• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, February 27, 2020

Like many another buzzword, the term customer experience (CX), has entered the language. And over 80% of companies worldwide agree that CX provides a competitive edge. 

But many brands are failing to deliver a hyper-personalized experience, largely because of the inability to understand data, according to 2020 Global Customer Experience Benchmarking Report, a global study by UK-based NTT, a provider of CX service.

For instance, 73.7% are operating without enterprise-wide CX analytics: Only 32.1% can perform cross-channel relationship analysis. And 50.3% aren’t aligning data capture needs with outcomes.

Moreover, only 27.7% provide context-based engagement, and a mere 13.5% automate systems for proactive engagement. And a shocking 12.1% say customers rate their experiences at the high promoter level. 

Transactional email systems must be suffering from the same failings, beginning with the inability to hyper-personalize and to break down silo walls so that email teams can collaborate with other departments. Where do you stand? 

Of the brands polled, 66.4% lack a cross-channel customer management strategy. And a paltry 24.5% claim good or complete CX consistency. 

Not that there is any shortage of suppliers offering CX services to email marketers and everyone else.

On a more positive note, 77.4% agree that AI has a positive impact on their customer operations. But only 1% of firms are processing over 76% of their CX activity in “non-human systems.” 

And worse yet, only 32.1% say they are meeting their CX expectations. In addition, 72.2% lack context-based insights to guide their approach. And detractors have increased to 42.9%.

There are more positive findings, with 58% who say CX is their primary differentiator. Yet only 14.4% feel it’s critical and 26.6% that they can define and track the value of CX.

Meanwhile, there has been a 52.7% increase in what NTT calls personalized advancement. But go figure: 13.5% have automated systems for proactive engagement. 

NTT posits that agile adaptation and alignment are the key CX drivers. But it has determined that companies: 

• Are proactive and growth oriented — 20.9%
• Acknowledge needs of today’s workspace environment — 48% 
• List ROI as KPI for technology — 51.6% 

NTT states the obvious — you can add value to your customers by understanding them. “It’s about the customer journey, not technology availability,” the study says.

The company concludes that to remain relevant, a brand needs to:

• Lead with CX strategy
• Understand customers
• Provide personalized experience
• Engage through omnichannel
• Automate intelligence
• Optimize performance