THE US IS BRACED FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL AND MEANINGFUL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, FINDS HAVAS/YOUGOV RESEARCH

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Dec 11, 2023, 09:00 ET

A qualitative study of 400 senior CX executives reveals structural, attitudinal
and technological opportunities, with CX executives in the US viewing the discipline as an area of disruption and transformation.

NEW YORK, Dec. 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - CX is a game changer for business, and while some brands are missing the mark when it comes to meaningful consumer experiences, new research from Havas CX and YouGov has revealed there is further opportunity for transformational growth. The research surveyed 400 senior CX decision makers* at large organizations across the United States, the UK, and France, uncovering a unique, optimistic, attitude toward CX around the world. Especially in the US market, where executives are 2-3x more likely to have a more positive outlook when it comes to implementing strategies that are essential to future-proofing their organizations.

But there is a conflict between brand executive positivity and customer reality. While 94% of executives claim their companies are customer-centric, only 40% of customers globally agree. This disparity presents a clear opportunity for brands to improve.

Building a sustainable consumer experience is a top priority in all three markets; however, the approach and outlook on how to get there are dependent on a few factors, including an understanding of the local context, organizational challenges, and new technologies. All in all, the research shows that to create a unique and memorable consumer experience, brands must resolve workflow issues, use CX to inform their strategic vision, and use creativity to make a difference.

These are significant challenges to overcome, and they're made more complex in a global model. The research suggests that what CX means and where it is housed are different across countries. The data shows that CX is seen as primarily a technology topic in the US (35%), an operational topic in the UK (42%), and a marketing strategy topic in France (40%).

CX is also almost three times more likely to sit within the tech function in the US than in the UK, placing it closer to the heart of business disruption and transformation and therefore making it more important to the future of the organization. As a result, twice as many executives in the US expect that the key area of focus regarding CX in their organization in the next year will be on technology, as compared to other markets.

"This report shows that there are clear differences in the function and opportunity for CX around the world," said Pat Thistlethwaite, Global CX Executive, Havas Network. "As our global clients seek to raise the level of customer experience across markets, they'll need to recognize the need for significant investment in business transformation and enablement."

The report shows clear distinctions around the use and outlook of CX, where US brands are:

Likely to claim their customer experience differs from their competitors (78% versus 55% in the UK and 77% in France)
Somewhat likely to believe their customer experience meets their customers' needs (52% versus 45% in the UK and 64 % in France)
Likely to talk to their customers frequently and listen to their feedback (89% versus 78% in the UK and 91% in France)
Likely to believe their customer experience to be future-proof and able to satisfy shifting customer expectations (85% versus 53% in the UK and 84% in France)
Likely to prioritize customer retention over acquisition (71% versus 53% in the UK and 77% in France)

Overall, across the US, UK, and France, 73% of executives say that they understand the potential of Generative AI to optimize the customer experience, but only half of this group have already started using it.

Tellingly, across these markers, 86% claim reinventing their customer experience is a priority for their organization, with 90% of those in US believing that leadership fully understands the transformative business power of CX (versus 66% in the UK and 94% in France), highlighting a high opportunity for buy-in, understanding, and prioritization of CX at the highest levels across the US.

When it comes to technology and data, the cornerstones of modern CX, the findings are promising:

Over half (77%) cite a differentiated digital customer experience versus competitors (versus 46% in the UK and 72% in France)
Only 25% cite inconsistency across datasets as a challenge (versus 47% in the UK and 26% in France)
29% cite a lack of relevant data, while 23% cite poor visibility into data sources (versus 36%/39% in the UK and 25%/26% in France)
Most of US CX leaders (86%) are familiar with the MarTech solutions within their organization (versus 46% in the UK and 88% in France) – while a few {11%} claim they are not familiar "at all" (versus 39% in the UK and 6% in France)
Most (80%) think their organization is ready for a cookie-less world said (versus 58% in the UK and 77% in France)
Over half (52%) believe the future of CX lies in experiences augmented through technology, including AI, AR, and VR (versus 34% in the UK and 58% in France)

All in all, 81% of US executives agree that Generative AI has high potential to optimize CX, a level shared by those in France (81%) and far more optimistic than the UK (61%), with 52% citing it as a priority (versus 31% in the UK and 64% in France).

The full whitepaper can be read here. The raw data is available on request.

*C -suite decision makers (including owner / partner / chair / chief executive / managing director / other board-level manager / director / other senior manager/director) working on CX strategies from companies with more than 100 employees

Notes to editors:

All data featured is from YouGov, unless otherwise stated. The survey was conducted from August 4 to August 21, 2023, among 400 workers in France, US, and UK with high-level management from companies with more than 100 employees who deal with customer experience topics at work.

SOURCE Havas CX