Tata Communications: digital tools and skills hindering customer experience delivery

Source: Tata Communications landing page. Customer interaction hurdles, with the top hurdle being a lack of collaboration across teams. A new customer experience (CX) and customer interactions survey by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services in association with Tata Communications has uncovered the biggest hurdles organisations face in improving customer experience.

A new customer experience (CX) and customer interactions survey by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services in association with Tata Communications has revealed that roughly half of all organisations think they lack the technology to support positive customer experiences.

The finding is part of a December 2023 global pulse survey, in which 264 members of the Harvard Business Review audience, all familiar with their organisation’s strategy and approach to customer interactions, shared how their companies manage customer interactions and their future plans to transform customer experiences. 

While 91% of respondents agreed that making interactions more useful for customers can optimise an organisation’s efficiency, 49% did not feel their organisation has the right technology in place to support strong customer interactions.

The survey also revealed other roadblocks that organisations need to address to create quality customer interactions:

- Nearly half (48%) of respondents cited a lack of collaboration across teams as a challenge, which could be hindering a unified customer journey

- Roughly four in 10 (39%) identified that siloed or disorganised customer data likely makes it difficult to personalise experiences

- Over a third (35%) believed the use of different digital tools or dashboards across the organisation is a challenge - this issue can create friction for both customers and staff

Tata Communications also said the survey highlights how each customer interaction is a building block that shapes their overall perception and CX of an organisation or brand. Individual interactions, positive experiences, and business outcomes are inextricably linked.

Mauro Carobene, VP and Global Head – Customer Interactions Suite, Tata Communications said: “Brands encounter multiple challenges when trying to deliver excellent customer experience, the most prominent being siloed data, lack of collabortion across departments, and working with multiple partners across different channels. Brands that work on individual touchpoints, rather than seeing each interaction as part of a journey, lack a 360-degree view of their customers.”

“With its Customer Interactions Suite, Tata Communications has created an interaction fabric, that blends AI-driven automation with seamless human-led interactions, through our communication and collaboration solutions. Our Customer Interactions Suite enables contextual, hyper-personalised and trusted interactions at scale through the entire customer journey.”

The study further revealed that making cross-channel customer interactions more seamless, consistent and personal is paramount, with 97% of respondents saying their organisation is focusing on one or more improvements to CX over the next 12 months. 

- More than half (53%) of the respondents say their organisation is increasing use of customer data analytics and customer relationship management (51%) tools over the next 12 months

- Forty-six percent plan to increase their use of process and workflow automation, while a similar proportion (44%) intends to increase the use of CX or engagement tools.

Alex Clemente, MD, HBR Analytics Services, said: "Technology can be a big help in driving exceptional customer interactions across multiple channels. With the right tools, organisations can analyse customer data more effectively, personalise interactions, make that data accessible across the organisation, and create a seamless experience for both customers and employees.”

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Read the full report at https://www.tatacommunications.com/harvard-business-review-analytic-services/