The same forces that complicate CX for retailers — fragmented data, siloed systems, and clunky AI adoption — can become catalysts for reinvention when handled strategically.
But with so much tech out there to choose from, evolving customer demands, and tight budgets, where should brands start?
With the right technology, people, and customer-centric strategy, retailers can overcome common obstacles to deliver seamless, connected CX. Experts explored how in our recent webinar, “Winning retail strategy: Unify CRM to create connected, end-to-end customer journeys.”
Break down silos
When retail CX breaks down, there are usually five main root causes, said Howard Cohn, senior vice president of retail, travel and consumer goods at TTEC:
- Response time failures
- Struggles in handling escalations
- Empathy gaps
- Channel inconsistency and availability
- Follow-up failures
Training gaps are key contributors to these breakdowns, he said. Many retailers still rely on traditional, classroom-style training for associates, which doesn’t do enough to prepare them for real-life scenarios. Associates need better training on how to handle emotional interactions, like when customers are frustrated or conversations escalate.
Brands also need a better understanding of how and why customers interact with their company, and must prioritize connectivity throughout the entire customer journey, said Carrie Brough, director of strategy and operations at TTEC Digital. Often, when a customer becomes frustrated it’s because their experience is disjointed; like when a customer receives a special offer from a brand, goes to buy it, and the item is out of stock.
By focusing on improving in those moments, she said, brands can evolve from reactive to proactive.
“You need to invest in technology that caters to the whole journey,” Brough said. “Having that connectivity allows you to create true customer advocacy, and to turn every touchpoint into an opportunity for loyalty.”
Brands can turn shortcomings into opportunities by breaking down silos, especially when it comes to technology, said Matt Eckersall, head of CRM at ServiceNow. Just as customer-facing experiences should be unified, brands need to make experiences seamless for employees too. Empowering associates with real-time knowledgebases and AI-powered tools, for instance, can elevate them from script readers to problem solvers.
Harness AI’s full potential
Of all the technologies that can elevate CX, AI may hold the most potential for retailers – yet most AI pilots fall short of expectations. Too often, there’s a disconnect between expectations and reality.
Many retailers deploy AI without considering the human customer journey, Cohn said. They might create AI chatbots to handle simple tasks, yet neglect ways to ease customer frustration when interactions get complex.
Ideally, humans and AI should work together, not in ways where one replaces the other. Use AI to help curate the customer journey, Cohn advised. In the returns process, for example, AI can quickly gather a customer’s purchase history and relevant information while an associate can use that information to connect with the customer on an empathetic, human level.
With so many AI tools at their disposal, it’s easy for retailers to be overly ambitious when implementing them, Eckersall said. It’s tempting to over-automate, but doing so without taking the entire customer journey into account only leads to more customer frustration. It’s important to embrace AI in a thoughtful, strategic way.
It’s also essential, he added, for brands to have their data in order. To get the most out of AI, CRM data needs to be complete, clean, high-quality, and properly structured.
Retailers should focus AI investments where they’ll ease the most pressing friction points in their customer journey, Brough said. She advised retailers to start small; AI can often produce quick wins when it comes to improving process flows or improving data quality.
“Start small but start smart,” she said.
Watch the entire conversation in our on-demand webinar, “Winning retail strategy: Unify CRM to create connected, end-to-end customer journeys.”
