What does the future hold? How will 2021 unfold?
I’m sure that most of us in the customer care realm have formed a few (or more) opinions on that topic. But I’m also pretty sure that none of us would be willing to bet our last dollar on the specifics.
How could we?
After the year we’ve had, if there’s one lesson we can all take with us into next year, it’s this: disruptions, by their very nature, are unpredictable. They’re an “interruption in what’s normal.” So it’s striking to me when I hear people express – after the many, unpredictable events we have all experienced this year – what a relief it will be when things get “back to normal.”
Why? Because they won’t.
But that’s good news. I believe – I know – that things are going to be better than ever. But that’s not because any of us will be able to hop into our time machines and go “back to normal.” Our customers – your customers – won’t let that happen. This year reorganized their priorities and awakened them to new ideas, new options and smarter ways of getting their needs met. Your competitive landscape has shifted, too. New players found innovative ways of filling the void between customer preference and brand capability.
I was reading a recent article by Wayne Kay for CMX Magazine. It was right on point. But what really struck me was the simple, 3-word phrase he used at the top of his last paragraph:
“More disruption ahead”
He’s right. In his article, he pointed to three “essentials” – what I’d call core competencies – that tomorrow’s brands will need in order to survive and thrive in 2021. So, what is the best way to prepare for 2021? At Skybridge Americas, believe that the brands that survive and thrive are the brands who invest in long term core competencies, not short-term fixes or fads. Kay’s three essentials have always been among them: Innovation, Flexibility, and Teamwork.
You can read his entire article below. If you’d like to learn more about how Skybridge Americas can help you thrive in 2021 and beyond by providing superior customer experiences, please reach out. We would love to talk!
Innovation, Flexibility and Teamwork: 3 CX Essentials to Thrive in 2021
As a new year draws closer, now is the time to rethink, reassess, and reimagine the customer experience.
Markets continue to be affected by unprecedented challenges and uncertainty, making it critical that businesses not only win back customers but generate new growth opportunities. Here are 3 must-have factors that will enable businesses to do exactly that; deliver a strong performance in 2021 and a foundation for future success.
- Build innovation into your CX journey map
This year we have seen many sectors quickly adapt their customer experience in response to the pandemic, but in many cases, it was a quick reaction and just meeting customer expectations, and not looking beyond that.
Many of the financial services firms are still struggling to balance experiences with a hybrid approach of human interaction enabled by digital channels, which Riccardo Pasto, a senior analyst at Forrester and co-author of the report, notes is one of the keys to creating a differentiated CX. The report’s findings are applicable to other industries that are looking to deliver exceptional digital-first customer experiences but face budget limitations and other challenges.
This is where building a customer experience journey map that supports a lower cost to serve as well as savings to invest in new initiatives and/or markets can help. When executed correctly, a CX journey map blends historical and real-time data to uncover insights for making customer interactions more efficient in areas that matter.
Mapping the customer experience enables organisational leaders to identify every step customers take in their interactions with the business and determine which interactions can be simplified, modified, or enhanced without compromising the experience or breaking the bank. Mapping the experience also helps in understanding where a new channel could add the most value.
- Make the most of hybrid workforces
Even after the pandemic crisis fades, corporations around the world are indicating that they do not foresee a return to pre-COVID ways of working. The future of work is a hybrid model of remote and brick-and-mortar workplaces…
-Bobby Matthews
Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Skybridge Americas
bmatthews@skybridgeamericas.com
Find out how Skybridge Americas can help you delight your customers and grow your business.
We seamlessly integrate our superior customer care skills with your brand messaging. For more information, contact us at 763-299-4570 or submit our contact form.
