Customer Experience in 2024: What to expect?

Businesses are currently planning to do better for their customers next year – with Forrester predicting that CX ratings will improve in 2024 for the first time in several years. But what will the levers of CX's success be? These are our 3 main predictions for customer experience in 2024… 

1. The rise of next-gen staff

A new breed of super-staff will deliver efficiency and excellence to customers. 

In today's dynamic business landscape, brands increasingly recognise their teams' pivotal role in delivering top-notch customer experiences. Consumers are demanding better service and customer interactions are ever-evolving, and as a result, we're seeing a shift in how customer-facing staff operate. Brands are investing in a new class of staff who are high-performing and high-impact, driving CX excellence.

These are people who have the latest technology at their fingertips, enabling them to provide a seamless service across digital, social, and physical brand touchpoints. Plus, AI is now emerging onto the front lines, empowering staff to consistently make the right decisions for customers. I think this transformation will redefine the business landscape and usher in a welcome era of retail excellence.

2. Truth, trust and heritage will be the new currency of brand success

Brands will build a whole company culture that's true to their DNA

From start-ups to long-standing giants, the core elements of brand culture, heritage, and DNA are breaking free from marketing departments. They are poised to redefine how businesses function, from top to bottom (and everything in between). As a result, we can look forward to a year of positive transformation, in which a company's origin story, ethics, and unique modus operandi will increasingly hold the keys to winning with customers – and attracting the best people and partners to the business.

Brands will be delving deep into their DNA to unearth the distinguishing qualities that set them apart in a crowded marketplace to leverage growth. But authenticity has to be the linchpin. Today's consumers find themselves inundated with a deluge of online brand messaging, and in this sea of digital brand noise, they crave truth, trust and emotion. They're also savvy enough to know when a brand is faking it. 

3. Business and people: redefined

Brands will put commerce and compassion at the core to succeed.

The business world is realising a fundamental truth that success in the future will boil down to one thing: people. Be it employees, customers, or associates, new rules are emerging, redefining how people expect to be treated in the workplace and as consumers. Younger generations seek a better work-life balance and a sense of purpose in every aspect of life, and that includes how they spend their money.

To retain talent and customers, companies must adapt and remain agile. The most successful businesses will prioritise both profit and people, considering their needs and well-being as a central element in decision-making and operations.