Delivering a great experience to customers is always the goal of businesses. However, what they want to experience can change over time. And you should be ready for it. So, let’s look at what customer experience will look like in 2024 and learn how you can fare better.
The Evolution Of The Omnichannel Customer Experience
Omnichannel has been one of the biggest buzzwords in customer experience in recent years. But while it has been a remarkable development, there are still challenges. One is the need for consistency. Here, customers often complain that they repeat their actions in a previous channel when transferring to the next one.
Image from GetVOIP.
In 2024, omnichannel will evolve to resolve these issues. The concept of meeting customers where they are becomes an essential component of the system. Companies will rely heavily on tools like smart authentication and customer relationship management platforms to track interaction across these channels. They can use the information about these interactions to determine how to bring people across the channels effectively.
Creating A More Consistent Omnichannel Framework
The success of the omnichannel approach doesn’t just lie in the tech, however. Human agents also play a vital role in the matter. As such, ensure that the two components are more effectively intertwined.
For instance, both components must effectively lead customers to each other. AI-powered customer service tools can help users not just get quick solutions, but also determine when to connect with human agents. On the other hand, your service agents should be ready to guide customers in using these tools effectively.
Image from Velaro.
You also need to weave both components into the customer experience seamlessly. People must be able to accomplish their specific goals from wherever the customer service portal they are. Note that you should provide a dynamic service to accommodate the channels a customer prefers.
Enter The Synthetic Customer
Customers are also changing significantly, impacting the experience you can provide them. One of the fascinating developments is the birth of the synthetic customer. So, you might wonder what it is exactly.
In reality, the synthetic customer is not some fancy robot buyer. But it is equally interesting. It is a new way for companies to model customer behavior more accurately. Using real-time customer data and artificial intelligence, companies can model customer personas that more closely mimic actual users.
Image from LinkedIn.
This is beneficial in customer analytics, as it can make better predictions on things like pain points and the optimal route to success. Additionally, the synthetic customer is handy for modeling the response your customer service team will need to make.
Using The Synthetic Customer Right
Creating the synthetic customer right hinges on having all the essential data you need. That isn’t just about the volume. You also want to get this data from the right sources. The idea is to gather them from places that best describe their behavior.
Social media is a popular choice, as it can provide plenty of engagement opportunities. Virtua Solutions can help you keep track of these sources through our social media monitoring team. From there, our customer success team can help you better understand these personals and model the right engagement approach.
Emotional Intelligence As A Crucial Aspect Of The Customer Experience
This might be something that you are already aware of. However, the advent of automated customer engagement tools has made it an even more essential element. After all, if there is one thing that machines can’t recreate it is the emotional nature of the customer experience.
Image from Idiomatic.
As it is, customers respond more to brands that can also reach out to them on an emotional level. However, there is more to it than just “tugging heartstrings”. Customers want to feel a genuine connection with the brand, seeing it align with their goals and desires. With that, they can believe that these brands can help them towards success.
Delivering That Emotional Customer Experience
The main challenge here is understanding of your customers’ emotions. Since these emotions can change a lot, you should be ready to adapt your approach. That is where sentiment analytics comes into play.
As the name says, sentiment analytics is about studying your customers’ thoughts and opinions on things to determine their emotional state. Social media is a useful tool for analysis since it is readily accessible and offers a good snapshot of their thoughts on different things.
Image from Qualetics.
However, your team should also be knowledgeable in picking up the nuances of customer engagements in real-time. Virtua Solution’s agents are experts in finding these nuances and taking a more strategic approach to connecting with your customers.
The Mobile Customer Experience
Mobile devices have become ubiquitous and have become integral to the customer experience. However, mobile is often secondary to other customer engagement points. But that is changing fast. In 2023 alone, mobile accounted for 60% of e-commerce sales. With that, companies are now looking at how to build a mobile-first experience for customers.
Image from Qualtrics.
One of the significant trends toward that goal is the continued growth of the so-called touchless experience. It uses various new technologies that let customers complete transactions without the need to physically touch the device. On the other hand, the whole idea of the metaverse, combining augmented and virtual reality elements, has allowed companies to create a more immersive experience.
Building Your Mobile Experience
A significant consequence of the growth of the mobile experience is customers wanting round-the-clock engagement from brands. They want to be able to pick up their devices anytime and accomplish transactions. That also extends to being able to get support whenever they need it.
To accomplish that, you will need to scale up your customer service department. Virtua Solutions is ready to provide the additional support team you will need. Our agents can cover different channels to give you the ability to deal with customers in any given situation.
Provide The Best Experience To Customers This 2024
Of course, these are just some of the things that will shape the customer experience for next year and the years to come. And you should be ready to use these to deliver a great service. Virtua is here to help you do more. Contact us today.