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Customer Experience: The Number One Competitive Advantage for Winning in Business Insights from Industry Research, Thought Leaders, and Your Peer Community

Table of Contents Introduction: The Shifting Landscape of Competitive Advantage ……………… 3 Enhancing Customer Experience for Competitive Advantage …………………. 5 The Product Differentiation Paradox: Beyond Features and Benefits ………. 6 The Hierarchy of Competitive Advantage ………………………………………………………… 8 CX as the Key to Sustainable B2B & B2C Growth ……………………………………………… 9 TThhee IImmppaacctt ooff PPrriioorriittiizziinngg CCuussttoommeerr EExxppeerriieennccee ………………………………………………………………………………………… 1100 The Perception & Delivery Gap in Customer Experience ……………………………..… 11 Key Strategies for Enhancing Customer Experience ………………………………….… 13 Best Practices For Delivering Great Customer Experiences ……………………….… 14 1. Speed and Efficiency …………………………………………………………………………………………… 14 2. Hyper-Personalization ………………………………………………………………………………………... 16 3. Unified Communication ……………………………………………………………………………………. 17 44.. OOmmnniicchhaannnneell SSuuppppoorrtt …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....…… 1199 5. Human-Led Support with Digital-First Delivery ………………………………………… 20 6. Strategic Outsourcing ……………………………………………………………………………………..…. 22 Implementing the Solution ………………………………………………………………….………………….. 24 Conclusion: The CX Payoff ………………………………………………………………………………………… 25

The Shifting Landscape of Competitive Advantage Customer Experience: The New Frontier for Business Success Page 3

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Enhancing Customer Experience for Competitive Advantage Page 5

The Product Differentiation Paradox: Beyond Features and Benefits Why Products and Services Alone Aren't Enough Vivian Malandrin, Edan Gottlib, Peter Garza Finance Digest Page 6

Forward-thinking companies recognize that the true differentiator lies in creating exceptional experiences and building trust. Take Apple's success, built not just on iPhone specifications, but on a seamless ecosystem and brand loyalty. Or Zappos, which disrupted the shoe industry with unparalleled customer service. Page 7

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CX as the Key to Sustainable B2B & B2C Growth Exceptional Experiences Drive Growth, Loyalty, and Competitive Edge in Today's Market To thrive in today's competitive market, businesses must shift their focus from product features to delivering exceptional customer experiences. By prioritizing CX, companies can create meaningful differentiation and foster long-term customer loyalty. This approach involves aligning every aspect of the business around delivering exceptional experiences at every touchpoint. Page 9

Harini Gokul, Neelam Sandhu, Vivian Mandrin, Candace Wallace The Impact of Prioritizing Customer Experience Page 10

The Perception & Delivery Gap in Customer Experience A Wake-Up Call for B2C and B2B Companies to Transform CX Perception into Performance 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Page 11

Addressing the CX perception and delivery gap is not just about improving customer satisfaction—it's about driving business growth and staying competitive in an increasingly customer-centric world. Pat Ferdig, Chief Customer Officer at 411 Locals Page 12

The time for talk is over; now is the time for action in revolutionizing CX delivery in both B2C and B2B sectors. Key Strategies for Enhancing Customer Experience Page 13

Best Practices For Delivering Great Customer Experiences Blending Technology and Human Touch in the Age of Digital Transformation In today's fast-paced, hyper-connected world, delivering exceptional customer experiences has become a make-or-break factor for businesses across industries. Many organizations are struggling to keep up with rapidly evolving customer expectations, often focusing on isolated touch points rather than holistic journeys. This fragmented approach leads to disjointed interactions, missed opportunities, and ultimately, customer dissatisfaction. TThhee ccrruuxx ooff tthhee iissssuuee lliieess iinn tthhee ccoommpplleexxiittyy ooff mmooddeerrnn ccuussttoommeerr journeys. With an ever-expanding array of digital channels and touchpoints, customers expect seamless, personalized experiences at every turn. Yet, many companies find themselves ill-equipped to meet these demands, hampered by siloed departments, outdated technologies, and a lack of customer-centric strategies. Moreover, the rise of AI and automation has created both ooppppoorrttuunniittiieess aanndd cchhaalllleennggeess.. WWhhiillee tthheessee tteecchhnnoollooggiieess ooffffeerr immense potential for enhancing customer experiences, they also risk creating impersonal, robotic interactions if not implemented thoughtfully. The key challenge for businesses is to find the right balance between leveraging cutting-edge tech and maintaining the human touch that customers still crave. TThhee ssoolluuttiioonn ttoo tthheessee ccoommpplleexx cchhaalllleennggeess lliieess iinn aaddooppttiinngg aa sseett ooff best practices that blend technology, strategy, and human-centric approaches. Let's dive into five key practices that can transform customer experiences: 1. Speed and Efficiency In our fast-paced world, customers expect quick resolutions to their issues. Slow response times are no longer just an inconvenience—they're a major factor in customer churn. The solution is to leverage AI and automation to supercharge agent productivity and response times—but speed can't come at the expense of service quality and depth. Each customer interaction needs to deliver real value. Page 14

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2. Hyper-Personalization Page 16

Neelam Sandhu and Candace Wallace 3. Unified Communication One of the most frustrating experiences for customers is having to repeat information as they're passed between departments or channels. The solution is to create a unified communication strategy that breaks down silos and ensures consistent messaging across all touchpoints. This approach requires aligning teams, technologies, and data systems to create a single view of the customer. By adopting unified communications platforms and ensuring all customer-facing teams have access to the same information, companies can provide seamless, consistent experiences regardless of how or where a customer chooses to interact. Page 17

Furthermore, unified communication isn't just about consistency—it's about enabling more meaningful, context-rich interactions. Page 18

Madelene Motin, Head of Customer Service at STRONGER 4. Omnichannel Support Today's customers don't think in terms of channels—they expect to be able to interact with brands seamlessly across multiple touchpoints. The solution is to implement a true omnichannel strategy that goes beyond simply offering multiple channels to creating an integrated, cohesive experience across all of them. HHoowweevveerr,, mmoorree cchhaannnneellss ddoonn''tt aallwwaayyss mmeeaann bbeetttteerr sseerrvviiccee.. SSmmaarrtt companies are actually streamlining their channel offerings, focusing on excellence in the channels their customers use most. By concentrating resources on key channels like chat, phone, and email, companies can ensure consistently high-quality support rather than spreading themselves thin trying to be everywhere at once. This focused approach needs more than just technology—it ddeemmaannddss aa sshhiifftt iinn tthhiinnkkiinngg.. CCoommppaanniieess nneeeedd ttoo bbrreeaakk ddoowwnn channel-specific silos and reimagine their customer journeys holistically. This means ensuring that customers can start an interaction on one channel and seamlessly continue it on another, with all context and information preserved. Harini Gokul, Chief Customer Officer at Entrust Page 19

5. Human-Led Support with Digital-First Delivery While AI and automation play crucial roles in modern customer experience, the human touch remains irreplaceable for certain interactions. The key is creating a digital-first foundation that maximizes efficiency while strategically deploying human support for complex issues, high-stakes situations, and moments where empathy matters most. Thomas Lehner, Director of Global Support and Operations at Spryker Page 20

Candace Wallace, Chief Customer Officer at Relias This doesn't mean rejecting technology—far from it. Instead, it's about using AI and automation to augment and empower human agents. By handling routine tasks and providing agents with real-time information and suggestions, technology can free up humans to focus on what they do best: building emotional connections, solving complex problems, and going above and beyond for customers. Sri Velamoor, Vice President Global Support & Product Enablement at Workiva Thomas Lehner, Candace Wallace and Sri Velamoor Page 21

6. Strategic Outsourcing In the pursuit of exceptional customer experiences, many organizations are turning to strategic outsourcing as a powerful tool. By partnering with specialized service providers, companies can access advanced technologies, scalable resources, and expertise that may be challenging or costly to develop in-house. This is particularly valuable for AI-driven analytics, omnichannel support, and 24/7 ccuussttoommeerr sseerrvviiccee.. Steve Kaay, Contact Center Consultant at Kaay Enterprises LLC Anne-Sophie Engert, Mark Brody, Steve Kaay, Afshan Kinder Page 22

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Implementing the Solution While these best practices are powerful individually, their true potential is realized when they're implemented as part of a cohesive, customer-centric strategy. Here's how organizations can bring these practices to life: 1. Invest in the right technology: Implement AI-powered tools for more natural customer interactions, predictive analytics tools that anticipate needs, modern CCaaS solutions with built-in intelligence, and smart automation that frees agents to focus on complex issues. The key is choosing technology that fits your specific needs and integrates well with existing systems, rather than chasing every new trend. 22.. BBrreeaakk ddoowwnn ssiillooss:: Foster collaboration between departments, ensuring that customer data and insights are shared across the organization. 3. Empower employees: Provide customer-facing staff with the tools, training, and autonomy they need to deliver exceptional experiences. 44.. CCoonnttiinnuuoouussllyy ggaatthheerr aanndd aacctt oonn ffeeeeddbbaacckk:: Regularly solicit customer feedback and use these insights to refine and improve experiences. 5. Balance automation and human touch: Use AI and automation strategically, but maintain human touchpoints for complex issues and emotional connections. DDeelliivveerriinngg ggrreeaatt ccuussttoommeerr eexxppeerriieenncceess iinn ttooddaayy''ss ccoommpplleexx,, fast-paced business environment is no small feat. It requires a strategic approach that blends cutting-edge technology with human empathy and insight. By focusing on speed, personalization, unified communication, omnichannel support, and strategic human-led interactions, businesses can create experiences that not only meet customer expectations but exceed them. TThhee oorrggaanniizzaattiioonnss tthhaatt mmaasstteerr tthheessee pprraaccttiicceess wwiillll bbee wweellll--ppoossiittiioonneedd to thrive in an increasingly competitive landscape. They'll forge stronger, more durable relationships with their customers, drive loyalty and advocacy, and ultimately achieve sustainable growth and profitability. Page 24

As we look to the future, it's clear that customer experience will only grow in importance. The businesses that commit to continuous improvement in this area, staying attuned to evolving customer needs and thoughtfully leveraging emerging technologies, will be the ones that lead their industries and shape the future of customer engagement. Conclusion: The CX Payoff Exceptional Experiences Drive Growth, Loyalty, and Shareholder Value Page 25

The CX Payoff: Driving Business Success Page 26