CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AT THE CORE OF THE STRATEGY
Strategies for optimizing the customers’ engagement with a brand or product are more and more important for organizations, and technology is their main ally. Omnichannel, predictive behavioural analytics, artificial intelligence, and data analytics are key.
In a hyperconnected, interactive world, Customer Experience (CX) has become an essential differentiator for companies of all sizes.
Currently, most customers base their consumption decisions on their prior experience and, in general, they remain loyal to the brands which provide them with solutions and good service, while they disregard those not giving them the answers they expect.
As they become more aware of the fact that Customer Experience is a substantial part of the business, impacting both name-building and profitability, companies are constantly looking for new tools, processes, and systems to establish more solid and long-lasting relationships with their customers.
The most recent CX Trends 2022 survey, done by Zendesk consulting company to businesspeople from 21 countries around the world (among them, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and the USA) stated that 93% of the customers choose the companies that have offered them their preferred communication option. The survey also points out that 61% of respondents would leave for the competition after a bad experience with a brand.
Likewise, Genesys’s report The State of Customer Experience, published in early 2022, states that 9 out of 10 customers affirm that being listened to is essential to their satisfaction.
Statistics do nothing more than to confirm a booming trend: customers are more and more rigorous and demanding, and they expect something that is different enough to drive their consumption decisions.
The Importance of Data
Companies must be able to adequately listen to the needs their customers express, transform that information into improvements and establish an emotional bond with them.
###p
Typical satisfaction surveys are no longer enough to meet those objectives. Nowadays organizations need much faster and deeper data analysis from predictive platforms that enable an understanding of the customers’ tastes, habits, and affinities, and the chance to offer them efficient, immediate answers.
Choosing this kind of digital re-conversion also improves business results: according to a recent report by Llorente y Cuenca carried out in 10 Latin American countries, the average profitability of companies using big data solutions to analyze their consumers’ conversations is nearly 22% higher than that of companies not using them.
The Omnichannel Strategy and the Agents’ Skills
Having a comprehensive, unified marketing strategy, including all available sales and communication channels and platforms, both digital and physical, is also key for companies to build up a genuine bond with their customers based on trust, scalability, and constant feedback.
An omnichannel approach is, undoubtedly, one of the biggest challenges: the key is to place the customer, not the product, in the centre of the business strategy, and to go with them all along their buying process so that they live an experience that is both pleasant and as customized as possible.
Another fundamental aspect to offer optimum CX is to have a work team that is trained and aligned with the general strategy of the company, through ongoing programs to incentivize and train them on soft and hard skills.
Value Solutions
For many years now, technology has been the best ally of companies looking to develop or optimize their Customer Experience systems. Tools such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) or machine learning are being used more and more in the growing market of Customer Experience Management.
The market today is flooded with companies offering CX solutions for the whole value chain which make it possible to connect data and indicators in real-time, thus optimizing the customers’ experience and powering the business.
One of the most complete options is offered by Seidor, a member of United VARs, through a solutions package for Customer Experience by SAP, made up of SAP Commerce Cloud, SAP Upscale Commerce, SAP Customer Data Solution, SAP Cloud for Customer, SAP Emarsys Customer Engagement, and SAP Marketing Cloud, among others.
The combination of these kinds of technological solutions is essential for every customer to feel unique. And that experience begins with end-to-end business integration that makes it possible to know how the customer feels every step of the way: need, purchase, delivery, payment, return, and after-sales service.
Preparation is the Way to Go
The global Customer Experience Management market is steadily expanding. According to the latest report produced by Grand View Research, it will reach USD38.98 billion by 2030, and it is expected to grow by 18.1% between 2022 and 2030.
Thus, organizations must be prepared to satisfy their customers and foresee their needs.
“64% of the customers are less patient than last year. A company’s success depends on engaging with their customers in interactive conversations and investing in technology that allows them to offer exceptional service, ensuring everything is integrated across the organization,” says Jeff Titterton, Chief Operating Officer at Zendesk.
The road is not easy. Only those who realize that success is not only about offering a wonderful product but creating an experience the customer cannot forget will achieve the objective. CX is much more than a buzzword: it is the key to business survival.
About United VARs
United VARs is a global alliance of SAP implementation partners and solution providers for the mid-market. With over 70 members in 100 countries, the alliance serves all types of SAP rollouts and integrations across the world. The organization provides businesses with local expertise ‘on the ground’ charged at local rates. All United VARs members work together as one team to provide a more personalized service than other global systems integrators are able to and one that is better suited to mid-market budgets.
stronger than one