Delivering CX that meets the consumer at their moment of need this holiday season

There are several steps retailers and brand can take immediately to ensure they are in tip-top shape to win over consumers this holiday season.

First, and most importantly, meet consumers at their moment of need. That means finding ways to engage them in their preferred channels of choice, engaging them in unique, compelling and exciting ways and personalizing the engagement using trusted, data-driven insights.

The process needs to be seamless and frictionless across any and every channel that the consumer is using. Research suggests that 84% of consumers (spanning five generations) will express frustration when they have to reintroduce themselves to a brand when they pivot between channels (for example, from a company website to a chat bot, to a phone call).

More so, 71% of these frustrated customers are so irritated that they will actually question why they are doing business with that particular brand and may take their money elsewhere. During an especially difficult period like the one the industry is currently facing, brands cannot afford to lose customers this way.

It's all about the customer

CX leaders should focus on using data and the appropriate channels of engagement to deliver more seamless and personalized customer experiences in the wake of COVID-19.

In fact, 60% of business leaders plan to invest more in achieving data integrity through data integration and data enrichment technologies as a result of COVID-19. Forty six percent of leaders are considering investments in integrated, multichannel CX platforms, according to research from Precisely and Corinium.

The research also indicates that high priority investments for business leaders include chat bots with live takeover functionality, chat bots that use Natural Language Processing (NLP), digital self-service platforms, and interactive and personalized video.

These data-driven investments are about engaging people in a personal and interactive way — across different channels of engagement — to ensure they get to the answers they need quickly. Seamless, personalized and digital self-service experiences across the key channels of engagement are what's driving the customer experience of tomorrow.

Those that fail to embrace the 'new normal' and deliver seamless digital experiences will fall further behind their competition.

Finally, give consumers more than what they initially thought they needed (for example, a welcome coupon or a personalized offer for their next visit). Have them coming back to your brand because of the memorable experience that has now formed a lasting impression in their eyes.

Lastly, while the influence of digital continues to grow, don't forget the role of telephone and physical mail interactions. These are all part of an important part of the greater marketing mix.

Every little bit of value and differentiation a brand can provide to a consumer matters, especially in this time of COVID-19 and the busy holiday season.

Matthew Tredinnick is global VP, marketing, at Precisely, EngageOne.