Key customer experience trends to watch out for in 2022

Turbulent times force brands to adapt quickly and rethink their strategies. This is time to act with purpose and focus on standout CX innovations.

In one of our latest articles, we discussed how important innovative and personalized customer experience (CX) is as a key brand’s differentiator, which helps companies build positive interactions and customer loyalty. Apart from distinguishing an organization, CX has an effect on consumers’ loyalty and future interactions with a company. The pandemic has further formed the trend of having CX as a major factor for earning a competitive advantage in 2022.

Even though customers these days are used to switching brands and platforms, they will stick to a company if it provides them with a personalized experience and exceeds their expectations. Customers are also more prone to spend more (almost 3 times more, according to Forrester), if a business communicates with them in a clear and understandable manner. In comparison, if customers have a negative support experience with a company, almost 90% of them are likely to spread the word about it. Therefore, organizations should prioritize CX and customer service, especially during the Covid-19 times, which have shifted the customers’ behavior and preferences.

If last year was a moment of reflection, 2022 is the time to act with purpose and focus on CX innovations to truly stand out from the competitors. Brands will have to objectively examine how the pandemic impacted their operations and invest in the right systems, processes and skillsets needed to improve operations performance and remain in step with customer expectations. This year, they will continue to evolve, and companies should be aware of the key CX trends to be ready for transformative change.

What trends should companies follow to stay ahead in CX in 2022?

• Digitalization & Automation – Businesses should adapt and be innovative depending on the changing environment. In the end, the ones that are truly distinctive are the firms that manage to find the golden mean between emerging technology and human workforce to maintain a CX across all channels. Automated and digital improvements can enhance business processes such as job candidates screening, recruitment and onboarding which can assist companies in handling these actions in a faster manner. As we discussed in our article on Robotic Process Automation (RPA), by using software technologies, or the so-called “bots”, RPA solutions take over repeatable tasks and allow operations teams to focus human power on more complex and innovative cases.

• Empathy – With the rise of the current pandemic, not only customers but also employees expect support and empathy from firms. According to a prediction made by IDC, companies that deliver positive experiences to customers and excel at empathy will do 40% better than those that do not by 2023. Fostering empathetic CX will lead to customer loyalty and will create trust in your company as a brand, which is the ultimate competitive advantage. According to Forrester, 76% of customers indicate they will keep doing business with the brand when a company makes them feel appreciated, while 87% will recommend the brand to friends and family members.

• Faster and proactive support – With advancing technology and everything being so easily accessible online, customers’ expectations keep on growing. Constant support and availability from companies are anticipated. According to Forrester, customers tend to stay 2.4 times more, if a company resolves their problems quickly. What is more, the trend of immediate and proactive 24/7 customer support will become the new normal, which businesses can turn into opportunities for optimized processes that provide excellent CX. Identifying and resolving customer issues before customers are aware of them—is a massive opportunity to increase customer goodwill and reduce costs.

It is critical for companies to find a business partner that values customers and creates their solutions around the customers’ needs. By gaining an understanding of the main values and priorities of the customers, a company should adjust its operations, thus creating convenience for the customers and increasing their satisfaction.

With its expertise and constant growth, Pontica has been delivering excellent customer service for its clients from various industries. We believe that a happy team equals happy customers and this is the reason why we are people-oriented. We guarantee high quality and customer satisfaction, so if you want to work with an experienced partner to facilitate your company’s operations and strengthen CX, reach out to us! Explore our services to learn more or get in touch with us and find out how we can help you deliver high customer satisfaction!