Everyone is talking about AI and Robotic Automation. Are they trends or fads? Here are three CX fad-busting, long-term influencers on your bottom line you didn’t see coming.

B2B companies stated in a recent survey that customer experience (or CX) is the single most exciting business opportunity for 2020[1]. If CX is to play a pivotal role in your 2020 plans, then we’ve gathered some surprising, underreported CX trends for 2020 you’ll want to employ to help you thrive this year.

Trend #1: Don’t expect instant disruption from AI and RPA.

Most brands are investigating a strategic move for 2020 toward tech advancements. According to global research[2] by market intelligence and advisory firm, Knowledge Executive, investments into automated technologies such as artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics and voice recognition, and engagement solutions such as mobile apps, are receiving the largest budget allocations at present. The strategic importance is evidenced by the high percentage of C-suite executives (up to 40%) that are currently driving the CX agenda within businesses of all sizes and across industry verticals.

The question is how the application of artificial intelligence or RPA to customer care can affect the bottom line.

While no one disagrees that AI and RPA can return an investment, the strategic question most executives are grappling with is: When?  And at what cost?

Most concerning is that a typical technology initiative can span 6-12 months. In the case of implementing IBM’s AI software Watson it has taken seven years – and counting. Even though companies like IBM have doubled down on Watson and had some success, the process of making it practical in the most ambitious sense is taking more than a little time.

So what’s in the way of AI and RPA fully becoming what we hoped or what was promised?

Complex problems in CRM such as data quality are hindering such initiatives. Records are often filled with errors, and were initially digitized for the use of back-office efficiency, not for the purpose of mining and synthesizing huge sums of data and generating evidence-based hypothesis.

Once you work through the challenge, the potential reward can be substantial.

Investing in CX initiatives has the potential to double your revenue within 36 months.[3]

The Temkin Group found that companies that earn $1 billion annually can expect to earn, on average, an additional $700 million within three years of investing in customer experience. The problem is that many CX initiatives involve technology. Cross-channel experiences continue to make it difficult for brands to maintain consistency. Integration of disparity technology initiatives such as AI and RPA need to provide a consistent experience across all platforms.

The key learning from this trend is: As you consider disruptive technologies for your contact center, consider how computers and humans will work together in powerful ways. And, don’t forget that it isn’t a set it and forget it implementation. You have to give a nod to the hard work and long hours required behind the scenes when you look ahead.

Trend #2: The 1990s are calling - We want our humans back

The 1990s were a simpler time in customer care. Gone are the days of MTV, brick cellular phones and actually talking to a human when you call customer care. Remember those days? You called the phone company to discuss your bill with a real-human. He or she listened and understood your concern about your issue, because – let’s face it – they were humans. They fixed the problem for you. This human-to-human connection creates this afterglow scenario. And at the very core of customer experience is your consumers’ perception of how your company treats them. These perceptions affect their behaviors, and build memories and feelings to drive loyalty.

In other words – if they like you and continue to like you, they are going to do business with you for a long time and recommend you to others.

When was the last time a consumer went to Facebook and gushed about how great your IVR was? Probably never.  See our point?

86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience.[4]

But in order for your consumers to like you, you need to get to know them, and deliver a consistent, personalized experience across their entire journey. Consumers stay loyal with brands due to the experience they receive.

In this extremely competitive economic environment, we also predict that consumers will favor U.S. contact centers over multi-shore delivery footprints, which we’ll discuss in the next trend.

The key learning from this trend is: Allow your call center specialists to have true discussions with your consumers. This human-to-human interaction will elevate your NPS and first-call resolutions.

Trend #3: Culture will emerge as an even more important success factor

Throughout the 1990s and the first decade of the 2000s, call centers were often the poster children for jobs leaving the U.S. and being outsourced to other countries. Many businesses outsourced their call center operations to foreign countries, most often India and the Philippines, leaving U.S.-based contact centers behind in favor of less expensive international ones.

In recent years, however, this trend has seen something of a reversal. Rather than increasingly leaving the U.S., many brands are now bringing their call centers back to the red, white and blue.

No matter how well the customer service agent speaks English, there is a fear that you’re going to deal with someone who you don’t fully understand and who may not understand you. The underlying message is that the company you buy from doesn’t care enough to invest much in responding to you.

Leading powerhouse brands like Apple are bringing jobs back to the United States in greater numbers. It turns out there are several factors that have led to this reversing trend, especially in CX:

• Lower U.S. operating costs: As a result of the 2008 recession, the cost of operating in the U.S. became lower. Because of the change in costs, many businesses found that the savings for operating overseas were no longer as significant.

• Decreased savings: Unlike with more skilled/specialized labor, the cost difference between call center employees in one country and those in another is often not as large in practice as it might at first seem.

• Improved customer service: Perhaps the biggest reason for the change is that many brands now feel that any additional costs associated with operating a call center in the U.S. are worth incurring for the related improvement in customer satisfaction. When brands use native English speakers, customers are better able to communicate with call center staff. This increases customer satisfaction, decreases complaints, and lowers the amount of time customer phone calls take, letting call centers handle more customers.

We couldn’t agree more that the culture and personality of U.S.-brands can only be represented by domestic workers who live, play and work in the U.S.A. Because of their location and culture, they can understand the context of the problem and they ‘get it’.

The key learning from this trend is: Balance your cost-driven view with real relationship-based care.  Don’t view customer experience as a short-term play. 

CX 2020 is more about: We’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy

Ironically, such an approach brings us back around to the days of the great merchants of a century ago, when people like Chicago’s Marshall Field coined the phrase “give the lady what she wants.” Low prices, Mr. Field believed, “….could not do the trick alone; Nor could goods of the highest quality. There must be the personal touch – that atmosphere of honest, pleasant service that makes customers feel they are special…and brings them back faithfully, year after year.”

[1] Econsultancy and Adobe Annual Digital Trends Report

[2] CX and BPO Investment Priorities, Knowledge Executive

[3] Econsultancy and Adobe Annual Digital Trends Report

[4] Qualtrics Customer Experience Stats