CX in the new normal: Why agility and collaboration are key to success in 2021
Christine Rimer
VP, Customer Experience & Advocacy at SurveyMonkey
With crisis comes opportunity. It also brings big challenges, and some businesses will inevitably fold while others survive and even thrive. Recovery and success during the coronavirus pandemic is not guaranteed, but luckily there are strategies to navigate this evolving situation and come out on top—and our research reveals your customers play a central role.
We surveyed 1,777 customer experience (CX) professionals to better understand the key attributes of companies that are seeing success through this pandemic, how feedback plays a role, and what steps organizations can take now to aid in their recovery. Download the full report to find out what we learned.
Curious about what the rest of professionals think? Check out our general study of 3,275 professionals.
Customer experience will play an outsized role in your recovery
Role of CX
87% say customer feedback has become more important compared to before COVID-19
All eyes are on CX initiatives. From the acceleration of digital transformation for better customer experiences to the rise of retention as a leading metric, organizations are looking to CX teams to provide strategic direction that’s grounded in customer insights and data.
It takes a village to deliver great customer experience
Collaboration is Key
The most collaborative companies are 67% more likely to experience financial growth since COVID-19.
Making meaningful changes in service of your customers requires a coordinated cross-functional effort across just about every department in the company, from marketing to product. This team effort is even more important during a crisis, when you need to move fast to keep pace with your customers—and ultimately be successful.
Survival depends on your ability to pivot quickly
Agile Companies Win
Successful companies are nearly 3x more likely to be agile than those that have seen revenue decline since COVID-19.
Out of all the factors we correlated with success, agility is the biggest differentiator that separates successful companies from the rest. Companies that can pivot on a dime and quickly rework their product roadmaps based on customer feedback will be rewarded, while those that can’t keep up will struggle to compete.
What’s stopping you from success & recovery?
Challenges Ahead
Of the 64% who haven’t been able to adapt very quickly to changing customer needs, half say process is the most significant barrier that’s slowing them down.
Recovery through this crisis will depend on your organization’s ability to adapt swiftly to rapidly changing customer priorities—but there are myriad challenges that stand in the way. In our report, we’ve identified 3 steps you can take today to align your people, process, and technology with your COVID-19 recovery.
