What zombies taught me about CX's future potential

As a big fan of television, recently I’ve been into the HBO series “The Last of Us,” about people trying to exist and reinvent civilization in a zombie-filled, post-apocalyptic environment. It’s based on a video game of the same name, so many of the episodes follow a “mission” the team has to complete to get to the next stage of their journey.
 
Even better than the action-filled zombie confrontations, some episodes delve into deep character development and showcase how people live both in and out of the QZ (Quarantine Zone) in a world where progress stopped in 2003.
 
There are no iPhones, no social media, few cars, and often no electricity. The younger characters marvel at simple things like movies, the rules of football, and how seat belts work when they do encounter things that are leftover from “before.”
 
I think the success of the show is partly based on that nostalgia and in re-imagining a world that is simpler and less digitally driven than today’s reality.
 
While it’s an exciting time for the customer experience industry, there are many unknowns when it comes to how to embrace generative AI, automation, the metaverse, and other digital innovations within the CX world today. It’s complicated, uncharted territory that sometimes feels far removed from human empathy and the real-world connection the industry was founded on. Sometimes it’s easier to miss what once was.
 
The truth is our digitally driven reality does far more good than harm to the CX space. In this issue, we look to the future and explore new innovations in healthcare, retail, and transportation that mix people and technology to create better experiences. We hear from retail and healthcare executives who are blending technology and data with human empathy. We examine why and how voice channels still matter for customer interactions, and how gaming (with popular titles like The Last of Us) offers new CX opportunities and challenges for contact centers.
 
So let’s save living in the past for plots of TV shows and video games, and instead look to the promise of a digitally enabled and human-centered CX future.
 
Sincerely,
Liz Glagowski