1. Lack of personalization
The rise of online retail and self-service options does not mean customers should be treated like anonymous numbers. Tailoring CX to meet a customer’s needs means journeys will feel more personal. By collecting customer information – while still complying with data protection regulations – brands can ensure experiences are relevant to consumers. Customer surveys are only part of the solution. Building real-time, holistic monitoring into CX programs means customer journey data can be collected and analyzed quickly so personalization becomes a more seamless process.
2. Poor website experiences
Simply having a website for online retailing is no longer enough. Websites need to be intuitive, easy to navigate, and optimized for mobile and desktop use. Before going live with a website for customers, it is essential that every aspect of the site is tested thoroughly to ensure it works for different devices. Once live, continuous improvement should be a priority, with technology leverages to track digital CX, such as journey paths, on-page behavior, and checkout process.
3. Unreliable apps
Apps need to be treated with the same care and attention as websites. With a growing number of customers using mobile devices for buying goods and services, apps have fast become a “need to have” rather than a “nice to have” for many brands. Pre-launch testing and continuous improvement are equally important for apps and websites, especially as many customers are device- and channel-agnostic, switching between different CX technologies.
4. Frustrating customer journeys
Customer journeys on all channels should be seamless, efficient, and clearly signposted, but this is not always the case. Ashley Lickenbrock, North America CX strategy lead at Bayer, urges brands to ask themselves if the most difficult task for customers is “the most frustrating one or could it be a gap in the experience where you can fill an unmet need?”. She advocates building customer journey maps, as well as ensuring poor customer experiences in the real world are not replicated during digital CX processes.