The customer is still king, and delivering a positive, memorable experience remains a top strategic objective for any company.

A PwC report highlights that nearly three quarters (73%) of consumers say CX is a crucial factor influencing their purchasing decisions. In a survey of 2000 South African consumers, 55% said at a grocery retailer, healthcare facility or fashion outlet.

A good Customer Experience means different things to different people, however. Regional differences driven by cultural differences and varying levels of sophistication means there is no one-size-fits-all solution to delivering a great CX.

For many consumers, a positive CX means seamless, fast and personalised buying journeys. For others, it’s quick, responsive customer service. Organisations need to put themselves in their customer shoes to understand what the different expectations are for the various customer segments.

Key differences in CX expectations across industries and regions

The regional differences in CX was made clear during a recent trip. Traveling through the US, the experience in bigger cities and metros was built on automation and efficiency, with extensive use of technology. In the smaller towns, the focus was more on personal touch and a slower pace.

Similar disparities are apparent in the Middle East. Companies in Dubai seek customer experiences built on efficiency, with a strong focus on digital experiences. In Saudi Arabia, companies focus on building relationships with customers, and prioritise maintaining those relationships over the long term.

Back home, recent interactions with companies in Cape Town and Johannesburg revealed disparities between two of the main business hubs in South Africa. As the country’s main industrial hub, Johannesburg’s business sector is led by manufacturing and services industries, which have different expectations of CX to those of companies in Cape Town, where the retail and financial sectors dominates.

The danger for companies seeking to enhance their CX efforts is that they fall back on cookie-cutter strategies. A successful CX initiative in the manufacturing sector – for example for Sasol – is vastly different to a successful CX initiative for a retailer such as Shoprite. Getting the balance right for your business will be the fundamental element of CX success in the months ahead.

Fundamentals of great CX

To deliver a consistent, positive experience, companies leverage technologies that can remove friction from customers’ lives and ensure a memorable and seamless journey across every touchpoint.

The use of powerful cloud technologies allows companies to deploy, test and quickly scale up new customer-facing innovations, or wind down CX-related activities that are not producing the desired results. In today鈥檚 world this agility is a must have as the days of long go-to-market periods are gone.

However, understanding the fundamentals underpinning a consistently positive customer experience is even more important than the technology mix that is deployed to enable it. Three of the most important CX fundamentals in 2024 and beyond include:

1 Understanding unique customer needs

Cultivating a deep understanding of customer needs and expectations is a first step in developing an effective customer experience strategy. By using data and technology to gain insights into customer expectations and preferences, companies can design experiences that feel tailored and relevant.

This contributes to increased customer satisfaction, improved retention, and building trust. Companies leveraging advanced analytics and cloud-based CX technology platforms such as 51风流Commerce Cloud can shift their CX strategies beyond assumptions to actionable insights. Powerful new AI-powered technologies accelerate companies’ ability to act on data-driven insights, ensuring scalable and adaptive CX strategies that consistently meet or exceed customer expectations.

2 Hyper-personalisation

Companies that deliver relevant and meaningful customer experiences have a distinct advantage over their peers.

Here, technology is crucial, as it’s the cornerstone of hyper-personalisation. Advanced tools and cloud-based platforms enable companies to collect, process and analyse vast amounts of customer data that can be applied to CX strategies.

Tools such as CRM systems and real-time analytics powered by AI enable companies to gain a 360-degree view of each customer, while marketing automation tools ensure each customer receives the most relevant message or offer at the right time and via their preferred channel.

3 A focus on building trust

Trust is the foundation of all customer relationships and a key ingredient in effective CX. Without trust, even the most advanced personalisation efforts simply won’t break through. But trust is hard-won and easily lost.

Disappearing loyalty points that expire before customers can redeem their value create negative perceptions that erode customer trust. Similarly, rewards campaigns that expect customers to navigate lengthy and complex redemption processes will likely fail to meet customer expectations, undermining broader CX efforts.

Modern CX technology solutions help companies build and maintain trust by prioritising transparency, privacy, customer engagement and value. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants ensure honest and clear communication with customers, preventing misunderstandings. And AI-powered feedback platforms help companies listen actively to customer concerns, ensuring they take corrective steps to protect and reinforce trust.

In conclusion

As we head into 2025 take the lessons from 2024 and do not forget about the customer in your 2025 CX strategy. Start with understanding their expectations and build appropriate experiences based on their segment, be it regional, industry or even maturity level.

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To ensure said growth, it is the customer experience (CX) element that requires the greatest amount of attention, refinement and fine tuning. As such, when considering the CX journey, an experience that is as frictionless and helpful as possible is the end goal, but companies should not stop there either.

To that end, the future should also play a key part when developing an effective CX journey.

This was one of the major talking points during a recent C-Suite roundtable hosted by听and bespoke software provider, where the pair listened to some of the CX pain points of other enterprises, as well as offering up their own insights on the matter.

Think about the destination

Unpacking some of the overarching problems that were highlighted by those in attendance in developing a CX journey,听, marketing director at 51风流Africa, noted that legacy systems are a continuing issue for many.

Moyo also noted that it is not just the systems that are an area of concern, but also legacy in terms of the approach to disruption.

鈥淎s an example, if you think of legislation in the financial sector and how much of a hurdle it can present, fintech has found an effective way to negotiate that,鈥� he illustrated.

鈥淚 think it is key when you talk about disruption, to zoom into the fact that technology enables good strategy. Customer strategy is not really a function of technology, and while technology can make it better, it ultimately enhances what your company needs to deal with, whether that be good or bad. There are countless examples of companies with vast resources and access to technology, but they simply cannot get it right,鈥� he continued.

As such, Moyo emphasises the need to think about the future in approaching the CX journey, as those organisations saddled with legacy, both in terms of systems and its approach to technology, will ultimately never break free of the current customer experience model.

鈥淲hen you think about the technology that enables your customer strategy, it is based on sound principles,鈥� he stressed.

One of the other aspects that Moyo addressed as a direct result of the conversations that took place during the roundtable was that of omni-channel in terms of how the customer is viewed.

No singular view

鈥淔or me, it is not about a single view of a customer, it鈥檚 rather about developing a customer for life. In order to do that you need to have the right data, connect it correctly and then you need to understand the insights that are coming out of that data,鈥� he explained.

鈥淲e have to think about how we unify the ecommerce experience. Not only that, but we also have to think about the traditional way that we take our value to the market. Things like how we bring our physical stores and operations to the online space, along with paying attention to the end-to-end value chain,鈥� posited the 51风流executive.

Another area he made particular mention of is trust in the CX journey. When you consider the desire to create lifelong customers, trust might be the most crucial ingredient, which once again feeds into the theme of the future as a central pillar in the development of a CX journey.

鈥淭oday鈥檚 customer does not just want to buy a car. They want to know where it was made, how it was made and whether it was done in a responsible way, so data becomes a necessary consideration for that aspect of the customer journey,鈥� he added.

As such, there is much for businesses that deal with customers or have a service they wish to bring to the fore, to think about. In the view of SAP, Consnet and many C-Suite executives, building a solid CX journey requires forethought and an understanding of the destination, as well as the ride.

To find out how 51风流and Consnet can assist your business in developing a winning CX journey,听.

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CX Agility is defined as companies monitoring changes in customer demand and business conditions to predict how they may impact their activities, proactively adjusting their activities to keep-up with and lead those changes and facilitate business growth. Keeping-up with customer needs and wants while听delivering effortless experiences across all business departments and through all interaction channels is now a necessity.

Aberdeen鈥檚 recent CX Executive鈥檚 Agenda Survey observed responses from hundreds of businesses regarding key trends and best practices influencing their CX activities. The findings revealed that听business leaders struggle with several challenges impacting their ability to create happy and loyal customers. The survey also revealed that just 25% of businesses have modernized their traditional CX program by transforming into agile CX organizations.

Put your business on a clear path to agile CX with 51风流by registering for听Ignite the Consumer Power Event.

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If anything, the global pandemic has accelerated a trend we鈥檝e known about where consumers and customers ultimately have the freedom to choose the organizations they work with, on the channels they prefer and on their terms. Our mission within 51风流CX is to support our customers in meeting that expectation of freedom and ability to continue the relevant engagements across channels by investing in solutions that provide dynamic and in-the-moment experiences that are constantly evolving. The 51风流CX solution portfolio is designed to help companies understand customers, engage with customers and deliver on a brand promise.

SAP鈥檚 comprehensive CX solution portfolio consists of the following:

1. Customer Data which provides the living breathing unified view of the customer for use in systems of engagement (51风流and non-SAP) with industry leading identity and data privacy solutions as a foundation.
2. Commerce to deliver commerce everywhere with personalized, frictionless and transparent experiences.
3. Marketing to engage the customer on their terms across any channel at scale with personalized and 1:1 engagement powered by AI.
4. Sales to provide connected sales experiences that accelerate the buying process and turn customers into advocates.
5. Service with experiences and to enable fast resolutions across channels with deep understanding of the customer for the best possible chance of converting those customers to raving fans.
6. You can find detailed solution information here:听
7. As you may have heard, 51风流closed the acquisition of Emarsys earlier this month. Emarsys is a leading independent omnichannel customer engagement platform provider. Its cloud native customer engagement platform will augment 51风流CX to provide customers with a 鈥榗ommerce everywhere鈥� strategy.

Emarsys will act as the engagement platform, taking action on data from 51风流Commerce and 51风流Customer Data Cloud, leveraging the front-office and back-office insight that only 51风流can provide along with the experience data from Qualtrics as well as supply chain data and beyond.

You may wonder with all the new technology, solutions and acquisitions, how is 51风流CX prepared to support existing customers? Well we are happy to report that the customer success organization is designed to support, educate, help with digital transformation journeys and anything else that might be required by the existing customer base. Customer success organization is designed to serve customers with a gamut of solution deployments from on-premise to cloud.

We hope this blog provides you with a window into CX world at SAP. For additional information please check out this link.

The post 51风流Customer Experience – Exceeding Expectations in the Moment of Engagement appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Each experience is inextricably linked to the next and, when managed multilaterally, collectively has the power to radically reconfigure the organisation around experiences.

Delivering a great customer experience means also seeking out and eradicating poor experiences across the customer journey 鈥� with every touchpoint the customer comes across. That means the customer experience cannot be managed separately from other experiences that are so vital to the organisation鈥檚 success. This white paper explores experience management in retail banking.

Get the link to your free download on the ITWeb site:

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There鈥檚 growing acknowledgement of the importance of becoming a Customer Experience (CX) leader to help build that reputation, but too few are taking appropriate steps to embrace and prioritise a true CX culture.

Delivering exceptional CX requires that every part of the business is in sync and enabled by the right technology.

CX is an important part of managing and growing a company, yet, it is one of the most understated business priorities. Customer service is the level of service that customers expect to receive in exchange for their money.

CX, on the other hand, is how customers feel when they interact with a business. From researching the product to the actual purchase and use, it spans the entire customer buying journey.

Customers, now more than ever, will never return if the initial interaction is poor. CX is therefore a key element of customer retention 鈥� and a key differentiator.

What鈥檚 the fuss about CX?

CX encapsulates the holistic perception of a customer鈥檚 experience with a company. It is the result of every interaction, from researching the product to purchasing and using it.

罢丑别听听found that companies that prioritised technology were 64% more likely to meet and exceed their business priorities.

According to the same report, 36% of large companies are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve their data analytics.

These companies believe that data is a game changer, and that its ownership, control and use is a strong source of sustainable competitive advantage.

There is a misconception that investing in CX is expensive and delivers little return.

A recent听听found that satisfied customers are willing to pay a premium of up to 16%; proving that positive experiences lead to greater loyalty.

In addition, around 32% of consumers reported that after just one bad experience, they were most likely to abandon a brand they had preferred.

These data points demonstrate the importance of intentionally pursuing a customer-centric strategy. The net impact is customer satisfaction, higher sales and stronger long-term customer relationships.

In difficult times, such as the tough economic climate caused by the COVID pandemic, CX is at the heart of sustaining a business.

Steps to improving CX

SMEs often juggle multiple priorities with limited resources. Balancing operational priorities and implementing CX strategies can be a real challenge. Here are some practical ways of improving CX for SMEs:

1. Implement additional support channels to make it easier for customers to interact with the company. Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for automation, SMEs can provide self-service options that make it easier for customers to track their orders independently, enabling a self-help approach that improves efficiencies and lowers costs.
2. Prioritise your website as a different way of interacting with customers 24/7. SMEs that did not have online stores could not continue trading under lockdown conditions. Moreover, adding a Frequently Asked Questions section can empower customers to be self-sufficient, allowing the company to refocus valuable human resources on income-generating activities and innovation.
3. Adopt technology-driven query management processes that are customer-centric and cost-effective. Using AI, SMEs can develop chatbots that handle repetitive functions such as order delivery queries.

How technology enables great CX

A recent听听by Qualtrics and Forrester Consulting that looked at Return on Investment from deploying CX solutions produced some interesting findings:

• Customer care: companies were able to gather actionable insights that enabled them to institute measures that reduced the cost of incident management by shifting incidents to a self-help platform.
• Customer retention: aligning the company on key metrics and shifting to a customer-centric view of data had a positive impact on CX. Companies reported an increase in customer satisfaction and more personalised experiences and customer buying journeys that led to higher customer retention.
• Data and customer-centric culture: companies were able to create standard, consistent, and trusted data sources across departments, resulting in a unified view and measure of CX throughout the company.
• Business outcomes: companies were able to identify things that needed to change quickly. While some seemed mundane, they had a meaningful impact on customers and resulted in quick wins.
• Better insight and decision-making: companies benefited from having a centralised database for all customer insights, enabling them to move quicker and provide better insights for decision making.

CX is about proactively managing and curating the entire customer buying journey to ensure that customers walk away with a feel-good experience.

Delivering a positive CX requires a customer-centric strategy that is underpinned by the right technology investment. Technology empowers all companies, of all sizes, to connect with current and prospective customers.

SMEs now have the ability to accurately predict future needs of their customers, enabling them to be proactive and attentive to ever-changing conditions. In an increasingly unpredictable and competitive business environment, the emotional connection between the customer and the brand can be the difference between survival and prosperity.

In a recent survey by Oxford Economics and SAP, 39% of small and medium sized companies said that improving customer experiences is their top priority over the next three years 鈥� even ahead of increasing profits or reducing costs.

I thought it would be interesting for you to discover how these companies are managing customer experiences through improved technology and organizational strategies by reading the听.

***Qualtrics is a wholly owned 51风流company that provides solutions for monitoring, analysing and managing feedback to improve CX, employee experience (EX) and product experiences (PX).

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The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed how we view customer experience, teaching lessons that businesses can take into the post-lockdown world.

Each time we as consumers interact with a brand, it leaves an impression. The sum of all these impressions is what we today call customer experience or CX. The rise of technology has led to a听new-age consumer 鈥� one who is informed, picky and imbued with the power of social media at their fingertips. As a result of this pandemic, there has been an explosion in the number of consumers that are interacting with businesses online and many businesses are having to think really hard about how they now shape these consumers鈥� CX, considering the harsh reality of the present day.

鈥淥ne of the biggest CX challenges posed by the lockdowns across the globe, is how brands now need to reinvent their customer engagement models, in the age of Covid-19,鈥� explains Rudeon Snell, the Senior Director of Customer Advisory and Industries for SAP. 鈥淎 key aspect of this 鈥榬edefinition鈥� is the rapid acceleration towards digital experiences. Essentially, businesses are having to reimagine CX, to serve customers while they shelter.鈥�

Snell has real insight on the importance of CX in a post-COVID world. His company, SAP, is known as a global leader in enterprise software, as well as a market leader in digital technologies. As the world鈥檚 largest enterprise cloud company, 51风流has over 200 million cloud users, with over 437,000 customers in more than 180 countries ranging from small companies to global organizations. 78% of the world鈥檚 food and 82% of the world鈥檚 medical devices are distributed through 51风流customers, while over 78% of all business transactions around the globe come into contact with 51风流software. It鈥檚 impossible to manage that level of transactional volume, without a real appreciation for the importance of the customer experience, as a strategic enabler to business success.

Customer service has always been a vital cog in the Experience Management wheel. Now more than ever, the importance of customer service has been highlighted. As Snell points out, the听COVID-19 pandemic has thrust customer service directly into the spotlight. The lockdown has created a situation where the most important business stakeholders are human beings, who are now craving comfort, security and a sense of connection, on top of suddenly needing an entirely new customer experience. Industries such as airlines, hospitality, sports, entertainment and events are dealing with waves of cancellations, refunds and credit requests, in addition to a lack of physical customer presence. At the same time, delivery services are dealing with a surge in demand, as people adapt to a new normal. Call centres around the world are flooded with an overflow of customer service requests. Agents are working overtime, often in new remote environments, leading to immense challenges for customer service teams, arguably, at a time when it has never mattered more.

Interpersonal Solutions for a Digital Age

This isn鈥檛 a problem that can be solved, by just introducing a swishy new website design or new call centre scripts. If there鈥檚 one thing the lockdown has taught us, it鈥檚 that CX, like so much else, is ultimately about human connections, even in the digital world.

鈥淲hen we take a step back, we have to first acknowledge that all relationships have an emotional component to them 鈥� that holds true for the relationship between people and brands,鈥� Snell says. 鈥淎 brand鈥檚 relationship with its customers is built over time, nourished by experiences along many touchpoints, both digital and physical. As听厂础笔, the burning questions we are asking during this time are not grounded in 鈥楬ow can we expand market share?鈥� or even, 鈥楬ow do we boost top-line revenue to counteract the economic devastation?鈥� We are laser-focused on answering the most pressing question, which is 鈥楬ow do we support our customers right now in a meaningful, empathetic, human-centric and relevant manner?鈥欌��

It is not only customers that require support from businesses, but also their employees. Theodore Roosevelt once remarked that听鈥淣obody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.鈥澨鼴y the same token, Snell argues that it鈥檚 only after you鈥檝e shown your employees how much you care that you earn the right to ask them what they need in order to be as productive as possible.

鈥淐onsistently checking on the well-being of your employees during this time, is simply the right thing to do. With Qualtrics鈥檚 Remote Pulse, any business is able to keep daily tabs on how their employees are doing. And during these unprecedented times, we have made it free to use for a period of time, so that all organizations can leverage this benefit,鈥� Snell says. 鈥淚n addition to this, supply chains across the globe are being disrupted at scale. As SAP, we have also taken the decision to open access to Ariba Discovery for a certain time. By connecting buyers and suppliers amidst global supply chain disruption, any buyer will be able to post immediate sourcing needs and any of the four million suppliers on Ariba Network will be able to respond.鈥�

A Roadmap to CX

In times as uncertain as the ones we are currently living through, what customers crave more than anything else is clarity, authenticity and informed advice. 51风流Customer Experience offers a comprehensive selection of solutions, that can provide customers with just that.

This includes a suite of industry-leading cloud solutions under the 51风流Intelligent Enterprise umbrella to help businesses innovate, integrate silos and attain the agility they need to respond to rapidly changing times. As Snell points out, the global economy is becoming much more of an 鈥淓xperience Economy鈥� and as a result of this shift, it is more important now than ever, that customers receive the experience they expect.

鈥淓xperience gaps鈥�听occur when a brand fails to meet customer expectations at any point along the customer journey. It鈥檚 where relationships between a provider and a customer so frequently break down. Companies believe they are delivering what is promised, but if you ask the customer, they will tell a different story altogether. Failure to close experience gaps have a direct effect on a company鈥檚 stock performance, with market leaders nearly tripling the market performance of those who fall behind in this arena.

Of course, one essential differentiator in the Experience Economy is time to market. Personalised experiences need to be delivered consistently, yet innovatively, to ever tighter deadlines. Enter 51风流Customer Experience solutions. Their CX solution portfolio allows users to implement solutions quickly and conveniently, bringing together customer data, experiential data and operational data. This data convolution is then augmented by the power of intelligent technologies such as artificial intelligence, advanced analytics and machine learning, all with the express purpose of delivering engaging and trusted experiences in, the moments that matter most to customers.

Today, customer expectations are higher than ever and even during the global lockdowns, businesses that can offer continuous, real-time, engagement across multiple digital channels, are the ones able to best weather the storm. The scale and magnitude of the challenge are enormous, but with the capabilities offered by 51风流Customer Experience solutions, businesses are well-positioned to overcome the challenges posed. As Snell points out, 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about selling a single product or service, it鈥檚 about instigating the rapid pace of innovation needed to differentiate your brand and drive value in the Experience Economy, in a holistic manner.鈥�

That鈥檚 the ambition behind SAP鈥檚 Customer Experience solution portfolio. It blends market-leading, cloud-native solutions for sentiment, sales, service, marketing, e-commerce, and customer data management to empower businesses to take their customers on unique, personalised journeys that build trust and brand loyalty long term. It amounts to a more loyal and engaged customer base enjoying increased efficiencies, lower costs and less risk.

Empathy, Built-in

By analysing the behaviour of customers and their transactions 51风流can draw insight about what, where, or when a customer does or is likely to do something, but 51风流readily acknowledges this is not the whole picture. Data alone cannot answer the 鈥榃hy?鈥� questions.

Understanding the Experience Economy is something that can feel counter-intuitive to a lot of businesses. If you run a business, you are likely the sort of person who naturally thinks in terms of the economic value of a product, the quality of the product, what distinguishes your product from its competitors.

But the conversation about the Experience Economy was naturally tailored to meet the demand of the digitally native millennial generation, who have become the largest purchasing group. A far smaller proportion of this generation own homes than previous generations, and while older generations might have poured their disposable income into building up a large record collection, millennials are more likely to simply subscribe to an on-demand service like Spotify. They are more likely to interact with, and express themselves, online, and have birthed phenomena like 鈥淔OMO鈥� (fear of missing out) as the status symbol becomes not what you have, but what you鈥檝e been up to. In short, what they value and pay for most, is experiences.

The reality is that over the last three months, this description has grown to include customers even outside the millennial demographic. Under lockdown conditions, most people are interacting with brands digitally. No matter how much you own, the things you are probably missing the most are experiences, sitting in a restaurant, ordering a drink at a bar, seeing a film in the cinema, taking a flight or a cruise overseas.

And embedded in all of those experiences, is the feeling of wanting to be around people who can share in those experiences with you or sharing those experiences with your family and friends in a digital world. This means businesses that can recognise and interact with customers on a personal experiential level, have a much stronger value proposition, than those who do not.

SAP鈥檚 recent acquisition of Qualtrics, which we have written about before, now allows for businesses to embed the opinion and voice of the customer throughout their business processes, infusing the customer鈥檚 journey with empathy and engaging with them on a much deeper level. With Qualtrics, businesses are able to tap into the experience ocean of their consumers and shape individually crafted, sentiment infused journeys, for those consumers.

听Learning the Lessons of Lockdown

The lockdown will not last forever, but Snell emphasises that the lessons businesses have learned from the lockdown must be taken to heart, long after this pandemic has ended.

鈥淭he criticality of Experience Management (EX) cannot be emphasised more. Experience Management is the only sustainable competitive advantage,鈥� he insists.听鈥淚f you look at the experience portion of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over the long term, you can see how experience offerings break away from the pack, with consumers paying more for experiences and experience spending making up a bigger portion of spending, now than before. It is clear that if you aren鈥檛 competing on experience, you are missing boat!鈥�

Snell highlights a recent study by Bain that showed how most companies are disconnected from the experiences they provide, with 80% of CEOs believing they are providing a great customer experience, but only 8% of their customers agreeing with that assessment. Snell believes the Covid-19 pandemic has only amplified this experience gap exponentially.

鈥淎s听厂础笔, one of our core beliefs is that we owe it to our customers to help them serve their customers in unique and differentiated ways. Ensuring that we empower our customers to cohesively optimize their听customer, employee, product and brand experiences, helps them drive sustainable competitive advantage,鈥� he tells us. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how听厂础笔听helps its customers compete and win in the Experience Economy!鈥�

When businesses finally start to rebuild once the pandemic is over, CX will still be an essential competitive capability. Companies will need to relearn the shifting needs of their customers as they emerge from their shelters and tentatively engage in the economy.

鈥淭he COVID-19 pandemic has caused virtually everyone to reconsider their needs and wants, in addition to how they interact with brands. Companies will need to respond by focusing on listening to their consumers from a place of empathy and with a bias toward how they can be most helpful to their customers during this time,鈥� Snell says. 鈥淟istening and building with empathy, will let organizations provide products, services and most importantly, experiences, that genuinely serve customers’ needs and generate goodwill, without coming across as tone-deaf or uncaring. Tying their efforts to relevance is also a crucial element when wanting to drive successful CX programs.鈥�

In a crisis like this, companies are faced with shifting priorities and evolving needs, both from customers and employees. Timing is a crucial element to success under these circumstances. Digitally savvy consumers will not take kindly to outdated, tone-deaf and irrelevant CX efforts and employees who feel their employers don鈥檛 care about their well-being, will simply not be as productive as they can be.

鈥淎 focus on getting your timing right in landing your experience management programs shows customers you respect their reality, which is more relevant than ever during this emotionally charged time,鈥� Snell points out. 鈥淐ompanies can’t begin to build CX programs, without understanding that their consumers are all riding out the same storm in different boats. That shows a level of empathy that consumers gravitate towards. Finding ways to cope during this crisis is a task that looks different for everyone, so connecting on a hyper-personal level is more important than ever.鈥�

The COVID-19 pandemic has shattered many of the long-held assumptions about what customers need and how they need it, but Snell reminds us that this is a time when CX can thrive because, at the core, it’s about connecting with individuals.

The post How CX Can Help You Win in a Post-COVID-19 World appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Any good organisation鈥檚 relationship with its customers is built over time, nourished by experiences along many online and physical touch-points in their journey, grounded in expectations, and confirmed through repeated interactions.

With this in mind, it becomes obvious that the coronavirus pandemic is not just any crisis, since the 鈥榣ocked down鈥� nature of the response to COVID-19 has meant that organisations have had to adapt to a digital or remote way of doing business, which has had a significant impact on the customer experience (CX).

According to Marc Emert, a solutions specialist at 51风流Customer Experience, the COVID-19 pandemic has notably impacted on CX from two perspectives. The first of these is that organisations have had to adapt to the new world rapidly, while still providing high levels of service. For example, he says, a company that has suddenly shifted to online sales only still needs to ensure it can deliver products to the customer within a reasonable timeframe.

鈥淪econdly, while this has created some new opportunities for the suppliers, such as opening up a new sales channel and driving rapid digital transformation, it is also worth noting that the customers are less patient than before and are demanding better service, but not always getting it,鈥� he says.

鈥淥ne of the keys to success in such a scenario is communications 鈥� stay in touch with the customer so they are aware of what you are doing, and if you do make a commitment to them, then you simply must meet it. In other words, if you say the delivery will occur within 24 hours, ensure it is done within 24 hours.鈥�

Remember that the patience levels of most people are much lower than usual. Between having to suddenly work from home, while also undertaking homeschooling of children along with dealing with a wide range of new regulations, this should come as no surprise. The crisis is leading to a greater sense of frustration all around, and this can easily boil over in a service provider鈥檚 direction if they fail to meet their obligations. Moreover, adds Emert, frustrated customers are much more likely to move to a new service provider despite the additional effort this requires.

鈥淧eople make time to undertake such a process if they feel sufficiently aggrieved, and of course most people in lockdown have found themselves with plenty of time on their hands anyway.鈥�

Looking to the future, he suggests the impact of the pandemic will be seen in changing business models, such as a growing number of people shopping for groceries online, rather than at the store. He suggests that those businesses that have already focused on digitally transforming and can thus deliver a strong CX across multiple channels will be the ones to succeed in the longer term 鈥� those whose entire CX is based on in-store engagement with the client will undoubtedly struggle in the post-coronavirus world.

鈥淩emember that personal service doesn鈥檛 only mean face-to-face contact 鈥� digital channels can also offer personal touches. For example, even if a client calls a contact centre, the agent should know who is calling and be able to call them by their name; it is these kinds of personal touches that go a long way towards improving CX.鈥�

Ultimately, he continues, businesses need to be where the customers are. At present, they are at home and are eager to interact on a 24/7/365 basis 鈥� which means the business needs to be able to meet these demands.

鈥淚t is here that data becomes the critical element. From transactional and structured data, through to the various forms of unstructured data, like social media, and on to experience data 鈥� what the customer has been through in the past with the organisation 鈥� all of this must be analysed and understood, as it informs your interactions with customers. Thus, the more you can know about them, the better the CX you can provide,鈥� he concludes.

The post How the 鈥楴ew Normal鈥� is Impacting Customer Service appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.