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 try to launch, it’s tough to succeed unless you have the right company culture. Gavin James, a customer experience leader on our team says it this way…
“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.”
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? CX strategist Christine Matteo emphasizes this…
“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.”
Data Scientist and strategist Bruce Johnson builds on this idea when he notes..
“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?”
While no doubt web research will still be alive and well in 2016, savvy companies will thrive by considering the customer lifecycle and tailoring user-centered content to meet the needs at each stage.
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. Inspired by events like Finovate, Beyond the Arc CEO Steven Ramirez says…
“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.”
Everyone’s data is big (enough)
2016 is your year to deepen your 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.
Data scientist Tony Pines adds that…
“Leading companies are thinking beyond Big Data, and using Big Text Analytics to create a more comprehensive, intelligent customer analysis.” In a blog article, he talked about how businesses can develop more actionable customer insights with what he calls, “Big Text.”
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, our marketing coordinator Elizabeth Tun Zan reminds us that…
“Consumer attention is a gift. We only have 8 seconds (or less) to capture people’s attention. 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!