As you look ahead to 2016, it’s a good time to ponder: what’s the “new black” for improving customer experience? The Beyond the Arc team decided to play the role of #stylespotter and share some of our predictions.

Leaders will retool their culture to become more customer-focused

There’s an old saying that culture eats strategy for lunch. To us, that means that no matter how many programs or initiatives you launch, it’s tough to succeed unless you have the right company culture.

“With amplified focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences, companies are realizing it starts from the inside out. To ensure the business delivers on their brand promise, they need every employee on board, rallied around a shared vision and consistent behaviors and communications that focus on what customers want most.”
customer focus and predictions

Companies will discover the power of simplicity to build loyalty

As customers are growing more aware of their experiences with products and services, they’re becoming more fickle. So how do you earn loyalty?  Savvy companies will thrive by considering the customer lifecycle and tailoring user-centered content to meet the needs at each stage.

“Companies need to provide customers with a streamlined, outstanding process to generate greater loyalty, and less shopping-around. When focusing on making customer experience improvements, companies need to think beyond just solving pain points. They need to make the experience simple and seamless.”
“Social, crowd, and search platforms continue to compete for consumer attention and (re)direction with reviews and ratings. Can a company create such a compelling loyalty proposition that people no longer bother to cross-reference or do research?”

Technology will help to create better customer onboarding experiences

Has your company ever mapped-out the process of opening a new account? Do your customers have to fill out a lot of paperwork to get started? You may be shocked at how many steps new customers need to take, and how much time the process consumes.

At events like Finovate, we’re already seeing Adobe, Salesforce, and other solution providers gain significant traction in showing how their technology platforms can make it easier for companies to welcome and onboard new customers.”
Steven Ramirez, CEO, Beyond the Arc

Everyone’s data is big (enough)

2016 is your year to develop a better understanding of your customers, and create better business outcomes. Every company that collects operational data can learn valuable lessons by analyzing it —and you don’t need massive models with thousands of predictions to gain actionable insights. While smaller companies have been slow to take advantage of advanced (big) data analysis, Beyond the Arc will continue to help businesses get into the game and win.

“Leading companies are thinking beyond Big Data, and using Big Text Analytics to create a more comprehensive, intelligent customer analysis.” In a blog article, Tony talked about how businesses can develop more actionable customer insights with what he calls “Big Text.”
Tony Pines, Data Scientist

Excellence will be driven by better emotional engagement across all touch points

Make it your goal to ensure customers feel satisfied and valued through every interaction with your business. While our Silicon Valley-based team members have been early champions of solutions that leverage technology to improve customer experience, we know it’s vital to stay connected to human nature.

“Consumer attention is a gift. We only have 8 seconds (or less) to capture it. Customers have many choices and many things competing for their attention. Being mindful of their time and their needs builds trust and the opportunity for engagement.”

Marketing across all channels and devices needs to be mindful of short attention span and a customer’s desire to solve problems easily. Every word, every image, every digital stream should create experiences that are delightful, memorable and shareable.

We wish you much customer love and delight in 2016 and beyond!