FEATURE : CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
CX excellence requires seamless experiences and investment in employees
Across industries , many companies are rethinking their approach to customer service – with plans to increase their related budgets by 25 % in 2023 . Key spending priorities focus on enabling end-to-end experience orchestration to improve engagement across channels , systems and departments . In addition , businesses are recognising the intrinsic connection between their customers and employees . According to nearly half of CX leaders surveyed ( 47 %), the number one CX priority is investing in technology or connecting systems that improve the employee experience . Key focus areas over the next one to two years include simplifying the employee user experience and helping them better respond to customer needs with enhanced knowledge management capabilities .
As organisations invest , consumer preferences and attitudes should play a key role in determining which technologies and tools to use :
• Better chatbot and employee connections start with knowledge : While chatbot use for customer service is on the rise , so is consumer frustration . Only 21 % of consumers were highly satisfied with a chatbot , citing not being able to reach a live agent from a chatbot and having to repeat a conversation they had with a bot to an agent as their top frustrations . For organisations to reap the potential of bots , they ’ ll need to focus on creating a more seamless flow of the right information across channels and interactions , making it easier and faster for customers to accomplish their goals .
• Connected customer experiences are key : According to CX leaders , the biggest challenge to delivering seamless experiences is the lack of carryover of customer context from one channel to another ( 44 %). To resolve this , most organisations recognise they need stronger capabilities to coordinate every consumer touchpoint : the top two strategic priorities for organisations include implementing an integrated CX platform ( 71 %) and connecting technology and data for omnichannel experiences ( 50 %).
• Voice is no longer the leading channel : With digital channel use accelerating , email has overtaken voice for the first-time as the most common method to reach customer service ( 72 % using email vs . 68 % using voice ). However , given the typically slower response times of this channel and consumer preferences for speed , it ’ s not their most preferred channel . When given a choice , consumers still prefer a call , with voice interactions as the primary choice of communication overall . However , preference for this channel falls quickly based on customer age ( 52 % of baby boomers prefer voice vs .
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