Businesses that have continued to invest in CX over the past 12 months are 16 times more likely to have maximised their resiliency during the pandemic and three times more likely to have grown their customer base year over year, according to new research released today by Zendesk.
The 2021 State of CX Maturity Report surveyed more than 3,000 CX decision makers globally - including 229 in the UK - to understand the characteristics and benefits of customer experience leadership.
Jeff Titterton, Chief Operating Officer, Zendesk, said: “This research confirms what our customers across industries, sizes and life cycles all tell us: that customer experience requires continuous investment and innovation to truly set their business apart.
“The way the customer service function is viewed is changing - it’s the hub of your customer relationships in this digital-first economy. Having the tools for proactive service, information sharing, and cross-selling are now just as important as issue resolution. These are the skills that will shift your call centre from being a cost centre to a revenue driver.”
A CX maturity scale was built to identify common patterns and behaviours that separate high-maturity CX organisations - what ESG calls the “Champions” - from three levels of less-mature ones: “Starters”, “Emerging”, and “Risers”. The report outlines what businesses need to do to move up the maturity scale.
The research found that the number of Champions within midsized and enterprise companies has increased from 5% to 8% since 2020. The UK had one of the highest proportions of Champions, at 8%, second only to Spain leading the way with 13%. The greatest gains in the region were seen in France - shifting from 0% in 2020 to 5% in 2021.
There also continues to be a clear correlation between improved CX maturity and the benefits of increased customer satisfaction (CSAT), faster response times, and effective customer service. Notably, the study also calls out the connection between CX maturity and greater business growth and revenue.
- Related to their peers, midsized and enterprise Champions in Europe were 2.9 times more likely to have grown their customer base over the past six months, and 5.5 times more likely to have increased per-customer spend over the same time period
- Champions are also changing how the customer service function is viewed across their organisation. With digital interaction being the main connection point with many customers, Champions in Europe are 2.7 times more likely than Starters to operate profitable service teams, where direct revenue exceeds the cost of customer service
Other key imperatives for CX Maturity that the research identified include: