It is likely that you already know that customer experience (CX) is important. CX has evolved rapidly in the past few years to become an established part of the way that businesses plan and implement change to achieve their organizational and financial objectives.

Where CX was once essentially a worthy and modern alternative to measuring internal standards through mystery shoppers, improving customer experience is now a strategic and commercial imperative across most leading businesses. This is true across nearly all sectors, channels, and industries. CX now has a readily recognised purpose.

The CX industry cannot afford to stand still. CX leaders need to continually push the boundaries of CX further to ensure its long-term relevance. These messages, ideas, and solutions need to be delivered in the context of the changing realities of our age; including technological, economical, and even political shifts.

In the next two articles, I will break down how to keep your brand relevant in the ever-changing world of CX into two parts:

• Part One: Adapting to Changing Customer Requirements to Stay Ahead of the Competition
• Part Two: Building a CX Strategy to Reflect Global Trends

Omnichannel Is Changing the Way We Shop

Year-on-year footfall on the high street is falling, with shoppers’ visits to retail stores declining every year. This trend is down to the increased convenience and improvement in the experiences delivered through digital. There are other economic and social factors behind this fall in numbers that we need to bear in mind.

In the past year we have seen digital retailers open up physical locations (e.g., Made.com, Missguided, and Amazon Go) as companies look to tap into the benefits of offering a full omnichannel experience. They recognise that in order to drive loyalty and sales they need to consider opening up a phygital (physical and digital) offering, as well as the obvious PR in doing something new. Evidence that customers who engage with more than one channel spend an average of 4% more on every shopping occasion in the store and 10% more online than single-channel customers has to be a key incentive to expand across channels. InMoment also conducted a retail study recently, which reinforced this finding.

Omnichannel traffic is more typically weighted towards brands facilitating a greater proportion of online experiences for their customers, even if the purchase is ultimately made in a physical location. Webrooming (i.e., researching products online) especially amongst millennials is a behaviour that has challenged typical journey mapping tactics and entrenched department silos.

There are signs that the collaborative message is landing. We have recently seen Adidas launch an online tour of their flagship store in Stockholm, filmed with a 360-degree camera to create a virtual store experience (and aid the pre store process). Gap has gone further and created an augmented reality fitting room so that customers can “try clothes on” at home.

We can also recognise a blending process where investment is being made to bring the online benefits of ease and personalisation into stores, hotels, and restaurants. Our 2017 global CX Trends Report explored the types and importance of personalisation. From Inamo (London restaurant) where the whole ordering experience is delivered through an in-store tablet through to the trial of facial recognition technology in KFC China to predict customer orders; boundaries are being tested. In retail, we have seen a pursuit of “retailtainment” where stores are reworked as experiential spaces, with the concept of the Hackett Gin Bar in London especially capturing my own imagination (if not yet my spend).

In-store personalisation still remains a challenge even with the most optimised customer relationship management (CRM) systems in place. When one of the best examples of delivering a personal experience is Topshop’s pop-up store on Oxford Street selling Hello Kitty gear with the shopper’s name added on, you have to realise how far we still need to go to get anywhere near the level of sophistication found on the web. 

Technology Accelerates

The past 12 months have delivered fresh excitement in how technology is changing the ways we deliver, train, and share experiences. Amazon Echo stands out as the poster child for the opportunities in artificial intelligence (AI), and rightly has created a lot of buzz. Early adoption does, however, often come hand in hand with risk. For example, the largest supplier of broadband in the UK (BT) regularly struggles to connect to Echo has damaged the initial excitement of customers getting their hands on this new kit and has led to real frustration.

To appear innovative and allow funds to be redistributed to where it is most needed, AI is the way to go. The risk of not going there is probably greater than the investment required in taking the leap. Failure of USA Hearing Care businesses, who did not adopt a 3D approach to manufacturing, to survive has to be a clear warning that failure to quickly adapt to new technologies can be terminal.

Starbucks have been cited as a victim of their own success in tackling the need to provide joined up omnichannel experiences. Mobile pre-orders were reportedly causing stores to struggle, causing slower service—and unhappy customers. Transactions in the USA dropped due to the popularity of their order-and-pay app causing unforeseen strain on the process in store, allied to a move away from traditional malls.

Sometimes there may be the need to turn down the dial on technology. Mistakes will be made, and demand may at times outweigh the capability to cope. Issues will need to be resolved quickly, and we should expect the world to become more “artificial” over the next decade. CX can help us understand at what point technology is seen as an experience enabler ahead of more traditional touchpoints. In the meantime, CX offers a great measurement of a brand’s ability to maintain satisfaction levels whilst evaluating trials of new and innovative kits.

To differentiate themselves as great places to work, companies are thinking further outside the box than ever. While always-full snack closets, company game rooms, and offices that double as doggy day care are attractive perks, do they—and other employee engagement efforts—truly deliver the return on employee loyalty companies are looking for?

It’s no secret that engaged employees are more productive: less likely to spend a good portion of the day scrolling through their Facebook feed, or worse, job hunting on LinkedIn. They’re also much more likely to provide a better experience to your customers, and this less/more combination both saves and makes your business more money. But what leads to the type of sustained engagement that maps to positive bottom-line outcomes? Is it competitive pay, creative benefits, and room for professional growth? The opportunity for a positive work/life balance? Being equipped with the tools needed to do the job effectively?

Of course, all these factors matter immensely in the employee engagement formula. But years of research and working with some of the world’s leading brands has led me to a surefire way to ensure your employees deliver for you and, in turn, your customers: make sure they know they are valued.  

Notice I didn’t say make them feel valued.

Think about your friends and family. How do you know they value you? In my experience, it comes from trust, respect, and being asked for my input or opinion on important issues. And while the employer/employee relationship is different in many ways, the general idea is the same: If you want your employees to know they are valued, you have to actually demonstrate—consistently—that you value them. And a good place to start is asking for their honest ideas on how to deliver a better customer experience (as well as what’s preventing them from doing so).

Customer experience is more than a soup de jour. It’s a data-backed way to outpace your competitors. The employee’s perspective on improving the brand’s delivery of customer experience—known as Voice of the Employee (VoE)—empowers employees to take ownership of CX outcomes. And when you ask employees for their advice on improving CX—at established touchpoints and intervals, through ad hoc invites and “always-open” portals—and then act on that advice, they know they’re trusted, respected, and valued. They know this because you have made them part of the solution.

While the traditional mentality focused on creating the right working environment for employees, this new model takes a collaborative approach to problem solving and innovation, asking “What can we do together…and how?” It moves away from asking employees if they feel valued to ensuring value is manifest through action. It’s about getting to a point where you don’t have to ask—because you know. It’s not just one-time feedback; it’s the beginning of an ongoing conversation.

With technology, what was once a complicated, siloed, and often ineffective web of processes can now be streamlined and expedited. Sophisticated listening tools allow companies to systematically collect and run complex analyses on both customer and employee feedback, surfacing correlations and trends, and identifying both failures and successes. Tech can even automate some tasks for employees: prioritizing cases, routing customers to the places and people where they can get the right answers, and serving up content personalized to their preferences. Automated systems can also arm your front line with in-the-moment intelligence, empowering them to have the most effective interactions possible. And with processes like machine learning and artificial intelligence built into some of the more innovative solutions, these systems get smarter and even more effective over time. In essence, technology is a value-building tool that empowers employees to be your greatest CX advocates.

The result: Employees are providing more value to your customers and your brand, and they are more successful in their roles. In other words, you are helping them be—not just feel—more valuable.

While a number of aspects factor into employee engagement, VoE goes beyond salary, benefits, and foosball tables. It gives your employees a permanent seat at the decision-making table. By making employees part of the solution, companies are rewarded with not only a passionate, empowered workforce, but also new ideas and insights even their customers can’t provide.

Inspired. Proud. Motivated to be even better. The InMoment team is still taking in the full impact of a report recently released by an independent research firm in which we were cited as a Leader, received the highest possible score in 10 criteria for our Current Offering, and achieved the top ranking for Strategy.  

And beyond all of good news for our company and clients, the report also contains some very insightful findings that will help every customer experience (CX) practitioner better understand the landscape they’re working within, as well as the opportunities.

The report is titled The Forrester Wave™: Customer Feedback Management Platforms, Q2 2017. In addition to exploring the similarities and differences between top technology providers, Forrester makes clear the connections between Voice of the Customer (VoC) programs and Customer Feedback Management (CFM) platforms, as well as the role each play in supporting organizations’ CX initiatives.

How “VoC” Relates to “CFM”

According to Forrester, there are four distinct VoC tasks:

• Listen: Directly solicit and gather unsolicited feedback from multiple sources
• Interpret: Analyze feedback, create dashboards and reports; automatically route
• Act: Alert on action, manage cases, prioritize and prescribe
• Monitor: Track change in perception over time; measure results of VoC-initiated activities

CFM platforms play the important role of supporting CX professionals in managing the complexity of their VoC programs by centralizing and automating these tasks.

Untapped Potential

While many companies have at least a rudimentary VoC program in place, few are leveraging technology to its full potential, leaving money—and opportunity—on the table. In the report, Forrester cites the following findings:

• Only 42% of companies use one ore more technology solutions to support their VoC program.
• Brands that buy CFM platform solutions are mostly first-time buyers.
• Although CFM platforms have functionality to serve all VoC tasks, just 19% of companies use a CFM vendor to solicit feedback, and only 5% of all companies use the same CFM provider for the majority of other tasks.

So how can a company that wants to improve its VoC efforts identify the right CFM provider?

“Providers that Matter”

Forrester has done a lot of important work for you in the report, in which analysts takes a very comprehensive look at state of the CFM platform market and providers within it. The first thing they did was conduct primary research to develop a list of vendors that met the criteria for further evaluation.

Forrester winnowed the consideration set down to the “10 providers that matter” based on 1) product fit, 2) client success, and 3) Forrester client demand. Analysts then began the months-long process of surveying each vendor on their capabilities and validating capabilities through product demonstrations.

Client references played a large role in Forrester’s process. Analysts conducted three client phone interviews per provider, and fielded a survey among 60 client references.   

The result of these monumental efforts is a comprehensive evaluation of the top CFM vendors, including their strengths and weaknesses.

Partnership is Key

A key takeaway from the report was that not only are organizations looking for great technology, but they also need a true business partner—not just a vendor—to navigate the constantly changing CX landscape:

“The CFM market is growing because more CX professionals want a technology platform that automates and centralizes essential VoC activities. CX pros are also looking for a steady and close relationship with a provider that acts as an extended part of their team and helps evolve their VoC program.”

To read more about CFM and how managing and automating the complexities of your VoC efforts can create high-value relationships with your customers, download the free report.

For over 500 years, scholars and art historians have debated whether or not the woman in the Mona Lisa is smiling. Detailed analysis suggests that from certain angles and distances, the lady appears to be smiling; from others, the smile appears to have vanished—an effect achieved by using a combination of color and shading to create an optical illusion around her mouth.

If only every company analyzed its customers’ feedback—and emotions—with such fervor.

When companies focus on scores alone they fail to understand and bring context to the emotions and inherent richness expressed by their customers. Consider this: If art connoisseurs evaluated paintings the way many CX analysts evaluate results, they would note that the Mona Lisa measures two-and-a-half feet by one-and-three-quarter feet, was painted using oil by Leonardo da Vinci in 1503, and depicts a woman—Lisa Gherardini. There would be no discussion about her smile.

Yet, brands routinely make business decisions based on information not much more nuanced than this. They regularly overlook the emotions—joy, pain, or disgust, to name a few—communicated by customers in “human” data from open-ended comments, social reviews, etc.—hiding behind excuses such as “it’s too difficult to measure.”

With consumers so willing to tell companies how they feel—and why—why do many brands miss the mark so badly when it comes to customer experience?

InMoment’s annual CX Trends Report delved into how both consumers and CX practitioners view the role of emotion in customer experiences and brand loyalty. We gave respondents a list of emotions and asked them to select which one they associated most strongly with great customer experiences. The overwhelming response? Satisfied. We also asked customers which emotion they associated with the brands they are loyal to. The answer, yet again, was satisfied.

So let’s get this straight: Can the relatively mild emotion of satisfied (not stronger emotions, like delighted or entertained) not only be used to describe great experiences, but also drive customers toward brand loyalty? Maybe satisfied is good enough—great, even—and customers don’t need to feel anything more to become loyal.

We then asked consumers to describe, in detail, the why behind their emotions—to give us a qualitative view into their stated satisfaction (or whichever emotion they chose). Within this unstructured, human data, we found a layered and infinitely more valuable story. Customers are very happy and feel bonded to brands when their expectations are consistently met. And those expectations are quite basic. Here’s one example from a Danish consumer:  “They had what I was looking for.”

Any CX analysis that ends with the quantitative data is missing important details—the emotional context—as well as the why of a customer’s experience. Only by including the human, unstructured data will analysts surface a much deeper intelligence—because just like the Mona Lisa, there’s so much more meaning than a quantitative description can ever capture.