Qualtrics, the burglar who installs alarms and remote surveillance systems?
Disappointing customer experiences could cost businesses £3 trillion by 2026. This is a real windfall for those who know how to streamline the customer journey, whether online or omnichannel, according to Qualtrics. Is this timely news?
Should we get in touch with Zig Serafin* right away?
Poor customer experiences not only damage brand loyalty and satisfaction indicators, but also have major economic consequences that impact the entire global economy. The latest global study by the Qualtrics XM Institute quantifies this impact for the first time, assessing the revenue shortfall that businesses could face in 2026 due to unsatisfactory customer experiences.
According to this survey, conducted in the third quarter of 2025 among more than 20,000 consumers worldwide, 11% of customer interactions are considered negative, and in 47% of cases, these poor experiences lead to a reduction in spending by the customers concerned. These data make it possible to estimate the total volume of sales threatened by a poor customer experience.
Calculation method: Sales at risk = % of negative experiences x % of negative experiences leading to a reduction in spending.
A global risk of £3 trillion in lost sales, down from 2024
According to estimates by the Qualtrics XM Institute, nearly $3 trillion in sales are currently at risk globally. Consumers are expected to reduce their spending by $2.075 trillion and completely stop purchasing $865 billion worth of goods and services from companies offering a customer experience deemed highly unsatisfactory.
Following in the footsteps of Jeff Bezos and Tony Hsieh
We smiled when we received a study from a publisher that has not, in the past, demonstrated rigour and care with regard to the personal data of citizens and customers. Read here about the role Qualtrics played in the Cambridge Analytica affair. But it has become commonplace in modern marketing to draw inspiration from the practices of water softener or remote surveillance system salespeople, as used by door-to-door sales teams in the late 1990s:
‘Before arriving in a town, we would organise a burglary, which would then be reported in the local press. And after instilling fear, we would send our sales teams door-to-door. We achieved incredible sales figures,’ says Franck H., an alarm sales team manager who worked in the 1990s and 2000s.
In reality, Qualtrics, which was acquired by SAP, is following in the footsteps of numerous researchers and CEOs who believed before anyone else in the decisive impact of a smooth, personalised customer experience on sales and repeat business: Tony Hsieh (Zappos), Jeff Bezos, etc.
Much has happened since the data thefts sponsored by Facebook. Let's take a look at some key figures from this study:
According to Qualtrics' analysis:
The rate of sales at risk is highest in Mexico. Mexican companies could lose up to 8% of their sales due to poor customer experiences — the highest rate among all countries studied. Japan has the lowest risk, with only 2% of sales affected.
In absolute terms, the United States is the most exposed. American companies risk losing nearly $1 trillion in revenue (exactly $973 billion) if they provide poor customer experiences. Conversely, New Zealand is the least affected country, with only $6.6 billion at risk.
In the areas of healthcare and patient experience, the same observations are made. ‘The future of the patient experience is precision – knowing not just what a patient needs, but when and how to act on it,’ said Alpa Vyas, SVP and Chief Patient Experience and Operational Performance Officer at Stanford Health Care.
ECTFF, the customer experience forum. KPAM, Medallia, Custplace.
Should you invest in yet another new SaaS solution?
In France, Qualtrics mainly supplies medium-sized companies such as RAJA and large accounts. It has many competitors, including Medallia, Goodays (formerly Critizr), WizVille, Contentsquare, etc.
Whether or not you have software, customer journeys must be monitored and regularly reviewed. This is the job of specialists such as KPAM, and the subject of specialist forums such as ECTFF. Read a summary of the contributions from the 13th edition, which was held recently, here.
Amelia Newsom-Davies (Orange) and Yan Tamalet (Greenbureau) unveiled the results of RCS campaigns conducted in the areas of customer acquisition and retention. RCS can also be used to quickly gather customer feedback after a purchase or interaction.
*Zig Serafin had been Chief Executive Officer of Qualtrics for nine years. His departure from this position was recently announced. He will remain Special Adviser to Qualtrics and Vice-President. The announcement came as a surprise, as the new Chief Executive Officer has not yet been named.
Serafin announced this week that he is transitioning to Vice Chairman and Special Advisor, with board members Jim Whitehurst (former Red Hat CEO) and Mark Gillett (from Silver Lake) stepping in as interim co-CEOs while the company searches for a permanent replacement.
