Four CX Trends That Will Raise the Stakes in 2019

In the past decade, customer experience has seen revolutionary shifts thanks to advances in technology. Brands are learning to utilize analytics to have a better customer experience and increase the value they provide. Below are four CX trends that will propel brands even further into the future of customer experience improvements.

Predictive Analytics Transforms CX

The field of predictive analytics has made astounding strides in the past several years primarily in its ability to help businesses strategize and make smarter decisions sooner. While not every brand will have the budget to be on the cutting edge of predictive analytics, all brands will be focusing on digital integration and big data. Regardless of the kind of software you’re using, brands will be more empowered to identify and prevent customer service issues before they happen. Rather than spending time putting out fires, brands will be smoothing out issues before customers even notice.

The Brand Promise Is Front and Center

Not only is it important to carefully sculpt your brand identity and align it with your brand values – It’s also becoming clear that brands need to consciously align offerings with your brand promise. The days in which false advertising worked are over, and it’s no longer sufficient to make general claims about the quality or results of what you offer. Consumers pay closer attention – some studies even show they trust brands less than ever before. This requires brands to sit down and discuss, analyze, and measure the results customers get in comparison to what they expect. If the promise doesn’t truly translate through your brand’s products and services, customers will notice. Not only will they notice, but they’ll share their opinions on social media. Honing in on the brand promise will be part of the foundation of your reputation, designing systems to be sure it’s consistently implemented is key to long-term reputation management.

Personalization Goes Even Further

Good brands understand that a personalized customer experience goes a long way. It’s no longer a luxury, but an expectation that consumers have. With brands continuously upping the ante, consumers are accustomed to being amicably ushered through the buying process and having plenty of convenient options to suit their specific needs. In a highly digital society, consumers are longing for real human interaction in customer support. It’s no longer about providing a uniform, positive experience for all – but a unique experienced tailored to the individual. This makes the process of definitively improving CX tricky. Brands will need to implement more tools to help create this memorable, one-on-one relationship.

Customer Retention Strategies Improve

Providing a personalized experience is one way brands can ensure repeat customers and build loyalty. Improving support response times and providing exclusive offers to loyal customers will help brands cultivate trust. Modern consumers don’t only want exclusive offers and deals, they also want to be presented with meaningful offers that reveal a brand’s understanding of them. The authenticity underneath holds more weight than a major price slash. Successful brands will move towards proactive customer retention practices that are made easier with CRM & SRM tools.

While “customer experience” is becoming an umbrella term that encompasses many elements, businesses can narrow their focus to the types of CX that are most relevant to their goals. Studies show that 55% of consumers are willing to pay more for brands that provide a superior customer experience. Thus sophisticated CX developments show no signs of slowing down in 2019 and beyond.