Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2024. Read them in this 16th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
The customer experience in 2024
By Mark Marron,
CEO of ePlus
Companies are working harder than ever to differentiate
themselves amongst a crowded competitor landscape. As we think about the year
ahead, I predict one of the many changes for IT leaders will be the
re-prioritization of the customer experience. As such, the key to
differentiating won't be how tech savvy your company is, but how you use that
tech in collaboration with human touch to maximize the customer experience.
More executives and leaders will expect new software and
digital transformation efforts to drive user satisfaction, underscoring the
importance of a holistic ecosystem of technology innovation, security diligence
and performance-defined interface.
Innovation
Centering the
customer experience at the heart of your digital transformation and innovation
journey will place your organization at the cutting edge, while bolstering
positive customer experiences. In 2024, I predict companies that find ways to
make cutting-edge technology work for them and their customers will find
higher rates of brand loyalty and approval.
A recent IBM survey found the top outcomes executives expect to see
from implementing AI are improved depth of customer engagement and improved
customer satisfaction. Another 57% say responding to customer demands for more
personalized experiences is their number-one reason for adopting AI.
Security
Another driver
for AI is security. According to a Gartner study from September, as many as 34% of organizations are
already using it for security purposes. I believe peace of mind is an essential
element of the customer experience, which is why the services and solutions IT
teams provide this year must promote any organization's security posture.
This starts, not
just with new tools and solutions, but with the right practices in place.
Companies should evaluate their infrastructure to understand ownership,
potential vulnerabilities, inefficiencies, etc. For those who don't know where
or how to start, many service providers can support either in the process or in
analyzing the findings.
Performance
Finally, once
you've mastered innovation and security, the performance of your tech interface
must be frictionless. A fully performant ecosystem will mean different things
to different companies, but the common denominator is human-centric design. It
requires hiring top talent or supplementing with expert staffing services to
ensure users are able to cohesively integrate those solutions or services with
their existing tech stacks.
Luckily, there
are industry partners to help with rollouts, maintenance, service requests and
more. Partnerships can include short-term, long-term, temporary-to-hire, and
direct-hire IT professionals with the unique skillset in demand to drive
success. At the end of the day, being innovative and secure won't matter unless
the experience customers have with your company's interface is easy to use and
understand.
The customer
experience continues to be one of the driving forces behind the success of a
company, and the way it is executed is what separates an organization from the
competition. As 2024 approaches it is imperative that organizations prioritize
this and continue to search for avant-garde solutions. Through the usage of
emerging technologies and human intervention, while focusing on the pillars of
innovation, security, and performance, I predict companies will see an increase
in customer approval in comparison to their competitors.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mr.
Marron became the Chief Executive Officer and President of ePlus inc. on August
1, 2016 and was appointed to the Board on November 14, 2018. He began his
career at ePlus in 2005 as Senior Vice President of Sales and became COO in
2010. A 30-year industry veteran, he was formerly with NetIQ where he held the
position of Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Services. Prior to
joining NetIQ, Mr. Marron served as General Manager of Worldwide Channel Sales
for Computer Associates International Inc., a provider of infrastructure
software products and solutions. Mr. Marron has extensive experience throughout
North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa and holds a Bachelor of
Science degree in Computer Science from Montclair State University.
Mr. Marron is proud to have been recognized with two Best Place to Work Awards:
Best CEOs for Women (according to female employees, 2020) and Best CEO (Large
Companies, 2019 & 2020). The awards are a result of anonymous feedback
provided by ePlus employees through Comparably.com and are based on cumulative
sentiment ratings.