Today, the success of organizations depends on delivering both superior customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX). Now, more than ever, the one constant in an ever-changing marketplace is that the companies delivering the best customer and employee experiences win.
CX refers to the sum total of all customer interactions and is influenced by EX. EX encapsulates the way in which employees internalize and interpret the interactions they have with their organizations. CX and EX are directly connected, requiring businesses to meet evolving preferences and expectations of customers and employees by aligning these two disciplines.
As customer and employee expectations continue to evolve, organizations can deliver an integrated CX and EX strategy that drives loyalty, satisfaction, and growth by leveraging branded communication technologies, such as branded calling designed to enhance CX and EX in tandem.
There is little margin for error today when it comes to delivering great customer experiences. Consider that a study by Emplifi found that 63 percent of consumers would leave a company because of poor customer experience, and 49 percent admitted that they had already done that.
Companies that get CX right not only retain customers but realize up to a 16 percent price premium on products and services, according to a report by PwC.
Companies are also focusing on getting the employee experience right. More of them recognize that EX is a key driver of CX, which in turn drives business growth and profitability. A survey by analyst firm IDC revealed that 85 percent of companies found that improved EX and higher employee engagement translated to better CX, higher customer satisfaction, and higher revenue.
The positive impact of EX on CX is leading companies to prioritize the integration of EX into CX strategies to fuel long-term business success. IDC predicts that by 2026, 40 percent of the Global 2000 will incorporate EX initiatives into their core CX strategies to compete in CX.
Winning on CX and EX with Technology
To consistently deliver excellent customer and employee experiences requires technology designed to reduce friction along the customer and employee journeys and increase the quality of interactions with consumers. Branded communication technologies, such as branded calling, improves CX and EX at the same time, facilitating direct connections and meaningful interactions between employees and customers. The technology allows companies to brand outbound calls with a logo, company name, department and reason for calling displayed on incoming call screens at the time of the call and in the call log afterward.
Branded calling injects trust back into the phone call, helping employees connect with the right person at the right time to enhance customer experience and brand reputation. And when consumers know that the call they are receiving can be answered without the fear of being scammed or phished, trust in the brand increases and experience is enhanced.
That's critical today as robocalls flood the phone channel, making consumers wary of answering calls from unknown numbers. In just the first six months of 2022 it is estimated that U.S. mobile subscribers received more than 100 billion scam calls. Those scam calls are triggering call avoidance behavior in consumers, with research finding that 87 percent of people don't answer calls from numbers they don't recognize.
The subpar customer experiences that go along with missed connections like this can damage brand reputation, with research showing that four in five people would rate businesses poorly for making unidentified calls. But reputation is not the only thing that suffers when businesses don't brand their calls. Unidentified calls can also compel consumers to consider switching to companies that deliver more responsive, personal customer experiences.
These missed connections are also a major source of frustration for employees, negatively impacting EX. The harder it is for employees to connect with customers the more frustrated they become. That frustration can spill over into interactions with customers, negatively impacting CX.
Content-rich, branded solutions power the human interactions that matter today, bolstering employee engagement and supporting customer satisfaction. When customers are happier and employees are more engaged and productive, business growth and performance accelerate. A report by Forrester Research found that productivity increased by reducing phone tag with customers and saved more than $490,000 in call center agent time.
Investing in branded calling tools designed to improve EX and strengthen CX also helps companies retain valued employees. According to Qualtrics, employees are 230 percent more engaged and 85 percent more likely to stay beyond three years in their jobs if they feel they have the technology that supports them at work.
Branded communication solutions allow enterprises to deliver the engaging employee experiences and seamless customer experiences essential to building better connections and facilitating more meaningful interactions. Creating an integrated approach to CX and EX with branded communication is a winning strategy for outperforming the competition and driving better business outcomes.
Allison Owen is vice president of client success at First Orion, a provider of branded communication solutions for businesses.