2nd November 2023, Kathmandu
In recent years, customer experience Trends have emerged as an important component in driving business success. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, new customer experience norms have emerged, making it even more essential for meeting expectations.
This landscape is expected to evolve further in 2023, with breakthrough technology and changing consumer behavior and expectations. Likewise, it has become important for firms to invest in customer experience platforms and solutions to be successful.
Customer Experience Trends
In this article, we will look at the top ten customer experience trends for 2023, as well as their significance and application in the Nepalese market today.
Hyper-Personalization
Customers have very high expectations from CX these days and they expect personalized experiences and immediate gratification. According to the Gartner Customer Service and Support Survey, 86% of B2B customers expect businesses to be knowledgeable about their personal information.
Hyper-personalization includes tailored products and services that meet customer preferences. Data analytics, Artificial intelligence, and machine learning play a crucial role in understanding what the customer needs and wants from you.
Likewise, AI-based personalized customer service enables businesses to provide tailored services that meet the needs of each individual. Businesses in Nepal are using customer information and preferences to deliver specialized recommendations, tailored offers, and more relevant local content. Personalized CX services can lead to increased customer engagement, loyalty, and satisfaction.
Omnichannel experience
In omnichannel when a company advertises, sells, and supports customers over multiple channels it treats each channel for instance social media platforms, website, SMS, and chatbots as a component of seamless service as a whole.
The Nepalese market is also increasingly adopting digital technologies making an omnichannel crucial for business. Many organizations are already integrating their marketing channels to provide a consistent and smooth experience across all platforms. This has allowed consumers to interact and engage with brands in a preferred manner enhancing convenience and satisfaction.
Chatbots
Chatbots have become one of the effective ways to increase customer experience with 24/7 assistance. Many Nepalese businesses, including banking and finance, e-commerce, Fintech, and many more have integrated chatbots into their social media platforms, websites, and apps to give personalized service and immediate responses.
Likewise, customers demand faster response and availability of support as per their needs and, chatbots can be a highly effective platform for businesses to address customer queries and feedback 24/7 and save valuable time for customer support agents to focus on other valuable tasks to improve productivity.
Contactless and cashless solution
With evolving digital technology and new norms due to the COVID-19 pandemic, contactless and cashless transactions are growing rapidly worldwide as well as in Nepal. Lately, the QR code has revolutionized digital payment services all over Nepal.
Many small to big firms in Nepal have been adapting to e-wallets, mobile banking, and various other payment service operators (PSOs) to enhance convenience and overall customer satisfaction. Fonepay, eSewa, and Khalti digital wallet are a few such companies that have been facilitating cashless services in Nepal.
Sustainability and Ethical Practices
Consumers all across the world are becoming more aware of ethical and sustainable behaviors. In line with that, Nepalese firms are also prioritizing environmental and social responsibility to position themselves in a competitive edge.
Numerous business firms are following eco-friendly practices, supporting local businesses and communities, and promoting sustainability to meet customer expectations and enhance customer experience.
Emotional Engagement
Emotional engagement plays a crucial role in customer experience, as customer decisions generally depend upon how emotionally invested they are with the company.
Many Nepali firms have been leveraging storytelling, social cause-based marketing, and promoting brand purpose to foster customer loyalty and engagement. They are leveraging engaged customers for further spreading word of mouth for brand and product promotion, and attracting potential customers.
Augmented Reality (AR) And Virtual Reality Integration
AR and VR technologies are gaining momentum globally and the Nepalese market is yet to adapt to it. With evolving technologies like AR and VR, firms can improve customer experience, improve shopping experience, provide virtual assistance to improve customer engagement, and achieve business goals. In the coming years, Nepalese firms can leverage these evolving technologies to improve their customer experience.
Voice Technology
Voice technology has significantly increased in current years and it is expected to grow to 30 billion in 2026. Nepalese firms can also leverage voice technologies for instance voice assistants, allowing customers to make purchases, access required information and receive support through voice commands.
Mobile Support
With the rise in internet penetration and mobile users, brands must support mobile to improve consumer experience. Mobile applications and mobile-friendly websites are critical components for connecting with customers.
According to the Nepal Census 2021, 72.94% of the people in Nepal use smartphones. Nepali firms have been recognizing this shift and investing in mobile support to deliver a consistent technological experience to retain existing clients and reach out to potential customers.
Predictive Customer Service
Predictive Customer Service uses AI and data analytics to predict customer needs and resolve issues proactively. It can be done by identifying issues through customer feedback, social media interactions, and analyzing customer data.
Many large corporations, such as Coca-Cola and Netflix, have used predictive analysis to provide individualized customer care and improve consumer experience. Nepalese firms have been adapting to predictive customer service to identify customer issues and provide personalized solutions to improve customer experience and engagement.
Conclusion
Customer experience plays an important role and every business needs to improve and enhance it to meet customer expectations and loyalty.
Similarly, businesses should identify and invest in customer experience platforms and solutions like those mentioned above to understand trends and preferences.
Lastly, personalized and humanized customer service has been a major trend in recent years, and businesses must commit to providing excellent client experiences in an ever-changing market.
Pareshor Kharel is a customer service enthusiast and the managing director at Kantipur Management Private Limited, a leading BPO Company in Nepal.
He can be reached at paras@kantipurmanagement.com