The core issue stems from the divided structure of many companies. The survey showed that a whopping 48% of participants saw poor teamwork between departments as a main barrier to building a smooth customer journey. This isolated way of working stops businesses from giving a consistent experience at different points of contact. Mauro Carobene, Vice President and Global Head – Customer Interaction Suite at Tata Communications, summed up the problem well: “Brands that zero in on single points of contact instead of seeing each interaction as part of a customer’s path don’t grasp what their customers need.”
The problem gets worse when it comes to managing customer data. The survey shows that 39% of people who answered have trouble with customer information that’s scattered and not organized well, which makes it hard to give customers personal experiences. To make things even tougher, 35% said using different digital tools and dashboards across the company is a big challenge. Technology, which people often think will fix things, is part of the problem.
Almost half of the people who answered (49%) aren’t happy with how well their company’s technology helps them talk to customers. This shows there’s a big gap in using technology to make customer experiences better. Even with these problems, there’s still some good news. The survey also found that almost everyone wants to make customer experiences better.
A huge number (97%) of people said their company plans to make things better in the next year. To do this, businesses are focusing on putting money into tools that analyze customer data, manage customer relationships, automate processes, and improve customer experiences or engagement. Alex Clemente, who’s in charge at HBR Analytic Services, pointed out that making customer experiences better is something everyone needs to work on together. He said, “Making the customer experience better isn’t just the job of customer service and marketing teams; every team that deals with customers’ needs to work together and do their part.” Clemente also pointed out how important technology is in creating great customer interactions on many channels.
The survey results show that companies need to break down barriers, work together better, and spend money on technology to give customers amazing experiences. By building a culture that puts customers first and using data to make smart choices, businesses can build strong relationships with customers and keep growing over time.
