While technologies like generative AI are poised to define the evolution of CX in 2024, companies can’t afford to ignore the simpler elements of the customer journey. New advancements in CX technology won’t matter if slow webpages or poor customer service are still frustrating customers.

Good customer experience requires nailing the basics. The challenge for CX leaders is understanding how a given brand’s customers actually define a good experience. 

No approach will please everyone, so it is essential to prioritize the customer segments that your foundation will serve, according to Leah Leachman, senior director analyst at Gartner.

Additionally, any investments need to be made in support of wider organizational objectives. This approach can ensure that the experience isn’t developed separately from the rest of the business but serves to the organization and its customers, Leachman said.  

Knowing your customers

A good customer experience is not so much about the destination, but the journey. CX leaders need to focus on enhancing key touch points along the customer journey in a manner that best meets customer needs, according to Leachman. 

But to do so, CX leaders need to know their customers and their differing needs. 

“It’s about recognizing that what ‘good’ means is different for different customer personas,” she said in an email to CX Dive. “For example, take a grocery store. While we all might assume that everyone wants a super fast checkout, some people go to the store because they yearn for in-person interaction with a friendly face.”

Getting the basics right means understanding the needs of customers who are a high priority for a business, such as a brand’s most loyal patrons. Leaders need to identify what these valuable customers want from each aspect of the journey and shape the experience accordingly, Leachman noted.

Customers’ universal demands

While it’s important to consider the specific demands of important customer segments, many attributes of a great customer experience are shared across most customer demographics, according to David Truog, VP and principal analyst at Forrester.

In some cases, an important foundational element for one customer demographic is beneficial, if not essential, for others, according to Bobby Stephens, principal in the Deloitte Digital retail and consumer products practice.

For instance, older consumers are more likely to care about digital commerce basics like reviews and product descriptions, Stephens said. While these likely won’t rank as highly with younger generations, Gen Z still wants a well laid out website and will be frustrated without one. 

Basic doesn’t mean easy

CX basics might be simple in theory, but they are harder to implement in practice. 

Some baseline expectations are more complicated to meet than first glance would suggest, according to Truog.

The expectation for timely responses to customer service queries is one example. Simple queries are a relatively easy-to-solve problem. Introducing self-service options can ensure speedy resolutions and can handle volumes far beyond what a contact center could ever manage. But that doesn’t account for complicated queries.

More in-depth conversations are something that a human agent can do very effectively, but to meet both types of queries, companies must have the proper routing processes, implemented technology and trained staff. 

Companies need an approach that can fulfill customer service needs no matter the context of a call, Truog said.

Keep up with changing needs

It’s important to remember that the baseline for a good experience isn’t static. Customers may have the same goals for a given interaction, but expectations regarding the journey toward that goal are constantly evolving.

“The inputs, understanding customer objectives, haven’t changed — but how to support those needs is a moving target,” Leachman said. 

Physical and digital channels are delivery mechanisms for the experience, not the source of the experience itself, she said. Brands need to identify customer objectives along their journeys in a particular channel and focus on investments that make achieving those goals easier.