Have you ever tried to sort out a bill online, only to get three different reminders, one by post, one by email and another by text? Instead of feeling reassured, you’re left wondering which one is right. That’s what friction feels like in the customer journey, confusing, frustrating and honestly, enough to make people walk away from a brand altogether.

It happens more often than you’d think. In fact, PwC found that nearly one in three customers will stop doing business with a brand after just one bad experience. Think about that, one slip and you’ve lost them.

So how do you make sure your customers have a smooth ride instead? Let’s look at what causes friction, why it’s such a big deal and how you can fix it.

What Does Friction Look Like?

  • Mixed-up messages — A bank sends a renewal notice in the post, but the email says something completely different. Which one should you believe?
  • Complicated processes — A telecoms customer wants to fix a billing issue online but keeps getting redirected to paper forms. Cue frustration.
  • Generic, impersonal updates — Imagine getting a “Dear Customer” letter from your energy provider instead of something that actually relates to your usage. It feels like they don’t know you at all.
  • Slow responses — In industries like insurance, delays caused by compliance hold-ups can leave people hanging when they need quick answers.

If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of this, you’ll know how quickly trust starts to fade and once it’s gone, it’s very hard to win back.

Why Friction Hurts Your Business

  • Support calls skyrocket when customers get conflicting information, which drives up costs.
  • Engagement plummets when people receive irrelevant offers or messages.
  • Customers churn and often for good. McKinsey reports that 70% of buying decisions are based on how customers feel they’re being treated. That means if they feel ignored, confused, or frustrated, they’ll happily switch to a competitor.

Picture this: an insurance provider delays sending out renewal reminders because of compliance backlogs. Customers get no notice and before you know it, they’ve moved to a competitor who communicated faster. That’s how quickly friction turns into lost business.

How to Create a Smoother Journey

  • Bring everything together: Centralise your communications so messages are always consistent, no matter the channel.
  • Make it personal: Use data to send offers or updates that actually make sense to your customer. A bank suggesting a tailored loan option based on account history feels far more relevant than a blanket email.
  • Be where your customers are: Whether it’s print, email, SMS, or mobile, make sure the journey flows across every channel.
  • Keep it simple: Design communications that are easy to read on any device, so people don’t have to pinch and zoom just to read their bill.
  • Pay attention to feedback: Track your communications and see where people drop off. Those moments usually reveal the friction points.

The Role of Technology

This is where Customer Communications Management (CCM) platforms can really shine. They take away the messy, manual processes that usually cause friction and replace them with:

  • One place to manage all your content (logos, templates, text) so everything looks and sounds consistent.
  • Easy-to-use tools that let teams create and send messages without endless back-and-forth.
  • Built-in compliance workflows that keep regulators happy without slowing you down.
  • API integrations that connect your communication tools with your CRM, billing, or ERP systems, so the data’s always accurate.

 

Friction might seem small, a duplicate bill here, a generic email there, but it adds up fast and when customers feel frustrated or ignored, they don’t just complain, they leave.

That’s why customer journey optimisation isn’t a buzzword. It’s the key to building trust, loyalty and growth. The brands that get it right are the ones that customers stick with, even when competitors come knocking.

At SEFAS, we understand how important this is. That’s why we built the Harmonie Communication Suite (HCS), to help businesses like yours cut through the noise, deliver consistent, personalised, compliant communications and create a frictionless customer experience that people actually enjoy.

Want to find out how HCS can make your customer journey seamless? Get in touch with SEFAS today.