Dave Pattman, Customer Experience MD for Gobeyond Partners, part of the Webhelp group, takes us through the four key trends that CX Professionals should look out for in the world of customer experience in 2022. 

1. The digital shift continues

The rapid acceleration of e-commerce triggered by Covid will not reverse once the world opens up – rather, we expect to see the acceleration continue. Every organisation needs to consider the balance between digital and human CX, and to think about the digital experiences they provide beyond mere online brochureware and FAQs.

Innovative CX Leaders will invest not only in technology, but also in experience design. Consider the emotional impact of your customer journey, not just the functionality.  

2.  Enter the metaverse

The metaverse combines various tech elements including virtual reality, augmented reality and video, in which users connect directly with one another within a digital universe.  

While it seems like practical applications are still years away, I would expect to see things accelerate dramatically in 2022. Driven by Meta, Facebook’s parent company, we will see a flurry of hardware, software and experiences built around the metaverse. Corporate and consumer early adopters will have the advantage of experience, once this is fully adopted by the mainstream. 

3.  Data-led customer empowerment

As more and more interactions move online, the data footprint left by customers inevitably increases. More enlightened organisations will find ways to enable customers to harness this data for their own benefit.  

Hyper-personalised experiences, tailored products & services, beneficial nudges and genuinely useful recommendations will make customers feel that they are actually receiving benefits in return for sharing their data.

4. New ways of working

The competition for talent, the importance of purposeful jobs working for value-based organisations amongst younger generations, will see further adoption of home/hybrid working, and the continued interest in gig economy and flexible working. 

Dave Pattman is Managing Director, Customer Experience practice with Gobeyond Partners, part of the Webhelp group. Dave’s practice is responsible for helping organisations to design, improve and transform their customer experience. Find out more here.