2024 is here. It’s a new year and a new chance to make your business better than it was last year. The question that is probably roaming around your head now is ‘How?’
Well, along with 44 world-renowned CX experts, we have created the third volume of our CX Symposium E-Book. To help you prepare for this year’s opportunities and make you aware of the potential pitfalls on your way, we have prepared the list of top 5 CX predictions for you.
#1: There will be increasing pressure to deliver the perfect balance between technology and the human touch.
The pandemic has accelerated the shift to digital technologies dominating the shape of businesses, by ten years in some sectors. This has unfortunately become an incredibly hard journey for some organisations. There are only a few who genuinely were able to deliver superior customer experience in both human and digital channels.
The trend of Gen X, Y and Z consumers preferring digital channels will continue in 2024, due to its convenience and the avoidance of any social connectivity. However, in general, consumers still want and need to talk to a human when their issues are more complex. Therefore creating a balance and a smooth path from AI or other technologies to human interaction is key to maintaining a seamless and effective customer experience.
Whilst AI can be very smart, think of it as a co-pilot. Use it to mine data about your customers, insights into customers and real time information that can build trust with customers. AI doesn’t understand us in the same way as other people do. Therefore what should be the aim is to utilise technology like AI to help your staff to deliver CX Excellence and at the same time provide the option of not having to deal with a human if the customer doesn’t want to.
#2: Lack of staff CX training is increasing – The companies who don’t provide the correct staff training will be left behind
Too many companies expect employees to deliver CX Excellence without providing them with all the right training, particularly around digital journeys. Front and back-office employees should be trained to deliver superior CX in all channels.
One of the most critical aspects of CX training is ensuring that employees understand customer expectations. This is particularly important in the digital world as customer expectations are continually rising. Because technology is continually evolving due to changing customer needs and expectations, CX training programmes must be adapted and refreshed so that employees have the most up-to-date information. If this doesn’t happen it can lead to inconsistency in delivery, creating frustration for customers and employees alike.
This year will also be vital to understand the vulnerabilities associated with new technology and to train your staff to deal with it so data can be protected. Customers are generally very nervous about the kind of communication they receive from the companies. If they start getting geotargeted ads regularly, they will fear for the safety of their data.
Training your employees to be able to inform your customers about the communication that they will and will not receive from your company can help protect them from scams. As well as this they should be trained to identify potential spam communications to minimise the chances of internal data breach.
At The CX Academy, our Professional Diploma goes deep into your role as the CX Practitioner as well as the terms and technologies that you need to understand and how you can avoid the common technology pitfalls.
Training will be so important this year that if you miss out on this crucial step, your business will likely struggle.
#3: Reducing silos will be key to successful CX implementation in large organisations.
Successful CX people partner with other departments to help create cross-functional solutions. The silos are extremely apparent in mature organisations where cross-departmental teamwork is difficult.
To reduce silos, you should set up a CX Task Force of cross-functional employees who will work collectively to influence and deliver key CX initiatives across the company. At The CX Academy, we specialise in training teams in all aspects of CX, from a CX Director to front and back line staff.
Our training gives everyone in your organisation the same language and ensures everyone, no matter what position, knows the importance of CX. When you get people from each department to sit around the same table at the same time to discuss how the full company can make life better for the customer, it is much easier to deliver successful CX Strategies.
To achieve real business impact as a CX leader you need to get the support of all your stakeholders, many of whom don’t report to you. Listening, actioning and ensuring customer needs are met will be paramount to drive and demonstrate ROI from your CX programme in 2024.
#4: Investment in CX will continue to soar with digital transformation technology spending at the forefront.
Forrester found that about 75% of companies plan on spending more than $100k on their CX initiatives this year. 43% of which plan on spending above 500k.
59% expect to spend more on technology and 54% plan to invest more in personnel. This is great news for those looking for budget approvals for their CX initiatives. However, it still won’t be easy. Technology departments will win the investment battle every single day if CX practitioners won’t stand up for their CX initiatives and they won’t back them up with solid business case proposals.
During our Professional Diploma in CX, you get to write your very own Business Case for CX. After completing this assignment you will be able to use it in your company to get the buy-in and budget approval you need for your CX strategies to be successful.
You will have to face up to the challenge of educating the C-suite on what CX does for the bottom line to ensure you get the buy-in for CX investment. Unfortunately, even though the predictions are positive as to increased spend in CX, the goal for most C-suite teams remains focused on how to get customers to buy more whilst reducing cost. Therefore, you will need to demonstrate how companies that stand for more than simply making profits outperform their competitors.
#5: EX will become a major player in delivering CX Excellence.
CX leaders are in full agreement that without a positive Employee Experience (EX) in place, CX Excellence strategy will never work. Happy employees make happy customers who are worth more.
When employees are heard and are fully part of something, they go the extra mile for each other and the customer. The voice of the employee must be loud, strong and supported within organisations. This strong voice will identify customer needs and whether things are working well or not.
An essential part of delivering EX is creating clarity so employees know what is expected of them. They must understand how and where they fit within the bigger picture and be provided with the knowledge and skills to deliver. Companies that will successfully grow their business through CX in 2024, will be the ones who build close ties between the CX and HR departments.
The Global Leader in CX Qualifications
As the global leader in CX qualifications and certifications, we are very proud to be a part of companies and CX professionals’ continued growth, whatever challenges life may throw at them.
We have courses that allow busy professionals like yourself to improve your career prospects and help you break out of the ‘imposter syndrome’. As well as this if you have a team, we have a full solution designed specifically to help you break down the silos in your organisation and get everyone onto the same page – where everyone goes above and beyond – for every customer.
If you would like to learn more about what you can achieve with our courses, reach out to us at info@thecxacademy.org
