Customers are demanding individual and personalized communication. As CX leaders we must walk this fine line carefully.

To capitalize on the true potential of data at our fingertips, organizations must fundamentally change how they view and use data. The promise of 5G, growth in connected devices and rapidly evolving methods of using and analyzing data, have led to a new age of enlightenment driven by insights gained from connecting consumer, strategic and operational data. This, combined with data storage costs at near zero and data transfer and processing costs declining, means there are near-limitless opportunities for organizations to uncover actionable insights. Unlocking data’s power requires elevating it to the status of a strategic asset. Yet there are still many challenges that organizations face. Here are some insights and key takeaways from our CX Summit.

Organizational Structure

When it comes to creating a single customer view many executives are challenged with organizational structure which for some is a decentralized function. It requires reaching across the aisle and working cross functionally. How can you create CX guardrails to help proliferate some of those insights across the enterprise to guide other teams to react in a customer obsessed way? When polled, about 55% of CX leaders said they have access to the right data, but the bigger challenge is tying it to insights to better understand what the next best action is for the customer.

Data v. Information

We all know data can be misleading. You can manipulate data to say anything you want, forcing the question, which data do you focus on and how do you overlay the insights to gain a better understanding of what’s really going to make the difference? One CX executive said, “it’s moving from wizards around the table to actually taking the data to where we need to take that customer journey next.” Sometimes its watching for the hidden data that you weren’t expecting which can deliver those predictive insights.

Digital Touchpoints

Digital touchpoints are expanding from websites and mobile to websites, mobile, voice, beacons, and more, resulting in so many siloed experiences to collect data from. You have your voice team, your mobile team, your customer experience team and bringing those teams together in a meaningful and secure way remains a challenge. How you decide which technology to pursue and invest in? Do you pursue AR or voice? Which tech will help better deliver those essential customer experiences?

Building Trust

Many organizations look to collect as much data from their customers during initial interactions. Wanting to know so much immediately can lead to mistrust. Our thought leaders believe we should use technology to build relationships and collect information about our customer over time. It’s about humanizing technology and building trust through valuable experiences.

Walking the path of the customer

In today’s world many organizations are inadvertently removing themselves from what the customer is experiencing. Without that understanding you can’t bring empathy to the conversation. Customers will give you data if they see value in return and as customer experience leaders, we are being called upon to understand what the customer if going through, the advice? Call the call center, use that failed credit card, and experience your organization from a customer point of view. Valuable customer experience lessons can be learned here.

The power of storytelling and the voice of the customer

Storytelling provides an avenue to connect your customers with your brand like no other. Stories help us share, engage, and comprehend in ways few other mechanisms can. CX leaders shared an important element to storytelling and bringing the voice of the customer from interviews to the boardroom. Doing so counterbalances what some of your executives might be pontificating about but is not necessarily founded on data. It can be a tricky conversation to have in the boardroom but bringing together storytelling with quotes and testimonials from customers can have a great impact on the narrative.

Questions for your consideration

· How can you, think backward from the customer who doesn’t think in terms of channels?

· How can you utilize personalization to increase customer loyalty and retention?

· What cultural and infrastructural changes are required to adopt real-time, open, secure, and scalable data analytics throughout the organization?

· How do you create frictionless collaboration within your data ecosystem – people, tools, and data?

· How can you manage Safety concerns? How can you show integrity and ensure that this information is safe in your hands?

Join the Conversation

GDS Summits are tailored 3-day virtual event conferences that bring together business leaders and solution providers to accelerate sales cycles, industry conversations and outcomes. Regarding the CX Innovation Summit 86% of Delegates said the overall experience of Digital Summit they attended was either Above Average or Excellent and 71% of Delegates said the Digital Summit provided them with actionable outcomes to support their current initiatives.

For more, click here to hear from attendees on how GDS has helped them to achieve their business outcomes.

Continue the debate at GDS’ CX Innovation Summits where we bring together senior marketing executives who are actively seeking to share, learn, engage, and find the best solutions.

Apply to Attend