{"id":24144,"date":"2022-07-22T10:41:39","date_gmt":"2022-07-22T14:41:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.3pillarglobal.com\/?p=24144"},"modified":"2025-05-14T15:26:06","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T15:26:06","slug":"achieving-real-time-customer-experience","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.3pillarglobal.com\/insights\/blog\/achieving-real-time-customer-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Achieving Real-Time Customer Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

Customers are king. Make no bones about it. To that end, ensuring they\u2019re happy\u2014or at least managing their expectations from the get-go\u2014is critical for developing a strong relationship.<\/p>\n

Achieving real-time customer experience is about far more than following up after a project or a canceled subscription. It\u2019s about gaining access to valuable data every step of the customer journey to help you understand how they feel in the moment. The result? You\u2019re able to deliver value they actually want instead of value you think<\/em> they want.<\/p>\n

The truth is that retroactively asking someone about their experience is good. However, it leaves gaps because it doesn\u2019t capture how people are feeling at specific times and customer journey touchpoints. Whether positive or negative, we tend to gloss over the fine details of experiences after the fact. All we\u2019re left with is an overall impression of how things went instead of specific, meaningful data.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why real-time customer experience data is so valuable. How do you get this information? That\u2019s easy\u2014just ask. However, you must do so during the real-time customer journey to ensure that you\u2019re getting the best data possible.<\/p>\n

Why Does Real-Time Customer Experience Matter?<\/h2>\n

First things first, it\u2019s essential we reiterate that every touchpoint<\/a> you have with your customers creates a user experience. This includes app usage as well as human interactions\u2014or lack thereof.<\/p>\n

Starting with the first interaction a customer has with their brand, you have multiple opportunities to connect with them. Sometimes it\u2019s automated email nurture sequences, social media content<\/a>, or website chatbots. At others, it might be 1:1 emails or phone calls. When you see each of these interactions as an opportunity to improve your customer\u2019s experience in real-time, you start to see how you connect with each person in a new light.<\/p>\n

Companies are starting to jump on the bandwagon. In truth, we see attempts to maximize real-time CX everywhere. Sometimes it\u2019s customer feedback buttons in the airport<\/a> or bathrooms gauging our experience, and other times, it\u2019s getting ads for items you left in your shopping cart last week.<\/p>\n

Getting data on how your attention to detail is paying off isn\u2019t always straightforward. While you can certainly watch numbers like conversions, the qualitative data isn\u2019t quite there.<\/p>\n

One thing is clear: surveys are not the answer. As Forbes<\/a> says, \u201csurvey fatigue is real.\u201d People are tired of taking them. Those bathroom buttons are ubiquitous, however silly they seem.<\/p>\n

George Colony, CEO at Forrester<\/a>, recalls laughing the first time he \u201csaw buttons at Heathrow that let travelers give instant feedback on how they were feeling.\u201d However, he came to realize that companies can better improve when they \u201ccan monitor and improve experiences on a minute-to-minute basis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Improving your real-time customer experience offers a competitive advantage<\/a> that leads to increased loyalty. Because only 13% of companies<\/a> are confident they can solve customer problems in real time, there’s a tremendous opportunity for your company to stand out.<\/p>\n

How do you Improve Real-Time Customer Experience?<\/h2>\n

Is real-time predictive customer experience possible now? Yes! In fact, it\u2019s already happening with a variety of data analytics tactics<\/a> that include:<\/p>\n