Top 5 customer experience trends of 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the customer experience (CX) industry forever. With rising contact volumes and employee safety of the highest priority, the industry was forced to become a work-at-home (WAH) industry overnight by mobilizing thousands of customer care agents to deliver service from the comfort of their homes in a matter of weeks. Now the real question is: What happens next? The answer… no one really knows for sure. However, one thing we do know is that CX professionals are re-prioritizing what is important in 2021. Business continuity, data security, automation, flexible technology, and new business models are at the forefront of everyone’s minds.

Here is a breakdown of the top five CX trends you should be thinking about as we move through 2021.

Flexible Working & Hybrid Customer Care Delivery Models

CX professionals and contact center outsourcers around the globe are being forced to rethink their business models. How do we deliver service going forward? Thinking about options such as brick-and-mortar contact centers, WAH, gig economy, or even more attractive, a hybrid model of all three. An example of a hybrid model being tested is built out of smaller Engagement Hubs that look more like collaborative, co-working spaces with a café feel, and less like traditional 500-seat contact centers. The strategy for the Engagement Hub is simple: take advantage of both the benefits of WAH as well as on-site collaboration. Agents can work remotely and then come into the Engagement Hub for collaboration sessions, training, or even when they just need to get out of the house. It’s a win-win for businesses and employees. Businesses can take advantage of lower rent payments for smaller spaces, and employees reap the benefits of greater flexibility and, most importantly, less isolation.