With a string of big names disappearing from the high street, requiring rescue or teetering on the brink, we need to ask, if retail’s battle cry is truly ‘adapt or die’, why have so many chosen the latter in 2018? And as the year draws to a close, which trends will drive the former in 2019?
https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2018/12/06/retail-marketing-why-will-the-customer-cross-the-road-2019/
And…that’s a wrap for 2018! We are thrilled to report that we’ve published nearly 100 blog posts this year. Aside from being a great resource for everything online feedback, the Mopinion blog covers a wide range of digital topics and trends. From Customer Experience and User Experience to the Online Customer Journey and the rise of Mobile, we’ve written articles catered to every digital role. Here’s our top 10 Hottest Blog Posts of 2018
https://mopinion.com/top-10-most-popular-mopinion-blog-posts-of-2018/
Every year, the customer service industry talks about the changing consumer landscape and how and how companies need to address their customers’ preferences RIGHT NOW or risk massive churn the likes of which contact centers around the world have never seen. Like all prognostications however, some predictions come true and others do not; or at least do not with the immediacy visionaries forecasted.
Look at the obituaries written for voice in customer service. How many have been written and how many have been wrong? The decline of voice has been forecasted for years and yes, it has declined steadily but to manhandle Mark Twain’s famous quote, the reports of voice’s death are greatly exaggerated.
http://customerthink.com/consumers-are-evolving-the-customer-experience-are-brands-evolving-with-them/
Every consumer is unique, each with their own sets of needs and expectations. With every interaction with your brand, consumers will have many different options for how they can go about taking the next step in their customer journey. Not to mention, these options will also often depend on how well – or how poorly – their last brand interaction went.
For a Customer Experience professional, it can be very valuable to be able to pinpoint what types of experiences lead to specific paths along the customer journey, especially costly ones. These insights can guide them to make more customer-centric decisions when trying to design positive experiences that will better lead consumers down more desirable paths.
Collecting the “Next Steps” metric as part of a CX program can help you do this.
http://customerthink.com/cx-metrics-series-next-steps/
Technology has been the cornerstone of economic growth around the world for hundreds of years. It has underpinned the last three industrial revolutions and is now the driving factor in today’s Fourth Industrial Revolution — marked by emerging technologies in a variety of fields.
Unsurprisingly, artificial intelligence is one of the key technologies driving this new revolution. As described in the 1950s by the father of modern computer science, Alan Turing, “What we want is a machine that can learn from experience.” His paper, “Computing Machinery and Intelligence,” is the earliest description of neural networks and how computer intelligence should be measured. While the concept of AI isn’t new, we’re only on the cusp of seeing AI drive real business value in the enterprise.
https://techcrunch.com/2018/12/13/powering-customer-journeys-in-the-age-of-ai/
Sales is no longer a door-to-door business; you don’t get to ring the doorbell and tell customers they need you anymore. Now, they’re coming to your door, and if they don’t like what they see, they move on. So, how do you ensure they see the value in what you offer?
You have to understand their expectations not just of your offerings, but of their entire experience with your brand — from discovery to customer care. That means that “sales” can no longer stand apart from “marketing” or “service.” These silos must converge and create a continuous, intelligent customer experience (CX). Read on for steps you can take toward meeting and exceeding customer expectations.
http://customerthink.com/4-ways-of-exceeding-customer-expectations-through-intelligent-cx/
I recently discussed the importance of getting Voice of the Customer (VOC) feedback and common methods, such as surveys, to understand customer perceptions and expectations across different touch points. To be effective and acquire actionable insights, questions must be designed with best practices applied. I also recommend a “test & learn” approach.
Writing and launching surveys has become a science and an art. I have seen cases where surveys have gone wrong because of undefined goals or wrong objectives. For example, if you consider the Net Promoter (NPS) question, you would not survey customers for the sole purpose of knowing IF they would recommend a company or its products. Instead, you should focus on understanding the reasons WHY customers would or would not refer. Also, you want to avoid asking leading questions that influence responder opinions, otherwise, you will not obtain “voice of the customer” feedback that is authentic and useful. While these are obvious tips, some things are not so clear like how much does survey question order matter?
http://customerthink.com/nps-survey-question-should-it-be-first-or-last/
"How satisfied are you with your bank?" is a staple question in Voice of Customer (VOC) surveys. However, one question that is almost never asked is "How proactive is your bank in reaching out to help you with your unique financial goals?" A handful of banks are emerging as leaders in this respect, becoming proactive by deploying high tech conversational banking capabilities that enable crucial two-way conversations with their customers. These banks realize that conversational banking is fast becoming the "third pillar" of their bank distribution network, along with mobile banking and an optimally sized branch presence.
https://www.finextra.com/blogposting/16422/conversational-banking-how-to-start-the-conversation/
The latest trend in today’s data-centric world is machine learning and artificial intelligence, and AI is looking like the go-to technology and buzz for 2019. In fact, Gartner recently released a Smarter With Gartner report that identifies AI as one of their top 10 strategic technology trends for 2019. And a McKinsey Global Institute economic model estimates that about 70 percent of companies will adopt at least one type of AI by 2030.
Given the projection of AI, it’s worth noting that the possibilities and potential for AI-driven applications to enhance Customer Experience (CX) seem endless — from chatbots and personal assistants to text & sentiment analytics that can turn customer feedback into a roadmap for CX improvement. If, however, you’re thinking about jumping on board as soon as possible, think again.
http://customerthink.com/five-prerequisites-for-adopting-ai-to-improve-cx/
In this episode we talk to Lauren Decker, Director of Product & Customer Marketing at G2 Crowd.
Lauren shares 3 distinct ways to incorporate the voice of the customer into all of your marketing initiatives:
https://sweetfishmedia.com/voice-of-the-customer-in-your-b2b-marketing-lauren-decker/
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