Transforming Customer Experience

Author: Robin Gareiss, CEO & Principal Analyst Not available for licensing. Customer engagement is a top priority at businesses—and for good reason. Consumers say they will tolerate three bad experiences before leaving the company for good. That may help to explain why 65% of companies had planned to increase their 2023 customer experience (CX) spending by an average of 24%, according to Metrigy’s 2023 Technology Spending Forecast global study of 400 companies. CX and business leaders see customer engagement as an area ripe for transformation. In fact, 82.7% of companies have completed, are engaged in, or are planning a CX transformation project for 2023, according to Metrigy’s Customer Experience Optimization: 2023-24 global study of 641 companies. These projects, as defined in the study, apply new or existing technology to improve agent and/or customer experience to drive positive business value.   Moving toward 2024, the following six trends are guiding successful CX strategies:  

1. Customers want AI-assisted self-service options. They expect proactive outreach, as well as the opportunity to solve issues or make purchases without human involvement.
2. The human touch remains critical, not only for customer interactions, but for internal CX operations. This includes hiring and/or empowering a Chief Customer Officer along with the use of AI tools to empower agents to meet quotas and key performance indicators (KPIs), while reducing overall attrition rates.
3. Workforce engagement tools are vital for optimizing operations. Automating scheduling and forecasting is crucial for effectively serving customers as their demands change, while real-time agent assist helps improve agent performance and satisfaction.
4. Platform integration results in efficiency gains. When companies integrate their contact center with unified communications and collaboration (UCC) platforms, they see positive results in their business success metrics.
5. Customers want options for how they interact with companies, including voice, video, and a variety of digital channels. It’s imperative for companies to deliver these options, but they also must support omnichannel integration.
6. Customer insight helps keep the contact center a value center. Nearly three-quarters of companies view the contact center as a value center, and keeping that perspective alive throughout the company requires a strict discipline of regularly measuring success, acting on the results, and evangelizing success.

---

Table of Contents

• Executive Summary
• CX Is a Core Focus for the C-Suite
• Key CX Trends for 2024
  • Customers Want AI-Assisted, Self-Service Options
  • The Human Touch Remains Critical
  • Workforce Engagement Tools are Vital
  • Platform Integration Results in Efficiency Gains
  • Customers Want Options for How They Interact
  • Analytics Helps Keep the Contact Center a Value Center
• Conclusion