2016 Digital Customer Experience Trends Summary

Let’s face it, customer experience with digital technology has evolved quite a bit over the last few years.

Concerns we once waited on hold for to get answers to or waited in queues for a live agent to assist us with, can often be answered at the click of a mouse nowadays.

More and more people are trending towards self-service options.

Research shows that people want to be able to find the answers on their own and to find new and innovative ways to be able to access information that solves their problems at their fingertips.

The great news is that technology is making all of these things possible and in ways that many businesses are booming as a result of creating an empowering and innovative customer experience.

Let’s take a look at some of these trends and things that have changed and are growing in popularity as we come to the close of 2016 and enter into an entire new year of possibilities.

The ability to Self Service as a Priority

In prior times, customers valued being able to talk to a live person to be able to resolve their issue with whatever product or service that they had on hand.

While these things are still extremely valuable, and there are instances where the human interaction is absolutely necessary, we are certainly trending towards a generation of consumers who appreciates instant gratification.

Customers value the ease and speed at which information has now become available at the click of a mouse or at hand on their mobile device.

They are growing to expect immediate answers, instant solutions, and conclusions that have been personalized for them.

The ability to self-service almost anything is certainly trending and has shown vast increases in enhancing customer experience.

Businesses looking to succeed and grow should keep this at the forefront of their planning as they move forward into the next year.

Predictions show that by 2020, nearly 90% of business relationships will be managed with little to no interaction.

As business expand and grow their websites, they should certainly consider enhancing the self-service sections of their sites.

Those with limited capabilities should consider enhancing the options they do have by making simple updates such as optimizing their “Frequently Asked Questions,” pages and things of the like.

Mobile is Key

All of us have heard the trending talks of SEO and how to get your website to the top of a search etc.

However, almost more important is to enhance the mobile capability of your business.

Google introduced AMP, and as per usual, they’re leading the charge with their new Accelerated Mobile Pages, but what does this mean?

Did you know that it is predicted that nearly 28 billion more inquiries will be made using a mobile device than by using a desktop computer over the next year?

So if you’re considering optimizing your business website, but you haven’t made it mobile friendly yet, you might want to start there.

It’s great if customers can find your site because it appears at the top of the search, but if they are accessing it from a mobile device, and can’t read the content, the intention is nil at that point.

They will instead move onto the next website near the top of the list that is compatible with their phone, and you have the potential of missing nearly 28 billion opportunities for new or increased business.

Many businesses are behind the times with this trend. In fact, only about ten percent of customers say that they have had a good experience on a company’s mobile page.

This is sure to be a trend to pay attention to as we move into the new year.

Social Media Can Make or Break Your Businesses Reputation

Previously, many companies built in customer satisfaction surveys at some point to do a sort of pulse check on the quality of service that their associates were providing.

Nowadays, customers will voice exactly how they feel about a company in a social setting where they feel they have the loudest voice.

Both fortunately and unfortunately for business, this means that whether you’re doing poorly or great, everyone will know about it.

Customers are turning more and more to sites like YELP and Facebook to vent their frustrations as well as their praise for their experiences with the businesses that they’re interacting with on a daily basis.

The great thing is, we are hearing more than ever before from our customers, and this can potentially be the biggest source of client-to-client referrals to your business.

The unfortunate thing is that, often, once something such as a bad review on Yelp, makes its way to the internet, you no longer have the power to control its content.

If your business makes a mistake, anyone who looks you up online in that forum will now be able to see.

It is absolutely vital to the success of a company to ensure that their reputation online maintains positively.

Corporate Social Responsibility is A Marketing Tool

More than ever before, the new millennial generation is paying more to and paying more attention to companies who speak loudly about their corporate social responsibilities.

The younger generation is willing to pay more for a company’s product whom they believe is giving back in some way shape or form the world and especially, to their own communities.

New and trending brands that are growing put their social responsibility at the forefront of their name and lead with this rather than with their products.

This is an excellent opportunity for businesses to take advantage of integrating this into their company culture in a way that inspires employees and makes people feel good about their jobs.

It opens the doors for an entire new generation to be proud of buying a product that they believe will be making the world a better place.

Creating an experience is what will make people remember your business. Technology is opening trends and doors to the future that provide unlimited potential for growth.