We are now controlling the transmission.
This year, the only transmission that companies should be ‘tuning in to’ is customer experience (CX). We are firmly in a CX renaissance: 89% of companies now compete on the basis of customer experience alone. So, in 2019, breaking through the noise coming from the competition and providing a static-free customer experience are both increasingly important.
Companies are striving to take customer experience more seriously than in the past and, as a result, are realizing that CX is what makes the difference in ROI, sales, customer loyalty, and overall success. However, this is easier said than done. The customer of today is informed, connected, and possesses more product and service knowledge than ever before. To succeed, companies must continuously meet the extraordinary demands and expectations of today’s connected consumer.
If you’re starting to forge your customer experience strategy for 2019, you are not alone. Join us as we adjust your set and help you dial in your CX strategy with our annual report on key CX trends. We have done the channel surfing for you, and have found six important customer experience trends for you to monitor in 2019.
Read on as we discuss them in the following sections:
- Live Better Electronically: AI and the Customer Experience
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: “Doing” Interactions Well
- Control the Remote, Control the World
- Change the Channel: Prioritizing Omnichannel in Customer Experience
- Be Kind, Please Rewind: Experience Overtakes Price and Product
- Tuning your Antenna for Personalization
Please stand by.
Live Better Electronically: AI and the Customer Experience
The best way to embrace AI is to implement it strategically, allowing it to assist in solving problems, improving processes, and making the contact between employees, agents, and customers optimal across the board. AI is nothing new: Many companies have implemented it across multiple channels and are reaping the rewards. For those brands who have yet to embrace AI, ask yourself: What am I waiting for?
As noted by martechadvisor.com, “When applied strategically, artificial intelligence can enhance a customer’s interaction with a company (brand) and, in some cases, even humanize it.” AI provides companies with the opportunity to better interact with customers – this is vital, as customers value connecting with their favorite brands in the most convenient ways possible. Still, it is imperative that AI not be viewed as a simple CX shortcut or a mere cost-saving opportunity, as this would detract from customer-centric communication, would then increase friction between customers and companies.
Ideally, AI should be capable of incorporating human interactions at key moments in the customer experience journey. For instance, when designed thoughtfully, AI can better support human agents on the front lines who are readily assisting customers, and can make the handoff simple and seamless for both parties.
Today (and in the foreseeable future), the best results are achieved by humans and computers working together. Even those interactions that are inherently relationship-based and carry emotional weight work best when machines are assisting humans. Take for example the doctor and patient interaction: According to a Medscape survey, 56% of doctors in the U.S. spend 16 minutes or less with each patient during an office appointment.
However, when technology (AI) is used by a physician, it helps doctors predict whether a patient has a high near-term risk for becoming sick, allowing doctors to prioritize attention and necessary resources for the patient instead of doing a more cursory assessment in under 16 minutes.
No, AI is not a substitute for human contact, but its greatest potential lies in helping us better understand customer behaviours, expectations, and desires.
Don’t miss out on these must read trends!
Download the latest trends report below.