For years, many marketers have focused on adding new customers with methods like social media, content and outbound interruption. Interestingly, the cyclical marketing winds of change are bringing a revitalized focus on existing customers. At HGS ― a business process management leader in optimizing customer experiences (CX) and increasing client competitiveness ― we are predicting tighter marketing and customer service alignment in 2018.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2017/12/20/the-integration-of-marketing-and-customer-experience/#536d96591b8d/
Comcast is the poster boy for poor customer experience. Most of these complaints have to do with negative touch points, such as reps who change customers’ names to insults or loyalty reps who won’t let a customer cancel. Customer service or experience ratings firms, such as the Temkin Group, Forrester, or ACSI consistently rank them low. As a result, last year they were rated “America’s most-hated company.”
http://customerthink.com/comcast-is-trying-but-they-still-dont-understand-what-cx-really-is/
In this report, HGS will cover those digital innovation and customer engagement operational trends that will assist CX leaders in planning their transformation projects in 2018-19.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-top-10-customer-experience-trends-in-2018-300583361.html/
Consumers want personalized experiences and today’s competitive brands are scrambling to deliver. They’re tapping artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities for data-driven insights to improve customer interactions. But it’s not just about tech; the ability to deliver a seamless customer journey depends on a more personal connection. Consider calling a customer service line for help with an important lost package—no robot can replace an agent’s empathy in that stressful situation. Striking the balance between technology-based efficiencies and the human element is tricky , and many organizations struggle to get it right.
https://www.martechadvisor.com/articles/customer-experience/empowering-employees-to-provide-a-superior-customer-experience-in-2018/
Customer experience is one of the hottest buzzwords in business these days. Companies are pouring more resources than ever before into building a strong customer experience, and many expect to soon compete on experience more than price or quality. Today increasingly we’re seeing research that companies that invest in customer experience boast a higher stock price. In fact according to a portfolio of publicly traded companies drawn from the top 20% of brands in Forrester’s Customer Experience Index – these companies that invest in customer experience had higher stock price growth and higher total returns than a similar portfolio of companies drawn from the bottom 20% of brands.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2018/03/05/customer-experience-vs-customer-service-vs-customer-care/#5731143d4167/
Is providing a better customer experience part of your 2018 strategic plan? If so, chances are your business isn’t alone. Even so-called “experience-based” companies, like Nordstrom and Starbucks, are constantly revamping the way they care for customers. As you start planning ways in which you can offer an experience that’s both flawless and memorable, what can you learn from these customer service leaders?
Every single experience-based company shares four distinct traits that allow them to remain competitive and lead not only their respective markets but the customer service industry as a whole.
http://customerthink.com/improve-your-customer-experience-the-4-traits-of-experience-based-companies/
At least once a week, I load up a hypothetical shopping cart from online retailers like Zara, ASOS, and Sephora, only to decide that I don't want to spend money on clothes or makeup I don't really need. So I abandon the cart and close the tab. According to new research by Market Inspector, I'm not the only one. Fifty-seven percent of internet users discard internet shopping carts because of indecisiveness.
How can companies fix that indecision? For starters, 31 percent of online shoppers report that they weren't able to get answers to simple questions from company websites. That's not a product issue; it's a customer service issue.
https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4087495.html/
So, what can brands do to fix the customer experience and prevent customers from going to a competitor? The answer is probably much simpler than you think: Take the intimacy, connectivity and conversational experience from the in-person/offline world and inject it into the digital world.
http://www.adweek.com/digital/social-media-is-not-a-customer-experience-solution/
With a new era of artificial intelligence (AI) dawning upon us, it’s an incredible time for customer experience, with humongous benefits to the customer and ultrafast customer service. As AI technology matures, forward-thinking enterprises are plugging in conversational AI in their strategic investment roadmaps to leverage it for their customer service function. In fact, Gartner predicts that “conversational AI-first" will supersede "cloud-first, mobile-first" as the most important, high-level imperative for the next ten years.
https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/how-conversational-ai-is-driving-the-next-generation-customer-experience-powered-by-chatbots-and-assistants-3987595.html/
According to PwC, 73% of all people point to customer experience as an important factor in their purchasing decisions, just behind price and product quality. Yet only 49% of U.S. consumers say companies provide a good customer experience today. PwC’s most recent Consumer Intelligence Series: Experience is Everything surveyed 4,000 Americans from Gen Z to Baby Boomers and 11,000 customers from 11 other countries in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Latin America.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/shephyken/2018/04/01/your-best-opportunity-for-growing-business-the-customer-experience/#238f717d3a3e/
