Providing the tools that offer companies fast time to results is the next CX frontier, according to Mikkel Svane, Co-Founder and CEO at Zendesk.
Discussing the future of Zendesk at a recent earnings call, Svane stated:
We see an overall trend with businesses today where they (companies) appreciate the fast time to results, the no-hassle implementation, the ease of use, and the powerful capabilities. We see that as a megatrend that business is definitely gravitating toward those kind of attributes. And we see that as a long-term accelerator of our business.
Indeed, in the current CX climate, more companies are developing transformation plans that consist of constant, quick evolutions instead of building towards a revolution. In other words, CX progression is becoming a set of sprints, not a marathon effort.
Recognizing this trend, Zendesk seems intent on empowering businesses with tools to increase agility. They will focus on delivering low-/no-code, easy-to-use technology that enables companies to react quickly to new trends and remain relevant.
Perhaps this strategy took a hit after its failed takeover bid of Momentive Global – the parent company of SurveyMonkey – yet Svane seems ready to move on. He stated:
We had grand plans, grand visions for what we could do with the Momentum acquisition. That’s not going to materialize. So, we are definitely focusing on our core operating plan that we had even before announcing the acquisition and executing on that. That’s really our focus.
Undoubtedly, the downfall of the Momentive Global deal has proved testing for the Zendesk c-suite, as they engage in an ongoing feud with shareholders.
However, Zendesk is taking little time to lick its wounds, promising lots of innovations and announcements to come at its upcoming RELATE conference. These will include new capabilities for its sales products.
Alongside this, the company plans to upgrade its customer intelligence strategy. As Svane said:
It’s not going to be with our friends from Momentive, but we’re still going to focus on how we can help our customers gain more insights about their business, about their products, (by) using customer service data combined with other data.
Gaining these insights, companies may make data-driven decisions, allowing them to keep up with rising customer expectations.
The Zendesk 2022 CX Trends Report highlights this trend, revealing that 48% of UK consumers say their customer service expectations have increased over the past year.
Interestingly, the report also reveals that almost half of customers believe service is an “afterthought” of most businesses. These findings indicate that rapid change is necessary for how companies consider service. Such speed is something that Zendesk seems intent on delivering.
