COVID-19 has brought extended lockdowns, pervasive uncertainty, and sustained attention on health. All of these factors are reshaping customer behavior. The challenge for companies is to understand which customer trends and patterns will endure over the longer term.
Safety
Companies must build safety into the customer experience, especially in the near term. Rethinking contactless commerce to promote safety across products, services, and processes will be critical to put customers at ease and increase their satisfaction. A four-part framework can help executives select, prioritize, and implement the solutions that matter most to customers.
Digital Engagement
Digital engagement has accelerated tremendously, and leading companies have innovated quickly to replace or complement traditional, in-store experiences. Out of necessity or convenience, companies have created many new offerings. Indeed, 80 percent of companies believe that their core business model should be digitized to remain economically viable.
Data & Analytics
In the next normal, companies will need to be more proactive and nimbler as well as able to anticipate customer expectations and needs. Now is the time for executives to invest in the data, technology, and systems required to deliver exceptional experiences. Organizations able to understand customers better—and do it faster—are likely to be the next customer-experience leaders.
