Many consumers say that customer experience (CX) plays an important role in their decision to proceed with a purchase, next to the quality and price of the product. With prices getting more competitive and quality having not much difference from one brand to another, the battleground for winning customers resides on who can give them a better customer experience.
The Future of Customer Experience
We’re in the information age and it’s no surprise that the future of customer experience relies on how businesses handle user data. We’re already seeing different methods on how customer information is used and each has its own advantages, disadvantages, and room for improvement.
Here are some of the trends that define the importance of customer experience and how they’re expected to evolve in the years to come.
Better Use of Customer Data
Data on customer behavior allows businesses to use appropriate communication strategies on prospective and existing customers. With proper strategies and tools in place, this information can be utilized to boost company growth and customer retention.
Still, many fail to tap the full potential of data gathering. Data collection still has weaknesses that need to be addressed.
The current data collection process goes like this: brands offer something of value to customers, and in return, businesses obtain valuable data from them. This method allows companies to do a blanket collection wherein brands get more than what they need from customers. What’s disappointing is that they gather every bit of personal information, only to use the email addresses to blast consumers with generic ads.
Consumers believe they’re already giving a lot of their personal information to private organizations. In return, they expect these businesses to identify their wants and needs and give them only curated and personalized offers.
Brands should be more selective in the personal information they get, collecting only the data they need to continue improving their service. The emergence of reliable market research companies like SeeLevel HX has allowed brands to make better use of the customer information they have. The data gathering techniques and consumer analytics we use enable us to formulate actionable insights that help brands perform better in CX delivery.
Growing Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Chatbots are getting smarter and AI is behaving more like humans. Although we’re still developing ways to further improve these technologies, there’s no doubt that automation will play a big role in the future of customer experience.
People are interested in working with an automated system with human-like responses. However, the majority of consumers still believe that machines can’t replace – no matter how intelligent they get – the empathy and credibility an actual staff delivers.
Tech is important but it’s only an enabler that paves the way to providing the best customer experience. At the center of it all, it’s still human interaction that defines whether the customer service provided is satisfactory or not.
Siri, Alexa, and even chat applications are powered with artificial intelligence and similar technologies will continue to emerge as we move further into the era of digital information.
A large part of consumers believes and anticipates that AI will be able to behave more like humans. More than scripted responses, they’re expected to have the ability to communicate and behave like actual people.
However, giving AI too much authority in data gathering may prove to be a challenge. The implications of a powerful AI on information privacy and data collection is yet to be thoroughly studied to avoid making them too obtrusive.
Advancements in technology will definitely reduce the cost of hiring human resources. Still, customers want to feel that they’re interacting with a real person who can genuinely understand their concerns past the automated responses of digital systems.
Businesses should embrace the power of digital but not at the expense of the friendly service that only a human employee can bring. Brands should be able to find the balance between the utilization of machine and human interaction to deliver the best customer experience possible.
People are not looking for a perfect system – one that doesn’t make any mistakes responds in a flash and is present anytime and anywhere. Customers prefer a fallible but genuine customer service rather than a flawless but insensitive system.
Businesses Becoming More Customer-centric
Although there’s an increasing number of studies defining the direct correlation between customer experience and business performance, many fail to take advantage of this fact due to constraints in business processes and practices. But thanks to the advancements in technology and market research methodologies, it is now becoming easier for businesses to integrate CX into their standards.
The future of customer experience is directed toward creating more customer-centric services. Businesses are expected to undergo the transformation or risk being obsolete. This is the only way for them to survive and grow in a market where consumers expect businesses to value their importance and give them the attention they need.
The key to transforming your business into a customer-centric one is anchored on how well you can use the data you gather from consumers. Customer experience can get you an in-depth view of consumer behavior. This allows you to understand their current needs and anticipate what they expect to get in the future, giving you the opportunity to formulate programs that will increase sales and improve brand loyalty.
Hiring the services of a market research agency like SeeLevel HX will allow you to harness the full potential of CX data. SeeLevel HX has all the appropriate metrics and tools that enable them to interpret data into reports you can use as a guide in transforming into a full-pledged customer-centric business.
Priority on Brand Personalization
Digital channels have been abused by businesses by using it as a tool to bombard customers with generic ads, messages, and other promotional materials that completely lack a personal touch. Instead of inviting more customers to do business with them, they’re spamming them with offers they don’t exactly need.
Brand personalization is creating the right experience according to what customers expect to receive. Information gathered from consumers should be used to create more personalized campaigns that are more effective in converting leads. Since data on customers have become easier to obtain, consumers expect businesses to provide them with offers that are tailored to their needs.
As better technologies and processes in CX integration continue to be developed, consumers are expecting better deals from companies. Customers believe they should receive timely and relevant offers tailored to what they’re really looking for.
Conclusion
The future of customer experience revolves around the proper use of these three aspects: technology, information, and consumer needs. By employing strategies that positively tackle these three factors, you’ll be able to provide the best customer experience possible and put your brand a cut above the rest of the competition.
All of these begin with knowing more about your customers and using the right tools to identify their behavior. With the help of a market research agency like SeeLevel HX who specializes in handling CX data, you’ll be able to know more about your customers and develop appropriate solutions for their needs.
