The business landscape in 2024 is a constant sprint, not a leisurely stroll. While exciting innovations emerge daily, keeping pace with customer experience can feel like a marathon. But here’s the good news: a customer-centric approach shouldn’t be overwhelming. In fact, it’s an energizing opportunity to showcase your commitment and unlock incredible growth.
The key lies in embracing digital innovation for your customer experience. This is where your customers live, breathe, and interact. By implementing cutting-edge tools, you can transform their digital experience, personalize interactions, and build loyalty that sets your brand apart. Let’s explore five digital innovations that will propel your customer-centric transformation in 2024!
1. User-Oriented Website Accessibility
There are a lot of exciting developments and trends in the field of web development for 2024, and accessibility is one of them. Building an accessible website isn’t just about doing the right thing; it’s a business imperative for reaching a wider audience. A recent 2023 Quickfire Digital survey revealed a surprising statistic: over half (51%) of consumers have walked away from purchases due to accessibility problems, both online and in physical stores. This highlights the responsibility of businesses to ensure that their online content is accessible to everyone. By prioritizing accessibility, businesses can tap into a broader customer base and ensure everyone has equal access to information and online experiences.
But where should you start? Well, online communities have been instrumental in creating tools and resources that make accessibility much easier to achieve:
Automated Testing. Wave and axe DevTools are fantastic tools that analyze your web pages for accessibility issues. These streamline the process and jumpstart your journey toward an accessible website. However, it’s important to remember that automated testing isn’t perfect and should be complemented by manual testing.
Accessibility Guidelines. There is a wealth of resources online, accessible by anyone with an internet connection. Among them is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium. The 2.2 version offers internationally recognized standards for web accessibility. They provide a comprehensive set of success criteria for web designers, developers, and content creators to use in identifying and removing barriers for people with disabilities.
Accessibility Training. This equips web developers and designers with the knowledge and skills to build inclusive websites. Key areas include understanding the WCAG, tools and techniques, and testing. By investing in accessibility training, you empower your team to consider the needs of all users from the start – translating into an inclusive digital customer experience. There are a lot of online courses and workshops to facilitate this, or you can also discuss with your offshore providers on how to train your team.
2. Partner Ecosystem
True customer-centricity goes beyond knowing what your business can offer. It involves truly understanding your customers, including the other businesses they frequent and trust. This is where partner ecosystems come in.
A partner ecosystem is a network of complementary businesses. These businesses are not direct competitors but share a similar target audience. Take, for example, a digital bank and an e-commerce platform. They might not be direct competitors, but both target customers who shop online. By partnering, they can create a situation where customers benefit through incentives from the digital bank that uses their platform to pay on the e-commerce site.
What to consider when choosing an ecosystem partner:
Shared Value Proposition. Both companies should bring something valuable to the customer and to each other. Consider how your offerings can complement one another to create a compelling solution for your target audience.
Holistic Collaboration. Beyond benefits, explore any potential risks or challenges associated with the partnership. Discuss contingencies and ensure transparency throughout the collaboration.
Open Communication. Effective communication is key. Observe how your potential partner interacts with your team. Do they listen actively, discuss ideas openly, and address concerns thoughtfully? These are a strong indicator of a successful and fruitful partnership.
3. Voice and Visual Search
Voice search is an emerging way people interact with search engines. Users interact with search engines and digital assistants using spoken language instead of typing. 72% of users prefer a voice assistant to search instead of the conventional writing search engine. Thanks to smart speakers and voice-activated features on phones and watches, voice search is becoming the go-to method for a natural and convenient search experience. Businesses are taking notice, as voice search is a powerful tool for customers to discover what they need.
Voice search is a game-changer for customer connection, but it demands a shift in your marketing approach:
Immediate Search Results. Using voice search means that the user is on the go and wants information that is short and sweet. So, when optimizing your content for voice search, ensure that there is a direct answer and clear intent for your content. Try to write copies for your site that are short, yet informative.
Target Questions, Not Keywords. People speak differently compared to how they type. Users speak in full sentences, so try to optimize your content based on that. Instead of “shoe stores in Melbourne” try “What are the shoe stores in Melbourne?”. Use question keywords that begin with “what,” “where,” and “how” to attract voice searchers.
Build an FAQ Page. A Frequently-Asked-Questions (FAQ) page is a goldmine for voice search engines. By creating dedicated sections for answers, you provide a clear path to finding concise and relevant answers to user queries.
4. Customer-Centric Loyalty Programs
Loyalty programs have been a staple of marketing strategies, these reward customers for every purchase, and incentivize loyalty. In-person stores often do this through cards with a reward system or points perks. But 2024 demands more than just points and discounts. To truly thrive, businesses need to leverage loyalty programs for customer-centric innovation:
Data-Driven Personalization. Loyalty programs gather valuable data on customer behavior and preferences. Leverage this data to personalize rewards and offerings, catering to individual needs and creating a more engaging experience.
Rewards Beyond Points. While points and discounts still have a place. try offering rewards for social media engagement or product reviews. This fosters a strong sense of community and encourages a deeper connection with your brand.
Gamification. This is especially prevalent in e-commerce platforms. Integrate game-like mechanics like badges, challenges, or leaderboards into your loyalty program to drive repeat business and incentivize engagement.
5. Hyper-Personalization
Getting out of the cookie-cutter experience, today’s customers demand and deserve connections that feel designed just for them. That’s where hyper-personalization comes in. If personalization is adding a customer’s name to a newsletter, hyper-personalization leverages data and technology to create meaningful interactions across all touchpoints.
Hyper-personalization uses machine learning to view and understand large amounts of data to understand customer buying habits and trends. It allows you to craft personalized experiences throughout their journey.
For a real-world example, take Adobe’s recent partnership with Marriott International announced last March of 2024. They’re personalizing the guest experience trip from research to hotel arrival. According to Adobe, this fosters guest loyalty and encourages repeat business by providing a high-touch, personalized experience.
A Customer-Centric Offshore Team
Customer-centric transformation isn’t just about technology or principles. It’s about fostering a customer-centric culture within your organization. This means building a team who are passionate about understanding and exceeding customer expectations.
Imagine a team that breathes innovation and strategizes every move with the customer in mind. A team that actively seeks ways to personalize experiences, anticipate needs, and build genuine connections. It’s not impossible. Through an offshore workforce strategy, you can have a dedicated team to focus on your customer-centric initiatives while you steer your business’ core functions.
From implementing partnership ecosystem initiatives, building an accessible website, or optimizing your content for the evolving industry of digital marketing, we’ve got you covered. Partner with HGS OSS today and let’s lead the charge toward a customer-centric future.
Citations
Frieder, Stephen. “Personalization at Scale Is the Future of Guest Experience.” Adobe Blog, 28 Mar. 2024, blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2024/03/28/personalization-scale-future-guest-experience.
HGS Offshore Staffing Solutions. “Web Development Trends to Look out for in 2024.” HGS OSS, 5 Feb. 2024, hgsoss.com/newsroom/web-development-trends-to-look-out-for-in-2024/.
PwC. “Consumer Intelligence Series: Prepare for the Voice Revolution.” PwC, www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting/library/consumer-intelligence-series/voice-assistants.html.
Retail Tech Innovation Hub. “Quickfire Digital Survey: Retailers Not Prioritising Accessibility Risk Losing Billions beyond the Purple Pound.” Retail Technology Innovation Hub, 26 Sept. 2023, retailtechinnovationhub.com/home/2023/9/26/quickfire-digital-survey-retailers-not-prioritising-accessibility-risk-losing-billions-beyond-the-purple-pound.
