If you’re responsible for customer experience in a company, you know how challenging it is to create an annual plan full of effective strategies. It’s necessary to consider a series of factors: uncertainties, new regulatory milestones, changes in customer demographics, accelerated innovation, growing data volumes, fragmented infrastructure, and varying expectations. All these elements need to be carefully analyzed and integrated into the planning.
As marketing technologies evolve and expand beyond the marketing department, the challenge of building internal consensus intensifies for Customer Experience (CX) professionals. Now, it’s essential to develop increasingly robust and comprehensive plans that engage various areas of the business.
Additionally, interpersonal skills are essential to ensure all relevant internal stakeholders are aligned with customer experience goals and strategies. Within companies, there are many opinions on how to interpret analytical data and what to do with these insights. A client recently commented that the more data they have, the more uncertain they feel about what to do. What a paradox!
So, what are CX leaders thinking to better prepare for 2025?
Here’s my opinion:
- Unlock the value of data for internal and external customers
- Prioritize AI in areas under your control
- Prepare for regulatory uncertainty worldwide
Unlock the value of data for internal and external customers
The global data volume is growing exponentially, in a phenomenon called the ‘dataverse.’ According to Statista the total amount of data created, captured, copied, and consumed globally will reach over 394 zettabytes by 2028.
There are countless new data sources being collected worldwide from various IoT devices. Marketing professionals are literally drowning in data, and the big question is how to make these new data sources work together to create a holistic 360-degree view. I propose thinking of data as the currency for business relationships. The trend toward becoming more ‘customer-centric’ means we need to break down data silos and create a 360-degree view of each individual.
This applies both to those in a B2B business model and those in the B2C space, allowing enriched contact records with external partner data.
Breaking down silos is like trying to boil the ocean—a monumental task. But we already know the secret: data is valuable. Everyone, from sales, finance, operations, to customer support, is always seeking insights and asking for help to activate customer experiences.
To succeed in complex marketing and customer experience initiatives, it’s crucial to adopt structured and well-planned approaches like:
- Simplify internal processes:Create onboarding systems that allow internal stakeholders to leverage your team’s resources. Structure the approach into a few ‘pieces’ (e.g., ‘Engage with our content,’ ‘Engage with our event,’ ‘Engage with our solutions’). Develop templates and project plans to facilitate execution.
- Diversification of use cases:Build a diverse portfolio of use cases and organize them within an effort-impact matrix (in consulting, this tool is called the ‘Effort-to-Impact Matrix’). This will help identify tasks and streamline execution order. This approach helps manage expectations and balance stakeholder demands. Consider hiring a consulting firm to navigate sensitive areas.
- Applying design thinking:Use design thinking to create a repeatable and scalable way to build customer journeys and engage stakeholders. This method fosters collaboration and minimizes resistance. In the long run, it saves time, as everyone will feel heard during the creative process.
- Document tasks before digitizingDocumenting before digitizing is crucial so creators understand data flows and customer journeys before development begins. Even in agile processes, careful planning and documentation yield long-term dividends.
By adopting these strategies, companies can create more robust and integrated processes, delivering superior customer experiences and optimizing organizational performance.
Prioritize AI in areas under your control
To create engaging customer experiences across multiple channels, it’s essential to focus on AI and emerging technologies, like conversational commerce. LLMs (Large Language Models) and RAGs (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) are emerging with ‘Low Code’ interfaces, making these innovative solutions easier to implement.
These resources allow CX professionals to create stunning interactions on platforms like WhatsApp, chatbots, web, apps, and emails. Additionally, omnichannel experiences can be managed centrally and distributed across all channels, ensuring a cohesive and integrated approach.
I recommend CX professionals go back to basics and focus on what they can control. This includes deeply segmenting and analyzing customers, collecting data about them, and using third-party tools to enrich this knowledge. Centralizing this data in a repository with clear input standards is crucial to becoming the single source of truth for each customer relationship.
Simplify omnichannel communications using platforms that allow single creation and publishing. To accelerate the content supply chain, use platforms that optimize this process, especially considering hyper-personalization trends. AI tools like Adobe Firefly can help generate initial content and then produce variations for different channels, integrating these tools with a proper digital asset manager to avoid shared servers.
Align your hyper-personalization efforts with data readiness. To ensure effectiveness, select use cases based on their potential business impact and data quality. This continuous integration of technology, data, and content strategies will ensure efficient use of resources and maximize ROI without overinvesting in underutilized data.
Prepare for regulatory uncertainty worldwide
The U.S. Department of Justice is pressuring Google to sell Chrome and break up its Android businesses, proposing the sale of the Chrome browser as part of a reform to end the search monopoly. Simultaneously, Microsoft faces antitrust litigation, being investigated for abusing its market power in productivity software. If regulatory pressure isn’t enough to change Google’s search business management, the mass migration of users to SearchGPT shows that the nature of paid search is changing.
European regulators are also actively monitoring cases against Google, Apple, and Meta, with the “Digital Markets Act” imposing more restrictions on gatekeepers and demanding greater transparency. Even for local companies, what happens globally will affect platform contracts.
Even as a local company, global events can impact your contracts with the platforms you use. Therefore, it’s essential to pay attention to global trends, think broadly, and act locally.
Take control of your data:The best way to prepare for regulatory uncertainty is to own your customer data and store it on reliable, paid platforms.
Innovate in business models:Uncertainty isn’t limited to the regulatory environment. Many companies can explore new ways to generate revenue using their customer data. Innovating in business models isn’t exclusive to large corporations. Bet on creative monetization approaches. For example, Starbucks has effectively become an unregulated bank, accumulating $1.8 billion in unused cash deposits. Panera’s coffee subscription and Red Bull’s paid influencer program are examples of smaller-scale innovations.
Expand the boundaries of your industry:Evaluate partnerships or platforms that enable the adoption of new business models. The lines between manufacturers, media companies, and financial institutions are increasingly blurred, creating opportunities for even small businesses to innovate.
In a scenario of constant global changes and uncertainties, it’s crucial for companies, regardless of size, to be proactive. Controlling your own data, innovating in business models, and exploring strategic partnerships are essential steps for companies to remain competitive and resilient.
The democratization of innovation
A bonus trend, which might be the biggest one for 2025, is the democratization of innovation. All advances in data, software platforms, and business models are now accessible to companies of all sizes, enabling today’s visionaries to create tomorrow’s customer experiences.
Innovation isn’t exclusive to large tech companies; small businesses can and should innovate too. For this, it’s necessary to think globally and act locally. The lines between different sectors are becoming increasingly indistinct. Consider partnerships or platforms that enable the adoption of new business models. The boundaries between manufacturers, media companies, and financial institutions are increasingly fluid, creating opportunities for everyone.
In summary, preparing for global regulatory uncertainty and adapting to new technological trends are essential for any company that wants to thrive. Maintaining control over customer data, innovating in business models, and staying alert to regulatory changes are crucial steps. Quickly adapting to new market realities will allow companies to maintain their relevance and competitiveness. Therefore, investing in solutions that ensure data security and continuous innovation is a necessity in the dynamic business landscape.
