We have new predictions for 2023

the road ahead - predictionsCustomer expectations are rapidly evolving. The pace of technology innovation is relentless. How will your business need to adapt or rethink the way you deliver customer experiences to stay competitive in the year ahead?

Check out CX predictions from our Beyond the Arc team on what we expect to see in 2018…

Companies will have to effectively balance AI and CX

Everyone’s talking about AI (artificial intelligence) and how it will transform customer experiences.

Employee empathy will be critical for culture transformation

Two big waves are converging… the power of empathy in customer experience, and the importance of building a customer-centric company culture. The result is a need for greater focus on empathy in the employee experience. Afterall, these are the people who are expected to bring a company’s CX vision to life. Our communications and culture transformation leader, Gavin James, sees it like this:

“Employees are the lifeblood of the customer experience. If they feel heard, valued, and satisfied, it’s a good bet that spirit will be reflected outwardly to customers. If employees are indifferent or just filling a role, customers will notice that too. Winning companies will be those that ensure internal leaders and teams get supportive communications, training and tools that help them feel empowered and motivated to live the company’s CX vision every day.”

Online advertising will need to be more creative to win customers

The highly targeted nature of online ads is becoming counter-productive. Pop-ups reflect our recent searches, site visits, purchases, even online conversations to the point of creepy, rather than engaging. As a result, our PR and media relations expert, Ana Pallas, predicts we’ll see more disruption in digital advertising in 2018:

“Do marketers really think annoying hyperlinks and pop-up videos will get people to click? To attract customers, successful businesses will move away from aggressive online advertising and clickbait. Instead they’ll create smarter content, with more relevant sentiment that genuinely draws consumers in.”

Blockchain will protect you from identity theft

It’s only a matter of time until there’s a massive data breach involving the U.S. government that impacts millions of citizens (think Social Security Administration or the IRS). The fallout will create the momentum to move away from using PINs and passwords, and shift to blockchain encryption to protect our most sensitive data. Blockchain requires both a public key and a private key protect your digital identity. You can share your public key, but never have to reveal your private key (as you do with your SSN today.)

We’re excited to tackle these opportunities and challenges in 2018. Hope you’ve had a wonderful 2017 and we wish you a successful year ahead!