4 Customer Experience Trends to Watch in 2023

From a back-to-the-basics approach to exploring the expanding metaverse, these trends will shape the 2023 customer experience.

As companies and brands edge their way into experimenting with and exploring the metaverse — technologies offering virtual “worlds” and augmented realities that combine aspects of digital and physical realities — a strong focus on returning to customer service basics is also one of the trends shaping 2023, according to a new report from Sitel, a global provider of customer experience products and solutions.

“2023 needs to be the year when brands go back to their current setup and examine individual and collective channel performance in search of continuous improvement and adopt the right blend of technologies, tools, processes and talent that will make a positive difference to the customer experience today so that it can serve as the platform for future development,” says the report.

Read on for four customer experience trends that will dominate 2023.

1. Placing greater focus on customer service basics

While customer expectations and preferences frequently change, the definition of a positive customer experience remains constant, says the Sitel report:

“Helpful and friendly staff is the single most important aspect of a positive experience, and the speed and accuracy of the service is second. Likewise, although individual technologies

or tools change, the overall approach an organization can — and should — take to

optimize its existing [customer experience] delivery doesn’t.”

Taking the following steps can help your organization get back to customer service basics, according to the report:

• Review and monitor contact center metrics and common contact drivers
• Make sure that agent-facing tools are fit for purpose
• Update and validate knowledge bases
• Put systems in place for appropriate contact deflection
• Direct inquiries to the right channel or right employee

2. Building data sharing trust

“Organizations have a wealth of first-party data sitting within the business, but it’s useless unless it’s easy to access and its flow isn’t being disrupted by internal silos. But ensuring that information can move through the business is only one part of the puzzle,” according to the Sitel Group report.

To accomplish information sharing, Sitel recommends:

• Reestablish customer connections
• Create and clearly articulate an enterprise-wide approach to data and
• protection
• Mine the contact center for first-party customer insights
• Use those insights to start low-level customer experience personalization.
• Continue the customer conversation and build trust.

3. Making the most of social media marketing

Around 62 percent of all consumers and 81 percent of those under the age of 45 say that their choices of brands or organizations are directly influenced by social media posts and reviews, according to the Sitel report. And 17 percent see an organization with a strong social media presence as being “serious about delivering a positive customer service experience.”

“Brands need to be there when those opinions are shared — directly interacting with individuals who felt obliged to share a negative experience can mitigate the impact a critical post can have on brand perception and help maintain or even improve the relationship that person has with the organization,” says the report. “And, of course, nurturing and showing appreciation for positive sentiments should increase the likelihood of further and stronger brand advocacy.”

4. Exploring the metaverse

Organizations must start “thinking in three dimensions about how virtual reality, 5G mobile internet speeds and connected devices could elevate the customer experience, ” recommends the Sitel report.

“For instance, 26% of consumers are excited about the prospect of using video chat to engage with a customer service representative, and 18% like the idea of CX being augmented through the use of IoT (Internet of Things).

Moving to the metaverse is a big step forward, so organizations must make sure that their current channels are optimized to meet customer expectations, says the report:

“Genuinely insightful, operationalized first-party data needs to be flowing freely through the business. Employees need the skills and autonomy and access to the right technologies to use that data for the good of the organization.

“And, if as is predicted, much of the metaverse exists as a virtual, social community, brands need to start preparing for that community now through solidifying their presence on today’s social networks, before they evolve into the platforms of tomorrow.”