Investment In EX, Cloud And AI Enhances Customer Experience: Report

Investment in employee experience, cloud technology, and artificial intelligence (AI) is shown to drive improved customer experience, according to a latest report.

It revealed that CX remains a top priority for C-suite executives, with 95 per cent of organisations now assigning a named C-suite executive to oversee this area. Additionally, employee experience (EX) has risen to become one of the top three priorities for CEOs.

The NTT report underscored the financial impact of CX and EX on organisations, with 92 per cent of CEOs acknowledging that improvements in CX directly affect their net profit, while 91 per cent express the same sentiment regarding EX. Despite this recognition, more than 80 per cent of organisations perceive CX and EX as weak links, leading to negative consequences for their business.

The study emphasised the significance of digitalisation, with top-performing organisations being almost twice as likely as others to have reached an advanced state of digitalisation. Cloud-based technologies take the lead among solutions expected to reshape future CX capabilities, followed by AI and predictive analytics. While top performers are already prioritizing AI, it remains part of a three-year plan for most other organisations.

Aligning CX and EX strategies with overall business goals remains a challenge, as only 60 per cent of organisations report full alignment between their CX and business strategies. Similarly, 44 per cent achieve full alignment between their EX and business strategies. In contrast, a significant percentage of top-performing organisations align their CX strategies with their business objectives, while a substantial portion achieve the same alignment for EX.

The report highlights the continued importance of human support in CX interactions, with over two-thirds (69 per cent) of interactions expected to require some form of human assistance in the near future. This emphasises the role of EX in equipping employees with the necessary tools and knowledge to deliver exceptional customer experiences, regardless of their location.

Evolving work and employee engagement models are identified as key drivers of new technology demands, as agreed upon by 96 per cent of organisations. Top-performing organisations differentiate themselves by actively involving their cybersecurity teams in CX and EX technology decisions, making them nearly three times more likely than underperformers to do so.