No Jitter is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

Meeting the New CX Digital-First Mandate: Are You Leading or Falling Behind?

Kirill Ivanov Alamy Stock Photo.jpg

Image: Kirill Ivanov - Alamy Stock Photo
The past two years bore witness to the unprecedented growth of the digital economy. However, the future sustainability of this new reality belongs to companies that can deliver intelligent, personalized, connected, and real-time data-driven experiences throughout their digital journeys.
 
That sentiment resonates today in the context of delivering an optimal customer experience (CX). In Omdia's annual global survey, “IT Drivers and Technology Priorities,” when asked about how COVID-19 has impacted CX transformation, a combined 74% said it is "significantly more important" or "more important" today.
 
At Omdia, the business platforms and applications team wanted to gauge how the CX market has evolved within this context and close the gap between perception and reality. We surveyed 240 directors, vice presidents, managers, and C-level executives responsible for CX technology decision-making to determine four primary outcomes:
  • Uncover the technologies that create intelligent, connected, and personalized customer experiences
  • Evaluate organizational structures across enterprises and whether they enable an intelligent, connected, and personalized ecosystem
  • Determine the barriers to digital CX advancement and the methodologies that are having success
  • Learn the drivers of technology investments and the long-term benefits organizations expect to realize from investing in digital engagement and creating intelligent, connected enterprises and future investment plans
 
We determined that companies struggle with understanding and responding to customers' needs and expectations due to myriad challenges. Some highlights include:
  • 61% said they couldn't engage across all communications channels
  • 58% can't access an integrated view of the data across the enterprise
  • 55% lack the tools to enable intelligent, proactive engagement
  • 48% are organizationally misaligned
  • 36% can't access customer insights or journey data
 
The past two years have taught us that customers' needs have dramatically changed. As a result, personalization will become the new standard this year. If companies fail to understand what customers want, when they want it, and what messaging to send, customer-facing employees won't deliver a proactive and personalized experience.
 
Yet, the survey results underscore how, with the recent rush to adopt digital technologies, companies have failed to establish a solid foundational layer critical for enabling digital engagement. They must integrate data, create holistic views of the customer, connect journeys, and create an agile and adaptive employee base. Long-term sustainability will require exceeding customers' expectations, not just meeting them. But first, companies must overcome the barriers that stand in the way of progress.
 
At Enterprise Connect, panelists from NICE, Edify, Genesys, and Ujet will join me to discuss this topic on digital readiness during the “Meeting the New CX Digital-First Mandate: Are you Leading or Falling Behind?” session, which will take place March 22, from 2:00-2:45 p.m. ET. We will share insights about why these barriers exist and offer solutions to accelerate digital-first, customer-first customer engagement.