CMO Perspectives this week features; Shep Hyken [mycustomer.com] saying we cannot start predicting what CX will be in 2016 until we fully analyze and understand the trends of 2015; Dom Nicastro [CMSwirse.com] on trends showing that CX has fallen in marketing priority. Yoav Vilner [inc.com] on why customer service won't work without social media; Moria Morais [digitallistmag.com] on hearing the true voice of your customer; and finally, Scott Rayden [marketingland.com] outlines 7 key marketing areas you should zero in on to get ahead in 2016. Enjoy!
Shep's blog: The Customer Experience Trends of 2015 [mycustomer.com]
Gotta love Shep Hyken for once again breaking the mold! While everyone is jumping on the 'what will be in 2016' bandwagon, he rightly says we need to analyze and understand what happened in 2015 so that we can make better and informed decisions for 2016. Check out his blog post for mycustomer.com. This is one of the best pieces we have read in the last 6 months. He ends the piece with this great paragraph, "Remember, however, there are some things that never change. In the end, no matter how many technologically up-to-date tools you add to help you create a better customer experience, how much data you have or how perfectly customised your promotions are, the interactions between your customers and your employees is still at the heart of it all. So, hire right and train right, because the actions of just one person can get in the way of the hoped-for effects of all your efforts and investment." Yes yes yes!
Customer Experience Falls in Marketer Priority? [cmswire.com]
Think everyone cares about customer experience? Think again! Even though Gartner calls this the "age of the customer," they and many industry leaders are surprised that the results of the Gartner 2015-16 CMO Spend Survey shows that 65% of surveyed marketers put social as a priority as opposed to only 56% for CX. In this brilliant analysis of the trend, Dom Nicastro looks at the report and breaks it down so that we can understand what the numbers mean and how it may affect trends moving into 2016.
Why Customer Service Won't Work in 2016 Without Social Media [inc.com]
Subtitled: "Why is Social Customer Service the wave of the future?" This piece by Yoav Vilner, Co-founder of Ranky, examines why you shouldn't dismiss social media as a key player in your strategy for creating perfect customer experiences. He says, social needs to be examined on 3 levels: "How important is customer service to a mobile-first customer, how our behavior shapes the way we communicate online, and how the social channels are evolving to meet this consumer and mobile first need." This is a great informative piece and certainly gives us a lot to think about for our own social media plans for 2016.
Do You Hear The Voice Of Your Customer? [digitalistmag.com]
As Maria Morais says, while most companies seem to have a good grasp of what "voice of the customer" means and its importance, there seems to be a big challenge around the cultural shift that the voice-of-the-customer strategy requires in order to be truly effective. The problem arises when companies assume they are in charge and the "data, analytics, business intelligence, and programmatic marketing get in the way of being truly 'involved with your customers.'" This is an interesting take on how omni-channel marketing can help you become more customer-centric for the right reasons.
7 Advanced Areas CMOs Must Focus on for 2016 [marketingland.com]
Looking to take your marketing strategy up a notch next year? Columnist Scott Rayden outlines key areas you should zero in on to get ahead in 2016. They are:
1. User Experience (UX)
2. Mobile Usability
3. Mobile Tracking
4. Advanced Testing
5. Attribution
6. Tech Stack
7. Social Beyond Facebook
As Rayden says, "if your head is spinning after all of this, take a deep breath. Each of these areas has micro-steps you can plan to get more sophisticated in your marketing. In many cases, it's as simple (and crucial) as finding the right partner and setting the right expectations." Read the whole article to understand each of the 7 areas.
We hope you enjoyed this week's CMO Perspectives, be sure to respond in the comments or tweet us @NICE_CX.