end.
Myth 5: Empathy is a nice-to-have.
Reality: It’s a growth lever.
Across industries, empathy consistently scored lower than professionalism or speed, and customers noticed.
Telecom staff empathy? Just 4.78/10.
Public sector interactions? Often described as “cold” or “dismissive,” even when resolved.
But where empathy showed up , in tone, acknowledgement, or just slowing down enough to care , trust rose. So did retention.
Takeaway: Empathy doesn’t slow you down. It scales when baked into design, scripts, and systems. And it’s the one thing customers remember when things go wrong.
Myth 6: South Africans are too price-sensitive for CX to matter.
Reality: They’ll pay more for service that feels fair.
56% of respondents said they’d switch to a more expensive provider for better service. And that pattern held across all income levels , even among those earning under R55,000/year.
Why? Because value isn’t just price. It’s effort. It’s clarity. It’s dignity.
Takeaway: In South Africa, great CX isn’t a luxury feature. It’s a fairness signal. And when you get it right, price becomes negotiable, but poor service isn’t.
So What Should You Do With These Truths?
Here’s the short version:
Because in South Africa, it does.
Want the full story?
Download the full CX Is Local report for more data, real-world examples, and CX frameworks designed for South African context.