Most companies leaned into digital technologies to fortify their customer experience (CX) during the COVID-19 pandemic, whose tailwinds accelerated collaboration between IT departments and business lines like never before.
Brands that adapted their journeys to accommodate customer preferences for digital channels throughout the pandemic have thrived. Their common denominator? Fifty-three percent of leading companies said that customers expect them to regularly innovate with more relevant products, according to Accenture research.
Signet Jewelers earned plaudits for offering video sales consultations to its customers and beauty brand Estee Lauder doubled down on augmented reality (AR) to enable consumers virtually “try on” makeup. Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger brand PVH boosted ecommerce sales by prioritizing ship-from-store capabilities and mobile website conversion, while Ralph Lauren digitized its store experiences.
For some IT leaders, corralling customer sentiment about digital touchpoints is critical in reducing information siloes, a thorny issue for many businesses.
RFPIO CIO AJ Sunder scours social media and internal exchanges between customers and employees in the company’s CRM system, the better to inform business peers about how the company’s products are landing with customers. “The CIO’s role is to make sure these processes are properly integrated,” says Sunder, who is also co-founder and chief product officer of the SaaS company.
