Zendesk recently published a report detailing CX trends for 2021. Titled their Global Annual Customer Experience Trends Report 2021, data collected showed customers are not only becoming more tech savvy as we leave behind the trials and tribulations of 2020 and push ahead into the next year, but also more demanding too. This is making it all the more challenging for businesses and brands to keep up with their expectations as they battle on delivering CX in hybrid and remote working environments.
One of the key findings from the report was that 75% of customers will spend more money for a better CX. This shows us that customer experience is more important to them now, than one year ago.
In an exclusive interview, CX Today welcomes Celine Maher, Regional Vice President, Commercial Sales, Zendesk, to discuss this fascinating new trend and provide advice to businesses in achieving such high consumer demands.
“During the peak of the pandemic, CX teams were challenged with managing a huge influx of service requests, whilst still delivering an exceptional seamless and empathetic experience.
“With 75% of customers willing to spend more if they can buy from a company offering good customer experience, investment in CX should be at the top of every business’s investment list,’ Maher says.
Another important result of the report found that customers are now saying CX is more important now than ever. Could this act as proof customers are no longer accepting COVID-19 as an excuse for bad CX? And if so, are organisations moving forward at the same rate as customer demands? Maher explains it all comes down to achieving that age-old bond with the customer – loyalty.
Maher adds: “For businesses to build customer loyalty, they need to make the experience effortless, provide easy online transactions, share regular updates on the status of an order, and reassure customers that they’ll be able to connect to a support team via their preferred channel.”
Cash Injection
Maher explains that it’s now vital companies invest in their businesses to stay ahead of the game. Live agents should now have the right tools to do their jobs and automation or AI solutions need to be up to date. Gone are the days where the business can blame the pandemic.
She says: “It’s worth noting that a little investment can go a long way – and it’s more important than ever to invest in the right tools to equip agents. With nearly half of agents (46%) claiming they don’t have the right tools to successfully work from home, it is now crucial for employers to understand how they can better support their CX teams. This isn’t simply about buying more tech, it’s also about investing in new approaches that go beyond the tech itself and enable agents to do their best work.
“For example, this might include investing in analytics tools which can help measure team success or understand gaps in team efficiency. With these investments in CX you can empower your service teams to work smarter, not harder, which increases customer satisfaction, and drives long term benefits.
“As consumers, we’re all moving digital now and the market is competitive. Remember, having an ecommerce platform is no longer your key differentiator. It’s about the experience you provide to customers.”
To conclude, CX is increasingly crucial to business success. In fact, the research found that the most successful companies are adopting new technology at record speed. Among tech decision makers in the UK, 78% say COVID-19 sped up technology adoption at their companies, whilst 22% say it’s accelerated by 4-7 years.
Further highlighting the acceleration of technology, a Gartner survey conducted in 2020 found that 91% of organisations said that CX was one of, or the primary goal of, their digital business transformation efforts. To put it simply, those not keeping up in the CX race, will get left behind.
