Ensuring that customers have a superior experience using a product or service is a top priority for most companies. Customers expect to have access to fast and easy customer support when and where they need it. As a matter of fact, research shows that 40% of customers stopped doing business with a company due to poor service. However the current economic climate is forcing more companies to make tough decisions regarding where to focus their resources.

The world is experiencing a defining moment for humanity: after years of advances, artificial intelligence is having its coming out party. When experts compare it to the invention of the printing press or the Internet, that’s not hyperbole. AI will revolutionise huge segments of our society, and while the full ramifications of this technology cannot be fully known – after all, AI continues to rapidly evolve – Zendesk expects it to affect every single customer touchpoint.

Even if you’re not familiar with generative AI or large language models (LLMs), you’ve probably heard of ChatGPT, the remarkably human chatbot that can generate surprisingly conversational answers, passable college essays – and even dad jokes.

Lots of companies have asked us: why should we buy a CX solution when we could work with in-house developers to build our own? Building your own CX solution is time- and labour-intensive, and it requires an ongoing investment of developer resources to maintain. Many of our customers started with homegrown solutions only to realise that their systems couldn’t meet their needs or deliver the ease and efficiency that Zendesk can.

There are many moving parts in play when trying to explain, let alone execute, an exceptional customer experience. It truly takes a village and a good customer experience strategy to get things done effectively. Staying on top of your CX strategy is vital as customer behavior and digital channels of engagement continue to change how business is done. But it’s easy to be overwhelmed even before you get started.

The retail industry is under enormous pressure to change. Over the past few years, shoppers have moved from in-store to online and are now somewhere in between. And they expect the same level of excellent service on every shopping channel (even emerging ones like livestream commerce). What does this mean for retailers? It’s no longer enough to offer great products. Brands are now competing on the quality of customer experiences.

With 92% of consumers expecting to continue to contact customer service at or above pandemic-era rates, we are facing a future where companies that aren’t customer-centric will have a hard time surviving. This is why companies must keep up with customer service trends so that they’re able to cater to these evolving customer needs.

The retail industry is constantly evolving, and businesses and retailers need to stay on top of the latest trends. This year, thousands of retail professionals descended on the Javits Center in New York City for the National Retail Federation’s Big Show. Retail’s Big Show brings together change-makers and leaders from around the globe to showcase the latest innovations and illuminate trends.