Orchestrating the connected customer experience

It used to be that a seismic global event occurred periodically but had far reaching consequences when it did. As a result, companies used to reconsider their basic operating models infrequently when they were forced to do so by big shifts in their environments.

But in the last two years alone we have had multiple global events that might all be classed as seismic global events, including a pandemic, a war, national disasters due to unusual weather patterns, and the rapid adoption of disruptive technologies. Few of these scenarios consistently appeared on the risk radar of global companies before they happened, yet all have had wide reaching consequences, and all of these have occurred in very rapid succession. These events have changed consumer decision-making criteria, behavior, and needs.

Today any company that isn’t regularly evaluating its direction, and then quickly making necessary operational changes is putting itself at a disadvantage—and that includes its focus on customer centricity. Designing, developing, and delivering orchestrated and connected customer experiences that lock onto customer needs, circumstances, and preferences requires companies to have a deep understanding of their customer—a task more easily said than done.

Against this backdrop, agility and flexibility have become vital. Firms have become aware that strategy is not a destination. It is a process in which approaches need to be monitored and recalibrated as circumstances dictate.

When we look at the leading companies in our 2022 Global Customer Experience Excellence report, what we see are businesses that are striving to become future ready. These are companies where nurturing and connecting capabilities has become an essential element of organization design, along with the ability to adapt customer journeys as customer needs and desired outcomes change.

These companies think holistically about customers and don’t restrict the delivery of their experiences to one team or department. Customer journey design is collaborative and involves integrating and connecting key capabilities with the analytics needed to effectively predict when and what kind of problems may occur, ensuring a seamless end-to-end experience.

In this year’s report we examine how companies around the world are making these adjustments. We have taken in the views of more than 89,000 consumers across 25 markets, and we’ve identified some of the organizations that are leading the way forward.