By Rodolfo Luís Pereira, Enterprise Solutions Director at Noesis
Over the past decade, the customer experience concept has gradually evolved and solidified in the organizational ecosystem. However, in the last two years, the paradigm has changed! We watched a drastic change and exponential growth concerning this type of strategy by giving the consumer the ability to understand, in-depth, brands and what to expect from each one of them in the different channels that the consumer uses day-to-day.
Nowadays, due to the greater accessibility of information technologies, consumers have become more demanding and judicious when they intend to purchase a product or a service. In most cases, what distinguishes a particular organization's preference over another is associated with its ability to provide unique and customizable experiences to its customers, whether in pre-sales, sales, or post-sales contexts. In this sense, organizations must adapt to new realities and be aware of trends. Otherwise, they will put themselves in a weak position before the competition.
In this way, we believe that at least the following three trends can mark the future of customer experience:
• Security and data privacy:
Security and data privacy isn't something new for 2022. However, it will become an indispensable premise throughout this year, as consumers increasingly share more data in exchange for highly personalized experiences. As all countries introduce new data privacy regulations, as was the case with the GDPR, organizations are forced to adopt strict actions to protect their consumers' data. On the other hand, adopting these actions increases consumer confidence in the company, providing healthy, lasting, and mutually beneficial relationships.
While digital transformation continues on its way, privacy and security are assumed to be critical factors in winning over customers. To gain their loyalty and improve their brand assurance, companies must constantly monitor, evaluate and update their data protection and privacy measures.
• Omnichannel experience:
The idea of an omnichannel experience has been a popular topic in customer experience reviews in recent years. However, this does not mean that brands have adapted to this concept correctly. According to Gartner 2022, 50% of the prominent organizations will have problems unifying their channels, resulting in a customer experience that is not fit and lacks context, resulting in a poor connection to their customers.
In this way, customer experience covers various channels: offline media such as physical stores and online media such as eCommerce, email, social media, inquiries, and surveys. Projections indicate that these same means will continue to increase. The truth is that being available on different channels is one thing, providing unique and ongoing experiences is quite another. Therefore, teams need the ability to quickly switch between channels and, at the same time, provide a cohesive, uniform, and coherent experience for their customers, regardless of the channel they choose to interact with the brand.
In 2022, omnichannel will be much more than just brand visibility. Factors such as the organization's voice, the tone of the messages, and how it "serves" customers through new digital platforms will become indispensable in building stronger, healthier, and longer-lasting relationships.
• Hyperpersonalization:
Nowadays, customers are no longer impressed by sending a simple message wishing them a happy birthday. Today, customers expect much more than that. They expect highly personalized and unique experiences whenever they get involved in a business, and they already know that companies have the tools to achieve this.
Leveraging real-time customer data such as their website behavior, search results, purchase history, most active times, and past interactions with the business can help organizations better understand their needs and hyper-customize their experience.
2022 will thus see a gradual move towards hyper-personalized experiences, and brands that can consistently deliver these experiences will remain relevant and increase customer happiness over time. On the other hand, with modern customer experience platforms composed of data analytics capabilities and artificial intelligence, designing an efficient customer journey is increasingly accessible.
Understanding customers and offering them an unforgettable experience has become essential these days. By providing a unique experience, the company can add value to its product and achieve more results. But, as consumer behavior is constantly changing, it is essential to be aware of the main trends!
Published (in Portuguese) in Executive Digest
