1、1imperativesPART I IWhat CX leaders do differentlyWINNING IN TODAYS EXPERIENCE ECONOMY2A Note from Pete Stein Welcome to the second installment of our 2024 Customer Experience Imperatives,in which we look at business leaders priorities and behaviors through the lens of consumer expectations.Earlier
2、this year,we examined consumer attitudes and perceptions of todays brand experiences.This report,which you can read or revisit here,provides clear insight into consumers baseline expectations,how they prefer to interact with brands across different touchpoints,and their openness or reluctance to emb
3、race emerging technology.In these pages,we explore the characteristics that set“CX Leaders”apart from the rest of the pack.I hope you can recognize yourself in some of these descriptions.If not,be assured that small tweaks to your strategy and internal alignment will put you on the path to Leader st
4、atus.I wish you much success on your journey.Sincerely,Pete Stein Global President,Merkle3introductionWhat constitutes a leading customer experience(CX)practice?What does a CX Leader look like?Its one thing to say youre a customer-obsessed company,but its another to put customer obsession into pract
5、ice.In late 2023,Merkle conducted a survey of 2,100 consumers across 18 countries to better understand consumer sentiment and attitudes regarding brand experiences,purchase behaviors and loyalty,and emerging technologies such as AI.We summarized key insights from this survey in the first installment
6、 of this years CX Imperatives,“Engagement to Empowerment:Winning in Todays Experience Economy.”4Consumer StudyTotal N=2,100Individuals who had a qualifying consumer interaction with one or more brand categories in the past 3 months.Surveys administered in 6 languages.GenderMaleFemaleAgeCX Category I
7、nteracted Within Past 3 MonthsHousehold Income8%19%20%14%15%18 to 24 years25 to 34 years35 to 44 years45 to 54 years55 to 64 years65 years or older24%NAM:33%EUR:33%APAC:33%Country46%RetailerRestaurant or food serviceHealthcare providerFinancial servicesPackaged goodsClothing or textileTechnology or
8、telecomsTravel or transportationHospitalityInsurance providerEntertainmentElectronics or technologyHousehold goodsMedia brandNonprofit organizationVehicle manufacturerSoftware companyOutdoor equipment73%64%60%55%48%44%44%43%37%34%33%33%31%31%26%21%21%15%3%5%11%11%17%15%13%19%$200,000 and above$50,00
9、0$74,999$150,000$199,999$35,000$49,999$100,000$149,000$25,000$34,999$75,000$99,999Less than$25,00054%5Alongside the consumer study,we surveyed 820 business leaders across the globe to gain insights into the characteristics of organizations that excel at meeting consumer expectations versus those tha
10、t arent quite there.This survey revealed five stages of CX maturity,based on business leaders assessments of their organizations commitment to customer centricity,adoption of AI,and customer retention metrics.Behavioral questions served as the primary inputs,as they are a more objective measure of C
11、X maturity than respondents opinions or perceptions.Business Leaders StudyTotal N=820Leaders with decision-making influence on customer experience at their organizations.Surveys administered in 6 languages.Primary Business CustomersB2B and B2CB2BB2CCompany Size (Global Annual Revenue)Role/Responsibi
12、lity LevelIndustryCountryMedian Revenue:$2.6 billion$250MM to$499MM$500MM to$999MM$1BN to$4.9BN$5BN to$9.9BN$10BN or more9%26%32%22%11%29%29%42%Executive Leadership(President,C-suite,Board Member,etc.)Senior Executive(VP,AVP,EVP)Director/Department Head40%32%28%NAM:34%EUR:33%APAC:33%Retail&CPG18%Tec
13、h&Telecom17%Fin Serv 16%Auto&Manufacturing15%Healthcare12%Media&Entertainment9%Nonprofit8%Travel6%6Of the organizations represented in our survey,19%emerged as“CX Leaders.”These are customer-centric organizations with sophisticated processes and technology investments that intentionally align with b
14、usiness objectives.Percentage of the surveyed sample.The inputsGrouping outputMaturity of CX strategyCommitment and alignment to customer centricityImplementation of AI-driven CX solutionsCurrent and future usage of CX technologies and approaches and their business valueCustomer retention and loyalt
15、y change in the past 12 monthsNew customer acquisition change in the past 12 monthsCX LeadersCustomer centric with sophisticated processes and tech investments to support financial gains like sales/conversion and CLV uplifts,translating into revenue growthCX EmbracersStructured approach to CX with a
16、 strong vision to continually improve,driving revenue growthCX NovicesInterested in CX but need guidanceCX AdoptersCommitted to becoming more customer-first and enjoy new customer acquisition and loyalty improvements as a result,along with revenue growthCX LaggardsDisengaged with CX,potentially expl
17、aining their slower business growthCX MaturityCX LeadersCX AdoptersCX EmbracersCX NovicesCX Laggards19%17%11%28%25%7Key attributes of CX leadersThis report explores the distinguishing characteristics of CX Leaders in greater detail.Leading CX organizations have codified CX strategies and customer-fi
18、rst cultures.01Leading CX organizations have well integrated technology.03CX Leaders investments are more focused on customer feedback than competitor activity.02CX Leaders implement AI-driven CX solutions at a much faster rate than other groups.0478Leading CX organizations have codified CX strategi
19、es and customer-first cultures.019Leaders Have Codified CX Strategies and Customer-First CulturesWhich of the following best describes your organizations customer experience strategy?How well do you think the following statement describes your organization?%Strongly AgreeOur organization has a custo
20、mer-first cultureWe have had a codified customer experience strategy in place for several years0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%23%34%52%59%65%50%0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%44%61%68%85%81%71%LeadersEmbracersAdoptersNovicesLaggardsAverageLeadersEmbracersAdoptersNovicesLaggardsAverage10Media and
21、 Entertainment75%Healthcare75%Industry BreakdownCodified CX StrategiesCustomer-First Cultures0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%Tech and Telecom66%Retail and CPG71%Nonprofit63%Fin Serv68%Average71%Auto and Manufacturing77%Travel80%0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%Tech and Telecom46%Retail and CPG52%No
22、nprofit60%Media and Entertainment53%Fin Serv40%Average50%Healthcare53%Auto and Manufacturing52%Travel53%Most likely to have long-standing,codified CX strategies in place:Travel(80%)Least likely:Nonprofit(63%)Most likely to have customer-first cultures:Nonprofit(60%)Least likely:Fin Serv(40%)11Region
23、al BreakdownAsia PacificNorth AmericaEuropeRespondents in-region whose organizations have long-standing,codified CX strategies:Respondents in-region whose organizations have customer-first cultures:0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%74%73%67%55%45%50%12As underscored i
24、n our consumer report,great customer experience begins with an organizational commitment to empowering customers and improving their daily lives.You must understand your customers baseline expectations and organize your strategy around meeting and exceeding them.How do you get there?Get everyone on
25、board.Establish a single source of truth for your customer data.Treat experience as the product.Measure what matters.What this means for you13Get everyone on board.All departments within your organization must share the same vision for what an“excellent”customer experience looks like.You must be abl
26、e to articulate how you want your customers to think and feel when engaging with your brand.The objective should be to transcend the transaction and establish lasting trust and long-term loyalty.Our research found that consumers want cost-effectiveness,convenience,and consistency from their brand ex
27、periences.A customer-centric organization is,by definition,better equipped to understand the nuances of these needs and how they differ across individuals than a business with siloed or contradictory departmental goals.Establish a single source of truth for your customer data.Everyone at your organi
28、zation must have access to the same customer data.This will help reduce friction across the total customer journey.Breaking down data siloes keeps you from,say,spamming a one-time customer with ads for a product they returned.Centralizing data in a cloud-based environment provides real-time accessib
29、ility to all teams and serves as the basis for democratized,data-driven decision making and governance.14Treat experience as the product.In the experience economy,people buy into the total brand experience,not just discrete products or services.This is why having a shared CX vision across the total
30、organization is so important.If your organization is aligned around delivering an exceptional holistic experience,youre starting to think like a customer-centric brand.Todays most relevant,recognizable brands all set a high bar for CX.Measure what matters.CX Leaders prioritize long-term success metr
31、ics,such as customer lifetime value,over touchpoint-specific KPIs like clicks,downloads,or leads.Our research found that 87%of CX Leaders evaluate the efficacy of their CX programs through customer lifetime value and sales/conversion metrics.73%of Leaders saw an increase in client retention and/or l
32、oyalty in the past 12 months.We also found that 91%of“CX Adopters”brand leaders who are committed to becoming more customer centric enjoyed an increase in client retention over the past 12 months.In other words,if you arent a Leader yet,you are poised to see significant gains if you chart a path to
33、get there.15Leading CX organizations investments are more focused on customer feedback than competitor activity.0216CX Leaders prioritize customer needs and expectations when making CX investments at a higher rate than all other groups an average of 58%compared to 37%.Leaders are the only surveyed g
34、roup that chose customer feedback over competitors as a driving force behind their investments(58%to 53%,respectively).Every other group prioritized competitors over customers.0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%60%62%61%66%53%53%Respondents whose investment decisions a
35、re based on customer feedback:What are the biggest drivers or factors that influence your organizations customer experience investments?Percentage of respondents whose investment decisions are based on competitors:37%58%41%27%28%29%LeadersEmbracersAdoptersNovicesLaggardsAll Respondents17Regional Bre
36、akdownRespondents in-region whose CX investments are driven by customer feedback:0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%67%53%59%Asia PacificNorth AmericaEuropeIndustry Breakdown0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%Tech and Telecom33%Retail and CPG38%Nonprofit15%Media and Entertainment32%Fin Serv37%Average37%
37、Healthcare44%Auto and Manufacturing49%Travel47%Most likely to be customer feedback/demand driven:Automotive&Manufacturing(49%)Least likely:Nonprofit(15%)Customer Feedback/Demand Driven18Its always a good idea to keep an eye on the competition.But competitors activity shouldnt dictate your CX strateg
38、y.Listening to customer feedback improves the experiences you deliver,and is a prerequisite for delivering business value.How do you get there?Ask your customers for their preferences.Gauge customer satisfaction.Dont conflate personalization with a meaningful experience.What this means for you19Ask
39、your customers for their preferences.Zero-party data is information your customers give you directly.It can be helpful to solicit demographic information from your customers,but you should also ask them for their preferences.Methods of collecting this data include surveys,social media polls,and webs
40、ite or app visitor preferences.Understanding how they feel about your brand,products,and experiences is powerful some of the most innovative brands today are quick to leverage crowdsourced feedback to make improvements to their CX and brand.Gauge customer satisfaction.CX Leaders are more likely to e
41、valuate their CX programs through customer satisfaction than other groups(56%vs.52%average across all groups).And,as mentioned in the above section,they look at sales/conversion data at much higher rates(69%vs.42%average across all groups).Tying your programs effectiveness to the customer both how t
42、hey feel about your experiences and the actions they take because of them helps quiet the ever-persistent din of competitor activity.Keeping up with all competitors may feel like an urgent and impossible task,so keep your primary focus on how you can better serve your customers.20Its a common miscon
43、ception that“personalization”means delivering different messaging to segmented audiences.While this tactic can be useful,its a very different thing to understand and respond to individual needs based on person-based recognition.We mentioned the benefits of soliciting zero-party data directly from th
44、e consumer.But in the absence of a complete picture of your customers preferences,you can infer what they like or need from their behavior.Overly blunt segmentation often assumes homogeny within demographic cohorts,which can turn off an audience with wildly varied tastes,lifestyles,and needs.Employi
45、ng identity resolution assists in fleshing out incomplete customer profiles in addition to building a coherent picture of the individual from data you already have,it can help supplement what you know about a customer with second-and third-party data.Dont conflate personalization with a meaningful e
46、xperience.Employing identity resolution assists in fleshing out incomplete customer profiles.21Leading CX organizations have integrated technology.032254%of CX Leaders(vs.40%average across all groups)report that their martech platforms are very well integrated.Percentage of respondents whose organiz
47、ations have very well integrated marketing technology:0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%40%26%45%40%22%54%LeadersEmbracersAdoptersNovicesLaggardsAverageHow well do you think each of the following statements describes your organization?%Strongly Agree23Regional Breakdown0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%10
48、0%40%37%42%Respondents in region who reported well integrated marketing technology:Asia PacificNorth AmericaEuropeIndustry Breakdown0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%Tech and Telecom38%Retail and CPG31%Nonprofit37%Media and Entertainment44%Fin Serv36%Average40%Healthcare44%Auto and Manufacturing49%Tr
49、avel45%Most likely to have well integrated marketing technology:Auto and Manufacturing(49%)Least likely:Retail and CPG(31%)Well Integrated Marketing Technology24Our consumer study revealed that consumers are mostly comfortable sharing their data,but less confident that brands are using their data to
50、 improve their customer experience.Data can only benefit the customer experience if a brands technology is integrated.Business leaders need to actively break down silos that may exist between organizational functions and their respective tech silos that inhibit the responsible sharing of customer da