Customer Experience (CX) leaders are no strangers to digital transformation. Tasked with delivering excellent experiences throughout customer journeys that range from three to 500 touchpoints1, technology has been the key to unlocking automation, personalization, data-driven insights, and more for many brands.
Today, more than 70% of brands have a digital transformation strategy in place or in progress2. As the competitive necessity of embracing new technology and evolving operational processes becomes increasingly clear, brands are expanding their internal toolkits. The average enterprise now uses nearly 1,200 cloud apps, up from just five to ten in the 1990s3.
So how are leaders ensuring their technology is helping, not hurting their CX goals? Here are three tactics you can implement, no matter where you are in your digital transformation journey:
Involve your team
Adopting new technology involves more than learning new tools—it requires behavioral change as well. Habits are not easy to break and re-learn, but your team members may be more receptive when they feel part of the process. Research shows brands that empower employees to generate their own ideas are 1.4 times more likely to report successful digital transformations4. Ask for input from stakeholders who interact with customers on a daily basis about where technology could introduce efficiencies or unlock opportunities to delight customers.
Expand with intention
For CX leaders looking to bring about digital transformation, there are now more than 7,000 solutions to choose from5. And with increasing expectations both internally and externally, it can be tempting to go all-in with new technology. However, organizations that report successful transformation processes are more likely to have instead focused on a few digital themes that align with clear business objectives6. Starting with company-wide goals and working backward when evaluating new technologies will ensure your efforts stay focused.
Integrate your technology
Customers expect a consistent experience with your brand, regardless of the number of channels or people involved. As you adopt new technology, connecting your systems so that team members have easy access to the same information can help your brand deliver on this expectation. According to Adobe’s 2019 Digital Trends report, companies with an integrated tech stack are 2.3 times more likely to have outperformed their business goals7.
To learn more about how you can integrate your CX tech stack, and other strategies for CX leaders, check out our new ebook, How to thrive in the age of customer experience.
