FEATURE : CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
In today ’ s day and age , business leaders must be aware of customer requirements in order to improve their experience and boost operational efficiencies across the board . Martin Taylor , Deputy CEO and Co-founder at Content Guru , says CIOs need to use data to drive enhanced collaboration across the enterprise in order to exceed customer expectations and stay one step ahead of the demand .
When combined with the fundamentally different cultural mindset that continues to prevail as organisations navigate the route to post-pandemic recovery , this is creating the foundation and roadmap for further dramatic innovations in the coming years .
The question now , is : how can organisations maximise this opportunity ?
Customer experience in the digital age
Customer experience ( CX ) has been steadily rising up the corporate agenda in recent years and with good reason . High-performing companies that consistently outperform their peers do so because they put customer-centricity at the heart of everything they do .
The survival mindset triggered by the pandemic has pushed CIOs into new ways of thinking that will provide a springboard for future innovation across all industries . If nothing else , the events of the past year have shown how it takes a genuinely profound external disruption to facilitate the concrete internal disruption that can fuel radical change on multiple fronts .
A recent survey of business leaders by McKinsey reveals the extent to which the impact of COVID-19 has stimulated a rapid and massive shift to interacting with customers through digital channels . So much so that three-times as many industry leaders state that at least 80 % of their customer interactions are now digital in nature .
The consequences of this dramatic change go far beyond the immediate practicalities of delivering enhanced services and experiences to customers in the here and now . The past 12 months has forced companies to redefine their DNA in pursuit of the agility and authenticity that will be key to thriving in a rapidly changing world .
Online retail giants have set the standard where CX is concerned . Indeed , it ’ s true to say that they have helped redefine what CX looks like in the mind of the consumer . Offering speed , choice , convenience and accessibility has proved a winning combination for the company , which continues to push the boundaries when it comes to creating frictionless experiences built around the identified wants and needs of individual customers .
One thing is for sure ; the COVID-19 pandemic has had a lasting impact on consumer behaviours , with online interactions and digital messaging channels now firmly established as a top customer preference . As a result , brands are now being judged on how many touchpoints they offer , how easy it is to move between touchpoints , the time it takes to resolve issues and how personalised each interaction is . In other words , today ’ s discerning customers are turning against business that fail to meet the challenge of delivering digitally and anticipating their needs .
As a result , the contact centre is fast becoming a multi-channel CX engagement and management hub
Why CIOs need to double down on customer experience innovation in 2021
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