A recent survey by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, conducted in collaboration with Tata Communications, has shed light on the current state of customer experiences (CX) across various industries.
The survey revealed that while 94% of respondents acknowledge the importance of delivering positive customer interactions, only 38% believe their organisations are very effective in consistently achieving this goal.
The survey, conducted in December 2023, involved 264 members of the Harvard Business Review audience, all of whom are well-acquainted with their organisations' strategies and approaches to managing customer interactions. The findings also include insights from in-depth interviews with academicians and industry experts, highlighting the evolving nature of customer interactions.
One of the significant barriers to delivering high-quality customer interactions, as pointed out by 48% of the respondents, is the lack of collaboration across teams. This lack of collaboration may impede a unified approach to the customer journey. Additionally, 39% cited siloed and disorganised customer data as a challenge, which complicates the personalisation of customer experiences. The use of disparate digital tools across organisations was also highlighted, with 35% of respondents believing this creates friction for both customers and staff.
Almost half of the respondents, 49%, expressed that their organisations lack the right technology necessary to support effective customer interactions. This gap in technology is seen as a crucial area needing improvement for enhancing customer experience. The survey findings indicate that individual customer interactions significantly shape the overall perception of an organisation or brand, showing a clear link between positive interactions and favourable business outcomes.
Commenting on the findings, Mauro Carobene, Vice President and Global Head of Customer Interactions Suite at Tata Communications, stated, "Brands encounter multiple challenges when trying to deliver excellent customer experience, the most prominent being siloed data, lack of collaboration across departments, and working with multiple partners across different channels. Brands that work on individual touchpoints, rather than seeing each interaction as part of a journey, lack a 360-degree view of their customers."
In response to these issues, Tata Communications has introduced the Customer Interactions Suite, which aims to integrate AI-driven automation with seamless human-led interactions. Carobene explained, "Our Customer Interactions Suite enables contextual, hyper-personalised, and trusted interactions at scale through the entire customer journey."
The survey also highlighted future plans among organisations to improve customer experiences. Over the next 12 months, 97% of respondents indicated that their organisations plan to focus on one or more improvements in this area. More than half of the respondents (53%) intend to increase the use of customer data analytics, while 51% plan to enhance their use of customer relationship management tools. Additionally, 46% aim to increase the use of process and workflow automation, and 44% are looking to ramp up the use of customer experience or engagement tools.
Alex Clemente, Managing Director of HBR Analytics Services, remarked, "This research underscores that the experience a company provides is often as important as its products or services in terms of customer satisfaction and loyalty. Enhancing the customer experience isn't just the job of customer service and marketing teams; every team involved with the customer should have the capability to collaborate and contribute. Technology can be a big help in driving exceptional customer interactions across multiple channels. With the right tools, organisations can analyse customer data more effectively, personalise interactions, make that data accessible across the organisation, and create a seamless experience for both customers and employees."
These findings illustrate the critical importance of cohesive strategies and advanced technology in enabling organisations to deliver superior customer experiences consistently.
