Two in five (43%) customers are concerned about ethical use of AI, according to report from customer experience specialist CX Network revealed.
29% of CX professionals see a positive impact on customer loyalty through their use of generative AI. But as customers gain a better understanding of how AI works and how company data is used, 55% of CX professionals agree that data privacy and security are becoming increasingly important to customers. As a result, customers are demanding stronger data privacy security and want greater transparency into where companies are implementing AI.
The results, which were highlighted in CX Network’s flagship report: “The Global State of Customer Experience in 2024“, which was released today, presents the latest trends in CX and customer behavior.
Based on survey responses from 282 CX practitioners, service leaders, experience designers, analysts and consultants, the report covers CX trends, technology developments and customer behaviors from the past year.
The report reveals that automation is the top investment priority for customer experience in 2024, with 42% of professionals citing it as their primary focus in 2024. Other spending priorities include data insights and analytics (38%) and conversational AI chatbots and virtual assistants (28%).
While investing in AI technologies is a necessity, 42% of professionals cited demonstrating ROI as the most common barrier to making those investments a reality. Customer experience professionals will face pressure to prove the value of their spending plans, experts reveal.
Jaakko Lempinen, Head of Customer Experience for YLE Finlandsaid: “Transparency is key. Businesses need to be transparent about how AI technologies are used in their operations, particularly how data is collected, analyzed and used to improve the customer experience. This includes clearly communicating the purposes of data collection and the benefits to the customer, ensuring there is an understanding of the value exchange.
“Companies need to actively involve customers in the development of AI solutions by allowing them to voice their concerns and preferences. Engaging in a dialogue about AI and its role in the customer experience helps demystify the technology for customers and builds a foundation of trust.”
“By collaborating with regulators, industry groups and other stakeholders to shape the future of the ethical use of AI, the organization is not only positioning itself as a leader in this space, but also helping to ensure that the development of AI technologies benefits all stakeholders in the CX ecosystem.”
Anna Noakes Schulze, Community Experience Manager at The NTWKsaid: “Customer experience often adopts technology after other functions such as marketing, where advanced technologies are needed to “grab the customer’s attention in new and inventive ways. Customer experience is tasked with nurturing and preserving the customer relationship, which naturally lends itself to more conventional, lower-risk approaches that have already proven themselves. These conservative trends work against experimenting with advanced technologies, except in a few rare cases like generative AI where the efficiencies almost guarantee a positive ROI.”
“If these technologies aren’t yet important to your customers, then pay attention to what the most forward-thinking brands are doing and see what you can learn from their initiatives.”
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