2020 was a year that tested our limits, both personally and professionally. And through all the struggle and uncertainty, we also demonstrated our resilience, adaptability, innovation, and spirit. In the business world, companies were forced to break out of their comfort zone and embrace technology and new ways of doing business. They finally took bold steps to make things more convenient, digital, and direct, while at the same time empowering customers and employees like never before.
2021 will only accelerate this shift toward amazing experiences. Instead of scrambling to survive, it will be the year organizations build on what works with new technologies, CX journeys, success measures, working environments, and more.
This issue of the Customer Strategist Journal examines some of the challenges CX leaders are tackling this year, many of which didn’t exist a few months ago. Vaccine customer support, at-home employee engagement, and social justice were not top executive priorities last winter. This year they are examples of the strategic initiatives that will differentiate leaders from laggards.
Some highlights of the issue include
- An interview with retailer Sweetwater CEO Chuck Surack on their successful pivot to digital-first retail
- TTEC research on the diminishing return of NPS as a predictive CX metric
- Results of a study tracking how customer-centric companies actually are, and what they can do to further their transformation
- CX best practices to improve the COVID-19 vaccine rollout
- Why and how diversity & inclusion are competitive differentiators
- Creating a cohesive employee culture when everyone’s at home
This shift toward more connection and inclusion is encouraging and it’s difficult to imagine retreating back to the old ways now that it’s been proven to be effective, efficient, and enjoyable. I’m looking forward to seeing what customer innovations accelerate CX even further in 2021.
Enjoy!
Liz Glagowski
