Customer Experience, also known as CX, is easily one of the most important aspects of running a successful modern business. After all, consumers now expect to be treated well by the brands they use, while the majority (86%) will happily pay more when companies provide it.
So, while it’s not the only key issue to consider, its influence on winning new clients and attracting increased loyalty can’t be ignored.
As with most elements of business, modern tech solutions can go a long way to enhancing your company’s output. Crucially, incorporating the right features allows startups and SMEs to compete with much larger firms. So, what are the best additions that you can make for your business heading into 2025? Here’s all you need to know.
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Chatbots
Consumer expectations have dramatically increased in recent years, not least because they expect quick answers to their problems. While live chat agents are great, chatbots have dominated the field in recent times as they open the door to 24/7 client care. Better still, they satisfy the growing demand for self-help customer care in which customers needn’t speak to a person. Customers can gain a sense of satisfaction from learning the answers for themselves.
The biggest challenge, however, is to find one that supports users in a relatable way. Selecting the best conversational AI platform is essential as it adds a human-like touch. This way, the consumer gets the best of both worlds. It’s like interacting with a human who provides helpful and digestible advice while still getting instant results. The right AI platform will also deliver incredible data insight to support employees behind the scenes.
On a side note, people now expect businesses to have chatbots, so this addition helps maintain professional appearances.
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Knowledge Management Systems
Knowledge Management Systems, or KMSs, are another integral feature of modern business. In an era where businesses collect vast amounts of data from various sources, a KMS creates a single source of truth. This ensures that all information is collated more efficiently to bring relevant and accurate insights at all times. The source of truth can subsequently boost CX through the right chatbot responses, as well as many additional rewards.
The KMS, for example, can be used with AI and automation to update FAQ pages, policy pages, and more. Similarly, employees will have access to clear insights to guide sales, marketing, and client responses. Therefore, finding an efficient KMS platform that aligns with the startup’s needs should be a priority. The cloud-based systems also adapt and evolve alongside the company’s needs to ensure consistency for the long haul.
Without the right KMS, the harsh reality is that inconsistencies and ambiguity will harm ongoing CX activities.
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Automated Updates
When wanting to give consumers the best CX, it’s imperative that you put yourself in their shoes. As already stated, they want quick solutions to their dilemmas. Perhaps more importantly, though, they also need transparency at every stage of the buying journey. Clear communication is king, and sending automated updates is the perfect way to provide it. When you do, it’ll remove their fear and anxiety while also building excitement.
Automated updates can occur via SMS, email, or other forms of communication. The right tech systems ensure that this is handled in a cost-effective way at scale while also saving you valuable time.
With this in mind, it’s worth sending updates to thank them for placing orders. Follow-ups should include messages after the order has been processed, dispatched, and delivered. Updates relating to subscription services should be included too.
When combined with the integration of live tracking systems, the overall CX will greatly improve.
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Stock Management
Updates relating to the whereabouts of an ordered product are one thing. However, it’s equally important to avoid issues with stock management. There is no greater frustration for a customer than learning that the product they ordered is actually out of stock.
Whether it results in a delay or forces you to cancel the order, their frustration will be clear. Even when it’s only one item from an order of multiple products, customer retention rates are likely to suffer.
The goal is to use automated tech systems so that these issues can be prevented. Revolutionizing inventory management with multiple tech innovations transforms your approach forever. It ultimately ensures that all customers are provided with clear and relevant information at all times.
The live data on stock levels ensures that things run smoothly while also taking care of future orders. In turn, you can be sure that stock levels reflect your hottest sellers.
In many ways, it is a move to support your workforce. Still, avoiding the frustration of stock management issues will also improve life for clients.
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Augmented Reality
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) have become increasingly popular in modern business. While the technologies have entered many settings, their influence on CX is arguably the best. They have the ability to transform online and offline shopping experiences. It can translate to increased sales and customer retention with immediate results. Naturally, the use of modern tech in this way brings the wow factor to the company too.
There are many examples of how AR and VR can be used. One option is to let users see how different products look via virtualization. This could mean using photos of their kitchen to see how cabinets would appear in different colors. Or it may focus on adding digitally imagined fashion items to themselves via their smartphone camera. Whether done online or offline, it allows the user to see more accurate representations.
This will significantly aid your business, as it could boost sales and reduce product returns.
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Customer Relationship Management
When thinking about how you should treat customers, one of the best ideas is to consider how you like to be treated. While value for money and regular communication are vital, personalization is even more crucial. If the company doesn’t feel like a right fit for you on an individual basis, it’s likely that you will take your custom elsewhere. Understandably, then, your prospective customers will take a similar outlook. A CRM can change that.
A CRM, or Customer Relationship Management platform, will go a long way toward delivering personalized CX. It monitors an individual's data and customer behaviors across all touch points.
This omnichannel approach allows you to provide consistent service for all devices. Moreover, it means that all agents can maintain this high level of personalization and care. As a result, even dynamic websites and marketing campaigns will adapt to the user.
The impacts are huge, from making product suggestions based on past purchases to following up on clear data analytics.
- Multi-Factor Authentication
While consumers must be treated as individuals, they all share several key traits. The desire for a safe and secure shopping experience sits close to the top of that list. With this in mind, you must ensure that the backend of your operation is protected with the right cybersecurity tools.
However, it’s equally crucial to have client-facing precautions in place. Using multi-factor authentication (FCA) is one of the most important tech additions by far.
The technology can protect the user’s account from unauthorized access and manage payments and transactions. MFA can now include using strong passwords, pin numbers, SMS verification codes, or biometrics. Either way, the added layer of protection keeps user data safe. In turn, this has a huge influence on maintaining a strong relationship between the customer and the brand.
For the best results, this can also introduce items like one-click payments to combine security with added convenience.
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Loyalty Program Platforms
The 80:20 rule is something that all entrepreneurs should know. It ultimately states that 80% of your sales revenue will come from the top 20% of clients. So, while winning new customers does matter, nothing beats loyal ones.
Securing new sales gives you a solid foundation to build upon. If you want to keep them coming back time and time again, though, you must give them incentives to do it. Dedicated loyalty programs are the perfect solution.
Loyalty scheme programs may focus on collecting points to unlock special offers. Alternatively, they can provide exclusive content or products for your VIP clients. Either way, this sense of extra value improves the CX from a psychological perspective.
When combined with the added motivation to collect points, the likelihood of increased spend grows, too. Both in terms of transaction values and frequencies.
The loyalty program will provide you with even more detailed insights to support data-driven decisions.
- Mobile Optimization
When incorporating new tech, it’s vital that you understand the current landscape and future trends. It has now been a few years since mobile interactions overtook desktop sessions.
With this in mind, it is vital to ensure that every aspect of your online content is optimized for mobile. Even if you sell goods exclusively offline, most people will research your brand online. So, the user experience (UX) across digital platforms is key.
Mobile optimization isn’t just about the website, though. You may also wish to launch an App. This makes it easy for users to access your brand at the click of a single icon from their home screens.
Of course, it opens the door to notifications for marketing or customer care purposes. You should also ensure that any content for social media caters to mobile audiences. This could include videos that can be understood on mute, as this is how many people watch.
If you continue to ignore the need for mobile optimization, you’ll continue to miss out on over half of your potential audience.
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Predictive Analytics
Finally, you should use predictive analytics to aid CX and other business matters. It uses widespread data to identify patterns in customer behaviors.
Whether this comes from the way that users interact with your brand or insights into the habits of your demographic doesn’t matter. You will find that Predictive Analytics allows you to make better product suggestions and deliver better advice. This is especially true when combined with CRM insights.
Predictive Analytics enables you to stay ahead of the game by responding to emerging trends. Whether it’s the products or the marketing efforts that need to change, doing it before others keeps your brand relevant.
Moreover, it should help you stop wasting time and money on ideas that will still soon stop working. It also boosts the efficiency of your venture by virtually guaranteeing a better CX. This is because you will actively give customers what they want.
If modern tech integrations can help you achieve this outcome, it can only be great news for the business as well as the consumer.
