The COVID-19 pandemic and accelerated adoption of digital-first models have radically changed the way customers perceive the experience brands deliver.
The great resignation and rapidly evolving technology are forcing organizations to rethink and reimagine their CX strategy. Amid the shifting landscape, brands that want to stand out must adapt quickly, to deliver against customer expectations.
Here, Rafal Rzakowski, Chief Technology Officer at Otonomee, highlights important trends to keep an eye on in 2023.
Companies want to win on personalized CX
The pandemic has elevated the importance of customer experience as an organizational differentiator.
Increasing levels of personalization are a very strong trend this year and will continue. Brands need to develop the idea of using technology to develop closer and more personalized relationships with their customers at scale.
Customers are expecting personalization so much, it’s no longer just an option that brands might consider. Instead, it’s fast becoming the norm, and one that’s proven to reward well.
Frictionless omnichannel experience
The emergence of omnichannel customer experiences has been around for some time. However, as we move into 2023, this environment will likely become even more complex.
The interaction volumes and customer expectations are rising – to meet these, as part of the digital customer experience strategy, brands are enabling social media channels (for example Facebook Messenger, Twitter, and Instagram) and instant messaging channels like WhatsApp, Telegram or Apple Business Chat) aside from the traditional voice or email.
Customers today want to be able to move effortlessly from one channel to another, taking the context of their conversation with them. Brands must provide a seamless omnichannel experience to deliver swift, customized services - clearly and consistently across all channels.
Employee engagement and retention
It is no secret that the companies with the happiest employees also have the happiest customers. Therefore, something that many brands should focus on in the coming year is to provide a satisfying and engaging employee experience, keeping their well-being in mind.
With spiking volumes and rising customer expectations, there’s huge pressure to deliver outstanding service. At the same time, the “Great Resignation” seen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and staff burnout has resulted in increased attrition and made it harder to recruit new talent.
Organizations need to look into building an empowered and empathetic workforce by equipping employees with the skills to deliver superior CX, atop a technology framework that removes tension from their daily responsibilities and provides them with relevant customer insights.
Augmented Intelligence – AI-empowered employees
Augmented intelligence is a design pattern for a human-centered partnership model of people and artificial intelligence (AI) working together to enhance cognitive performance, including learning, decision making and new experiences.
AI is everywhere. If anything, the pandemic heightened the need for non-human interactions taking pressure off live agents and allowing customers to manage their own inquiries in a faster fashion.
Introducing AI into the customer service landscape can help businesses in many ways, from identifying where a customer is in their journey, what they’ve tried to do and how they might feel, to transforming the employee experience, by supporting CX employees ‘in-the-moment’ with next-best actions and real-time coaching.
However, to be truly successful in 2023 and beyond, companies must also strike the right balance between automation and humanity. While many aspects of the customer journey can be automated, others must retain their human elements, such as empathy and creativity.
Focus on data security and privacy
While customers are willing to share their information and experiences with companies if it gives them a personalized experience, they also want to know that their data is protected. In 2023 and beyond, companies will need to do more to prove they’re storing and using data efficiently, securely, and correctly.
As data privacy policies and government regulations evolve around the world, companies will need to take additional steps to protect their business and network. Companies can better earn the trust and respect of their customers if they can demonstrate what they’re doing to keep their data as secure as possible.
My Concluding Thoughts:
CX isn’t just about finding a quick solution to any one customer problem. It’s about building a long-term relationship where each customer interaction offers opportunities for deeper, more valuable engagement.
Regardless of the customer service model, in-house or outsourced (BPO – Business Process Outsourcing), your CX Strategy needs to deliver positive experiences at each customer touchpoint along the customer journey, along with effective measurement mechanisms to evaluate and quantify those experiences - both online and off.
Technology creates countless ways to create and deliver these experiences, but most importantly, continue to keep an eye on your customers and employees, as change is constant. The processes you set today may not be the best for your business tomorrow.
Interested to hear more? Talk to us today.
