CX

When we think of the metaverse, we should not think of a hypothetical world but of a certain future. Technologies including augmented reality, IoT, cybersecurity and blockchain come together to form this new virtual space, and the opportunities for businesses and consumers alike are plentiful. But rather than trying to replicate the current world, we must be brave and creative in imagining a new one.

As we all adjust to post-Covid life, companies are reassessing their workplace processes and procedures – figuring out what’s working, what isn’t, and what the future holds. How can companies establish the foundations that allow them to fully realize employee potential in a hybrid working world?

Those designing the digital products and services we use every day have a great responsibility. Technology has the power to change the world, by connecting and empowering us all. But designers can’t do this alone – business leaders and decision-makers must act now, embedding ethical practices today, to make sure we’re on the right path.

Trust is what defines a business. To gain the utmost respect of not just their customers, but their employees, partners and communities, companies must earn their trust. But earning high levels of trust from people external to the business must begin with an internal commitment to integrity.

Creating effective cybersecurity systems is about so much more than understanding your vulnerabilities and putting measures in place to mitigate them. It begins with understanding what has made human beings feel safe in the past, and using those lessons and behaviors to build an electronic world they can trust.

Employees and customers have new expectations of organizations, not just to speak and understand their language, but ultimately to be human – in the decisions that they make, the values they represent, and the way they contribute to human progress. Trust is the driving force of change and value creation; trust gives us the power to reimagine, rethink and reshape our world, environment and professional as well as personal context.

In a post-pandemic world of rising prices, broken supply chains and disruptive technologies, where do trust and transparency fit? Are they nice-to-have luxuries or essential components of success? If they are essential to success, how can businesses deliver them to increasingly cynical consumers?

Enterprise Resource Planning is a key piece of the puzzle when it comes to turning operational excellence into competitive advantage. But as the cloud opens up opportunities, relationships between clients, services and suppliers are changing. As suppliers are being asked to accept more client risk, and own processes in the future, success in the new world will come from carefully building trust.

If the past two years have taught organizations anything, it’s that empathy is an essential part of customer service and engagement. This is the right time for organizations to focus on building a culture of empathy by developing processes that promote empathetic customer experiences and engagements through tailored interactions and smart technology.

Strict ID checks become increasingly imperative in our rapidly evolving digital landscape, but sometimes they can be arduous. How can companies protect themselves and their customers from cyber risk while ensuring their processes are convenient, effective and user friendly?

As our digital abilities become increasingly sophisticated, our cybersecurity measures develop at the same pace that a cybercriminal’s savviness also can. Businesses must continue to take the right measures to protect their futures with the developments of remote access and other digitization efforts.  

It’s the next big thing in understanding and engaging customers: building a virtual replica of the business ecosystem, and leveraging ontologies as enabling technology. This exciting branch of AI can help businesses to generate very targeted insights into their customers’ expectations and needs.

With skilful use of technology and data, businesses today can create intelligent customer experiences that outclass anything that was previously possible. Intelligent applications – those that use AI and predictive analytics to provide personalised, actionable outcomes – cannot be overlooked for those wanting to get (or stay) ahead.

The past ten years have seen the evolution of expectations, from what customers expect from brands and what employees expect from employers, to what the organisation expects from itself, its own culture and reputation. Combined, these expectations define the concept of the Total Experience (TX) – a concept that’s reshaping corporate strategy, interaction and engagement.

The EU has set ambitious goals for e-mobility, but so far hasn’t created the infrastructure to meet them. A definite and significant first-mover advantage is here, as well as the potential for a new market. Using integrated digital platforms to create an ecosystem will improve the customer experience – the currently missing ingredient to make e-mobility stick.

What can be considered a ‘transformed’ business has changed significantly. Organisations must consider a plethora of concerns, from customer demands, social issues, environmental concerns to changing relationships with commercial partners, and this symbiotic relationship with the global societal fabric means a new reality for business transformation grounded in collaboration, wellbeing and education.

The potential for digital technology to revolutionise how people interact with sport has been brought into sharp focus over the last year, with the pandemic forcing the industry to rethink how they provide the best service they can for fans. A German handball club has an inspiring story of how to reconcile old cultural values with new commercial demands.

There is a need for brands to shift their conversations with their audiences from the traditional passive to the empowering digital active. By transforming how people interact with media and platforms, businesses can redefine audience innovation.

Societal shifts and new technologies go hand-in-hand: as we develop innovative new ways to connect, our behaviour changes too. The evolution of the music industry offers a useful backdrop against which to consider what we can do now to prepare for what’s likely to happen next – in technology, business and society.

A new kind of connectivity has emerged from the global health crisis and ensuing economic challenges of the last few years. Advancing technologies coupled with new ways of living and working have changed our needs for connection. With these changes, the corporate landscape must be reimagined.

The tech of 2012 saved us in our time of need. But organisations don’t need to be able to predict the future, instead they must embrace customer-centred rapid-innovation, even when it may conflict with traditional ways of doing business.