We are preparing to welcome 2022 with the expectation of normalisation after the pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021. Many businesses will want to differentiate in customer experience and stand out from the competition in 2022 with the experience they have learned and gained during the pandemic.
Businesses that want to differentiate with customer experience and stand out from the competition in 2022 will focus on new trends shaped by technology.
Hasan Genç, Co-Founder of Wiseback, the customer experience management solution, gave information about the issues that will stand out in 2022 in customer experience.
Metaverse effect
In 2021, the Metaverse, which is one of the most talked about topics in the technology world, will continue to be on the agenda in 2022 and it seems that it will have an impact in many areas. With the Metaverse, brands also have to respond to the expectation of a personalised experience.
Digital products called NFT (Non-Fungible Token) can turn into unique works that cannot be copied with blockchain technology. NFTs, which are bought and sold with cryptocurrencies, have already created a billion-dollar market in the Metaverse universe. We are witnessing NFT collections of world-famous brands finding customers for millions of dollars.
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies will be new experience areas for many brands. As the number of Decentraland and similar platforms in the Metaverse world increases exponentially in 2022, we will see many brands taking part in this virtual universe.
All records in the Metaverse universe using cryptocurrency are stored with blockchain technology. In summary, technologies such as NFT, VR, AR and Blockchain will also appear in customer experience with the Metaverse effect.
IoT and 5G Technology
Coverage of 5G mobile connectivity technology is expanding rapidly. In 2022, 5G coverage is expected to grow exponentially. In our country, 5G is expected to be activated at the end of 2022. Smartphone models with 5G support have been meeting with consumers for a while. 5G technology will offer innovations in many areas of life with its high bandwidth, uninterrupted internet connection and very low latency. 2022 will be a year when 5G projects will start in the field of customer experience.
With 5G, a huge increase is expected in Internet of Things (IoT) applications as the limits in mobile connectivity disappear. IoT devices will reshape the customer experience in many areas. IoT devices will be able to predict our personal needs while facilitating our daily lives at home. IoT applications will appear in many sectors such as retail, white goods and automotive.
With the increase in mobile bandwidth and connection speed, video content will be at the centre of customer experience. In addition to live video and support services, we will witness more frequent use videos before the purchase decision.
Digital experience (DX)
With the catalysing effect of the pandemic, traditional businesses that kept their distance from the digital world hastily turned to digital transformation. They tried to turn the crisis into an opportunity with template e-commerce sites and mobile applications launched overnight. It has been seen in the pandemic that it is possible to move many business models that are said to be non-digital to digital.
It’s time for businesses that position technology as a sales channel in digital transformation to focus on the digital experience they offer. Today, the barriers for businesses to move to digital are lower than ever before. The way to differentiate in the competition in digital channels is through digital experience (DX).
Digital experience includes the metrics of the digital world. A business’s website, mobile site, mobile application, social media accounts, etc. digital experience emerges as a result of the sum of the experience it offers in all digital channels. We can list a slow application, a website that frequently gives errors, a payment page with insufficient payment options as just a few of the issues that negatively affect the digital experience.
Businesses that want to offer a flawless digital experience should understand the digital age correctly and focus on transforming all their processes according to these dynamics.
Sustainability
With the increasing world population and consumption, danger bells are ringing for our world. We are under the threat of global warming caused by depleting natural resources and increasing carbon emissions. Many organisations are working to leave a livable world for future generations. In 2022, businesses also have important duties to raise global awareness. What brands do and do not do about sustainability will affect the perception of customer experience. The rate of sustainability-conscious consumers is increasing rapidly. A brand’s work on sustainability will directly affect the perception of that brand.
Sustainability should now be at the centre of every experience. Businesses that develop the experience they offer at the centre of sustainability and have corporate awareness will increase their value in the eyes of customers.
Protection of personal data
Law No. 6698 on the Protection of Personal Data (KVKK), which entered into force on April 07, 2016, has been in our lives for more than five years. In 2021, news that Turkey’s leading digital platforms stole personal data came to the agenda. The sensitivity of consumers on this issue is increasing day by day. It seems that we will witness similar data breaches in the coming period.
Businesses should review all their processes to protect customer and employee data and follow the announcements published by the Personal Data Protection Authority. Although KVKK seems to be a legal issue, it affects all processes starting from technological infrastructure. Apart from the data controllers in businesses, business partners who are data processors are also part of the process. Businesses with customers in European Union countries should also work on GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and harmonize their processes.
Hybrid era in employee experience
Although the process of employees returning to the office is expected to accelerate in 2022, especially technology companies tend to switch to a hybrid working pattern. Businesses that see that work can be carried out remotely during the pandemic will continue with a hybrid working model.
In this hybrid period, we will see businesses focus more on employee experience. Businesses that constantly listen to their employees and try to understand them to improve the hybrid experience will also make an important investment in a great customer experience. It is not possible for a business to make its customers happy if its employees are not happy.
True omni-channel experience
With the pandemic, omni-channel experience has gained more importance. In the digital environment, businesses can communicate with their customers through channels such as mobile applications, social media, e-mail, chatbot, whatsapp, as well as the web. Businesses that want to offer a richer customer experience tend to communicate with their customers through all digital channels. If you do not have an omni-channel structure, your multi-channel structure can turn into a nightmare. You should allocate the necessary resources for an omni-channel structure and choose the right channels for your business instead of all channels.
People-centricity and transparency
In the digital age, consumers have the opportunity to evaluate the services they receive and share these evaluations on social media. Information has been democratised with the freedom to access information from anywhere. Along with this, the concept of transparency is a new value in our lives. It has become imperative for brands to be aware of these new elements and to keep up with this transformation culturally and organizationally.
Businesses now have to position the consumer as a human being, not as a “consumer”, and infuse this culture throughout the entire organisation. All processes need to evolve in a human-oriented way. Businesses should be transparent to both their customers and employees and build a people-oriented corporate culture. The customer experience offered by human-oriented and transparent businesses will also find a positive response.
