By Stephanie Thum, CCXP
Show of hands. Who’s setting business priorities for 2022?
How the world understands customer and employee experience has evolved this year. Stakeholder expectations have evolved. Customer experience practices are more widespread. Technology options have become more plentiful. It’s true the landscape has changed.
Given the range of possibilities, how can you make the best decisions for 2022?
I asked some friends and colleagues practicing and consulting in CX from around the world (regardless of title!) for their perspectives:
“What is the one tool, tip, or technology that customer experience leaders should take with them into 2022?”
Here's a roundup of their keen insights.
Spend Time with Your Agents.
Your customer service agents are on the front lines every day listening to customers and addressing their needs. Customer service agents are often the source of great recommendations for improving your customers’ experiences and identifying what needs to be fixed.
--Alison Lichtenstein, Head of Customer Experience Design, Dow Jones.
Remember: Ease Reigns Supreme.
Digital and AI are all around us, changing the customer experience. Expectations will be raised in 2022 and there will be little tolerance for anything that isn’t personalized and takes too much time or effort. The same for B2B. Companies that are enjoyable to do business with, that can eliminate tasks or simplify a process, will rise above the competition.
--Jessica Allendes, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager, Weir Minerals.
Customers want easy and effortless experiences. So, if you're a part of the product team, for example, focus on making the user experience as easy as possible. If you're part of support, then make it easy for customers to get their issues resolved, use self-service, or lower their wait times. Pick one experience with the highest negative sentiment. Fix it. Then move to the next.
--Tanuj Diwan, Co-Founder at SurveySensum.
Go Beyond Your Gut to Understand Customers.
CX leaders should ensure they truly know their audience's needs, pain points, and preferences—relying less on assumptions and more on research and testing. To be most effective, maximize the use of automation and technology to meet customers where they are, beyond just attracting them to information and resources.
-Kristin Dohn, Digital Engagement Lead, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Embrace Low-Code Technology.
As brands strive to become more innovative, they can’t spend time starting from scratch with each new application. Instead, CX leaders can take the pressure off IT by implementing a low-code model which utilizes citizen developers and a base reuse layer to ensure consistency and repeatability. By empowering citizen developers, brands can innovate faster and improve employee productivity, which in turn creates better experiences for customers.
--Stephanie Louis, Senior Director, Community and Developer Programs, Pegasystems.
Accelerate AI and Machine Learning to Gain Efficiencies.
New cloud technology and developments like AI and machine learning are focused on automation. Automation/digital acceleration is a key component of helping organizations prepare for and prioritize future-of-work strategies that can further drive engagement, efficiency, and customer experience. Customer expectations are continuously evolving – we need to deliver on today while pathing to the future.
Michelle MacCarthy, VP and Global Head of Customer Success, Unit4.
Provide Service Consistency Across Channels.
Omnichannel investments and multichannel servicing will be extremely important, especially in the federal government. However, while citizens may be positive and accept different service levels from different channels, they also expect that the communication remains consistent. Are you providing a consistent experience across all channels, both online and offline?
--Madiha Latif, Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Compliance & Reporting Group (CRG), Bureau of the Fiscal Service.
Embrace Data Sharing Within Your Ecosystem.
In both the public and private sector, the data that organizations need to understand their customers better and to enhance their services/products is already available, but it sits outside their organization. Business leaders need to prioritize how they can better and more securely share and exchange data within their ecosystem.
--Minh Nguyen, Sales Director – NSW State Government, Snowflake.
Lean Into Integration.
Experience is everything for customers and employees. We're working with organizations on the integration of applications, experiences, and people so that they can provide a holistic experience back to their customers. For employees, it’s about making sure everyone has access to the right tools, which enable effective workflows so they can resolve any customer query.
--Dave Silke, CMO, Mitel.
Listen Toward Managing Certain Business and Operational Risks.
Organizations must listen to more than 35 social and digital channels to evaluate and support diversity, equity, and inclusion in government policies and services. Engage with constituents through modern social channels to mitigate misinformation and protect your agency’s reputation.
--Scott Dulman, Public Sector Industry Leader, Sprinklr.
Cheers to the New Year, Friends!
In 2022, the needs of customers will undoubtedly continue to evolve. Doing the same things as last year means businesses will fall behind. The new year is a great time to reflect, recharge, adjust, and make decisions about how to level-up your customer experience plans in the coming year.
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