The last few years have completely upended the way customers want to interact with companies, and 7 in 10 consumers now want a blend of both physical and digital channels—but new research from the CMO Council reveals that most marketers are still struggling to adapt to these new expectations.
The Council’s latest report, Cracking Tomorrow’s CX Code, in partnership with customer analytics firm SAS, finds few companies have succeeded in the digital transformation necessary to achieve successful hybrid-CX. Fewer than 1 in 7 marketers say they have a digital infrastructure to deliver mature hybrid models.
This shortfall is supported by the finding that more than half (56 percent) of consumers say brands aren’t very good at delivering a seamless experience across digital (e.g., social, email, mobile, website) and physical (e.g., in-store, call center, live chat).
Key findings from two surveys of over 1,000 marketing leaders and 2,000 consumers globally uncover:
- 60 percent of marketers say the digital customer journey has dramatically changed their CX strategy
- 65 percent of marketers aren’t very confident in their current CX strategy’s ability to win and retain customers
- 67 percent of marketers say delivering hybrid CX over the next 12 months is either extremely (32 percent) or very (35 percent) important
But despite the clear emphasis by brands on CX for the digital journey, consumers aren’t satisfied with the result:
- Almost half (48 percent) feel brands are not doing a good job at delivering the right experience to win and retain their business
- 66 percent of consumers don’t feel in control over what brands do with their data and privacy
“All CMO’s are concerned with driving growth, and that is the outcome of great CX” said Jennifer Chase, SAS executive vice president and chief marketing officer, in a news release. “This report shows there is significant opportunity for CMOs to enhance CX and examines 13 critical CX capabilities across two groups—agile/actionable and organizational/infrastructure—to pinpoint where marketers need to improve and how to implement these changes. As we head into uncertain economic times CX will be a growth engine for our companies that we cannot afford to neglect.”
The new study examines today’s customer loyalty drivers, how brands can climb the maturity curve of CX capabilities, how to get ahead of consumer concerns about privacy, delivering on hybrid CX, embracing AI/machine learning to serve up rewarding experiences, and more.
“Chances are your CX strategy is crying out for a modern makeover,” said Donovan Neale-May, executive director of the CMO Council, in the release. “The challenge is to orchestrate a great customer experience that hits all the right notes, from digital self-service to meaningful personalization to privacy and trust to seamless omnichannel, including a ‘hybrid’ blend of physical and digital experiences.”
Download the full report here.
The report is based on a survey of more than 1,000 marketing and customer experience leaders and a survey of more than 2,000 consumers globally. Additionally, we conducted in-depth interviews with executives at AT&T, Pfizer, FedEx, Standard Chartered Bank, Hitachi Ventura, Globe Telecom, Meta, Mars Wrigley, and more.
