12 trends of CX for 2020

As the countdown to Christmas continues, David Turner CEO for Webhelp UK, India and South Africa, looks at 12 themes that will be trending in CX for the coming year and looks back on a very successful year.

My personal highlight for 2019 was the sheer number of new brands that we were able to bring into the business. It’s always a pleasure to reflect that so many market leaders have entrusted us to deliver crucial customer journeys for them.

I think that, one of the main reasons they have chosen to work with Webhelp is simply the way that we do business. I have been very encouraged by the new brand we launched this year, and our aim to ‘Think Human’ has really resonated with our people, our operation and our client base. Our clients see us as being modern, game-changing and really value the human connection that we provide to their customers – which will only become more important in 2020.

I am also delighted that we have been recognised by 12 industry awards, which you can read about more here. As ever, I am reminded that at Webhelp, our people make us what we are – and I look forward to seeing what their knowledge, creativity and ideas will bring us in the coming year.

12 CX Trends for 2020

1. Humanising CX

It’s clear as we move into 2020, that CX must continue to evolve swiftly to prevent dislocation between increasingly automated services and the people using them.

As such, brands must start putting human experience at the heart of everything - taking an end-to-end view of the customer journey and leveraging digital technologies to improve human interactions.

2. Emotions

We know that deeper relationships can be built by creating positive emotions during the customer journey, and that this will only rise in importance as services become more automated. Recognising and being able to improve how customers are feeling, will help companies to inspire loyalty, and create a sense of satisfaction and belonging in their audiences. Webhelp Emotions infographic

To drive this change, the industry as a whole, must develop more insight and strategies around emotional Intelligence. And, in turn, use this data to create emotional connections with customers.”

3. Regulation

Building on the introduction of GDPR in 2018 and the focus on data security last year, the regulatory horizon will continue to grow in complexity.

The widening differences in legislation between the UK, Europe, China and the US will have a significant effect on customer experience and brands must remain vigilant and aware.

4. Data Protection

Interest in Data protection will remain high, with Webhelp commissioned research confirming that, over half of consumers believe that this should be the top priority for companies.

(53% of Consumers believe that protecting consumer data should be THE top priority for companies – webhelp/yougov 2019.)

Following on from the coverage of high profile data mining scandals in 2019, we will see even more media emphasis being placed on cyber-crime, and as a result brands will have to work much harder to establish digital trust.

5. Economic uncertainty

There is no doubt that the UK and Europe are experiencing a period of economic uncertainty around Brexit, which will be likely to continue into 2020. This has created a more cautious market for customer experience, but the pace of global demand will continue to drive our industry forwards at a rapid pace.

Companies cannot afford to slow down as investment in in-source, outsource & co-source services, alongside Multi-lingual capabilities in the right geographic hubs will become key requirements in 2020.

6. Personalisation

Personalisation, whilst not a new concept, will continue to have a huge impact in 2020. Webhelp Personalisation infographic

It is especially important for youth markets, as according to our recent YouGov backed survey, the under 24s prioritise personalisation of services over availability.

In addition, there is a widening gap between the amount of consumers expecting a tailored customer experience and the number of companies actually offering this.

(69% of consumers wanting an individualised experience, and two-thirds expecting it, and yet only 40% of brands actually offer it, oneCloud IQ research.)

However, personalisation must be done well to avoid market overload. It has the potential to alienate customers – who, for example, will not hesitate to unsubscribe from repeated and stale email offers, or block sales numbers.

7. AI and Automation

In 2020, firms who wish to capitalise on the huge cost and scale benefits provided by AI and Automation, must be ready to combat negative consumer views. Recent Webhelp research indicated that the vast majority of consumers would choose to speak to a human, especially when dealing with bills, faults or complaints.

However, as exposure to AI and Automation increases in daily life, people are likely to become more receptive, especially when AI fulfils a specific consumer need, like personalisation or security.

To succeed, brands must strike the right balance between human talent and advanced technology services.

8. Blended Human and AI Services

In the evolving digital marketplace, it is critical that businesses consider new strategies for the future of commerce without human-to human contact.

However, automated voice systems like IVR and VAs can quickly leave the consumer feeling frustrated and disengaged. Providers must carefully weigh the potential benefits of automation against the impersonal impact AI will have.

The key to success will be collaboration – with automation working ‘in front’, ‘alongside’ and ‘behind’ the advisor. Crucially - for the best possible outcome in CX - the human touch should never be far away.

9. The rise of multi-language messaging services

Instant messaging and webchat services are growing in popularity, and this will continue into 2020.

This trend is grounded the ability for customers to choose a fast contact method based on the need to resolve a specific issue, and again the right mix of advisor, automation and AI is paramount.

As outsourcing continues to grow, AI and automation will be used in language services alongside messaging, to help enable highly skilled advisors across the globe to solve customer issues swiftly and easily.

10. Platform flexibility

The devices available to consumers are rising, with most of us using at least 4-5 a day, including laptops, smart phones, tablets and intelligent home devices.

So, 2020 will see an increasing blending of platforms and services – for example, conversations could start in an app and move on to voice or email afterwards.

11. Always on engagement

This will create a far more personal level of communication with customers – engagement will become a continuous dialogue, much like the way we keep in touch with friends and family. Webhelp Always on engagement infographic

To keep up, brands need to be more flexible than ever before and excellent communication and tracking between channels will expected by customers.

12. Real-time analytics

Today’s customers already have high expectations of brands to anticipate and respond to their needs wherever and whenever that may be.

To meet these demands companies need access to real-time analytics to understand and connect with consumers throughout the customer journey. Customers who receive timely, targeted and personalised experiences will reward brands with an increase in customer loyalty and increased sales.

by Webhelp

How emotion can take customer satisfaction to the next level

Author: Helen Murray,

Webhelp Chief Customer Solutions Officer

Reflecting on the importance of humanising business and creating positive emotional connections, Helen Murray, Webhelp Chief Customer Solutions Officer, looks at the current research and why keeping your customers ‘Very Satisfied’ is still not good enough!

Preface: 27/04/20

Since publishing this blog, the world has changed dramatically, with entire countries entering strict lockdown periods and many regions operating under shelter in place instructions. The coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to have an unprecedented impact on business and society across the globe and as a result the emotional component of CX is more vital now than ever before. Click here to find out more on our people first response to this crisis. 

In this digitised consumer world, customers are bombarded with almost constant targeted advertising, special offers and promises of better than ever services. In fact, customer retention is now considered the hardest nut to crack across most sectors. Additionally, there is a tendency for business to rely on Customer Satisfaction measures to predict behaviour and loyalty – but this really isn’t enough.

Customer satisfaction, the ‘go to’ metric for those trying to measure the impact of communication or experience on their customers and their behaviour, while useful, provides only part of the picture.

Far from being a safe bet that was once assumed, customers that are NOT absolutely and completely satisfied, are open to competitors.

A case study from Gallup looking at the impact of satisfaction on the behaviour of customers of a supermarket found that even being “extremely satisfied” was insufficient.  Conversely, customers who had reported extreme satisfaction actually visited the store less often and spent less than those who had ranked their satisfaction lower.

What really made the difference was the level of emotional connection that a customer felt with the store. Those that were fully engaged visited the store 32% more often and spent 46% more than those without the same emotional bonds.

The term emotional connection describes the ability to develop a brand relationship using key emotional triggers to inspire brand loyalty, satisfaction and belonging.

At Webhelp, we believe that brands must step up their game in developing this type of relationship with their customers; the Gallup paper authors William McEwen and John Fleming highlight this by saying:

“Companies are now setting higher goals, aiming at “complete” customer satisfaction, and using extreme agreement ratings to gauge not just basic satisfaction but genuine customer “delight.” 

They conclude that “If you don't make an emotional connection with customers, then satisfaction is worthless!”

To understand the importance of ‘connection’ between brands and consumers in more detail, Webhelp surveyed 1,154 senior decision makers and asked them what they thought about the importance of developing an emotional connection with their customers.

The findings were surprising.

Although more than 80% of executives stated that this was important, shockingly just less than 50% admitted that their business was planning to do anything about it. This highlights a worrying trend that brands are behind the curve with the advanced data technology needed to track and create emotional connections.

We know that understanding the motivators behind emotional connection requires analysis of large datasets derived from customer facing systems. But, surprisingly, only 21% of our respondents thought that their systems were sufficiently integrated to support this.

In theory, using customer emotion to reach that top target of 100% satisfaction may seem straightforward, in practice it requires capability, methodologies and experience.

It is incredibly important to apply the right analytics to identify the significant emotional motivators.

It takes expertise and the correct framework to drive complete customer satisfaction and customer behaviours, for improved commercial outcomes.

However, establishing key motivators isn’t the end of the story – further statistical modelling is required to find the positive links between motivators and behaviours and their value in creating behavioural change. This final step isn’t easy - it requires operational excellence and experience to produce strategies that really work.

The rules have switched and now total customer satisfaction should be minimum requirement, not the end goal! We need to take customers on an emotional journey from (1) being unconnected to (2) being highly satisfied to (3) perceiving brand differentiation to (4) being fully connected (Source Harvard Business Review).  Fully connected customers are on average 52% more valuable than those who are ‘highly satisfied’.

It is heartening that the vast majority of businesses know that this is something to strive for - even if the value that it can unlock isn’t quite so well known. But the future is almost upon us, and many brands are not approaching customer emotion as part of an informed strategy. Stand out players are moving very far ahead and the gap is only going to get greater.

To put it very bluntly - If you don’t care deeply about and respond swiftly to how your customers feel, don’t expect them to care about your services or products. The sooner you become passionate about this – the better your company will perform.

Webhelp has handled billions of customer interactions for global brands and our people have granular knowledge of what your customers expect and how they behave. Our experts are changing the game in CX and Webhelp can confidently engineer an operating model that will create and deepen those all-important emotional connections with your customers.

Find out more in our Whitepaper on Emotional connections here.

Our Disruptor Series takes a deeper dive into the issues facing the CX industry, including the impact of generational shifts and AI and Automation. Contact Ewan McKay – ukmarketing@webhelp.com for more details on our corporate events and check out Webhelp jobs for information on our current opportunities.

by Webhelp

How Baby Boomers are impacting the workforce

In recent months, industry pundits and analysts have speculated on the impact of the younger generation as consumers and on the workforce, while in the background, a new force has been slowly building, one that combines experience with flexibility and knowledge. Here Orla Strefford, Talent Attraction Manager, Webhelp UK, SA and India, explores the rise of the Baby Boomers.

Preface: 30/04/20

Since publishing this blog, the world has changed dramatically, with entire countries entering strict lockdown periods and many regions operating under shelter in place instructions. The coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to have an unprecedented impact on business and society across the globe, and as a result it is even more important that we continue to embrace workforce diversity and provide recruitment opportunities where possible during these challenging times. Click here to find out more on our people first response to this crisis.

I’m lucky enough to work alongside a dynamic and diverse group of people at Webhelp, on any given day, I can be found happily collaborating with, mentoring or learning from colleagues of all ages. From the freshest faces in our call halls to the voices of experience who have determinedly climbed the career ladder, we all share the same passion and enthusiasm for delivering customer service… well, possibly apart from on early on a Monday morning – we are human after all!

And, as humans, we want to be recognised for our strengths, be encouraged in our careers at all stages of our lives and not be left behind or underutilised.

Interestingly, this drive (coupled with an older global population) is changing the face of the jobs market. In the US, for example, instead of retiring, Baby Boomers (the name for the generation aged 55-73) are actively driving job growth.

In fact, The Liscio Report, an influential investor research publication, recently analysed Labour Department data to reveal that, astonishingly, American Boomers made up around half of all employment gains in 2018.

That is a considerable increase, as in 2017 they made up only a quarter of the labour force!

As the global population shifts, employers must prepare to understand and embrace workforce diversity. Here Gillian Campbell, Chief People Officer for the UK Region and Director Global Engagement at Webhelp, hits the nail on the head when discussing the importance of generational inclusivity.

“A core pillar of our company mission is to create an outstanding working environment - for employees of ALL generations.” She adds, “It’s vital to acknowledge employees’ commitment, to reward and to recognise hard work and dedication, and to look at both personal and professional development.”

And, companies might well find a development gap with Boomers, especially when it comes to utilising new technology – as our new Whitepaper on Generations reports. Our research, commissioned with partners YouGov, found that Baby Boomers are the least informed (17%) or confident (18%) about using new technology at work - a drop of 10% from Gen Z.

Baby Boomer influence is widening as consumers too, as according to global measurement and data analytics company Nielsen, they are the second heaviest users of the Internet (as 40% of customers paying for wireless access) and makeup over half the population of Facebook.

Their spending power is considerable; they represent 41% of the computer market, spend almost $7 billion shopping online annually and splash-out 30% more than any other age groups on their cars.

Taking all this together, as both employees and customers, the 55+ generation have a surprising amount of power, so, as Patrick Swayze famously said,

“Don’t put Baby in the corner.”

Our Disruptor Series takes a deeper dive into the issues facing the CX industry, including the impact of generational shifts, AI and Automation and Emotional Connections. Contact Ewan McKay - ukmarketing@webhelp.com for more details on our corporate events and check out Webhelp jobs for information on our current opportunities.

by Webhelp