would use a digital self-service tool instead of talking to a live agent. Gen X and Boomers were less likely to use self-service than the younger generations. And although the next five to ten years will have significant generational gaps in communication preferences, these discrepancies will standardize over time. In the meantime, companies need to be conscious of these differences and tailor communications appropriately.

Supporting customer experience
with digital channels 

As companies gradually digitalize and automate their different communication channels, they must prioritize developing a proper omnichannel strategy to unify the various touchpoints across the customer journey. Should a consumer begin the journey by doing research online for concert tickets, they could engage a chatbot with questions, which eventually will move to a call with a live agent before the customer’s needs finally become fulfilled. By utilizing an omnichannel strategy, the agent and automated bot have a holistic view of the customer’s journey, allowing the customer to flow between different touchpoints seamlessly. Without an omnichannel strategy, information hand-offs between bots and humans are inefficient, and the customer's data gets lost in the transition, forcing them to repeat themselves. 

Expectational customer experience also requires that a business understand its customer base. As mentioned early, brands must know the demographic makeup of their base and which channels they prefer to use. For example, a company with primarily Gen X and Baby Boomer customers should avoid completely removing humans from their communication channels as it would cause frustration for those accustomed to speaking with a live agent. However, a brand with a heavy Millennial or Gen Z consumer base would benefit from implementing more self-service options. For now, businesses should implement an omnichannel approach that utilizes both automation and human agents. This method would allow digitally savvy consumers to use self-service options while older customers could speak with a live representative.  

Once organizations have digitized the most appropriate channels and use cases, they can engage in upselling and cross-selling. Since the pandemic, traditional norms of brand loyalty have largely eroded. Today, staying relevant to the customer is paramount, particularly as brands become more focused on experiences and less concerned with promoting the product or service itself. Digital communication channels offer unique opportunities for personalized customer experience. By leveraging AI and analytics to analyze previous buying behaviors, brands can keep their customers engrossed in ways that would not be possible in non-digital channels. For instance, an apparel brand with a customer in a digital thread looking at dress shoes could leverage the customer’s buying proclivities to cross-sell a matching belt or upsell a more expensive pair of shoes. 

The future of customer experience 

Although businesses are far from providing completely automated customer experiences, the communication landscape will change substantially over the next few years. There will be a greater prevalence of fully digital and self-service channels, primarily those transactional interactions. Also, brands will utilize more conversational and social applications like WhatsApp. The contact center of tomorrow will still fulfill the purpose of resolving customer issues quickly and effectively, but its configuration will evolve. For example, most brands will likely transition their contact centers to hybrid, and very few will rely solely on traditional voice. Moreover, many companies will reduce their live agent count to be more cost-effective. This change, however, will also help them better support those skilled agents responsible for specific channel-based inquiries and more complex customer interactions.

While automating many aspects of the contact center will help businesses reduce costs drastically, brands must be mindful of the customer experience. To stay personable and avoid unintentionally abandoning a portion of customers who prefer to interact with human agents, companies should continue to maintain select channels that leverage human agents. Ten years from now, this paradigm could change as more consumers favor self-service options over resolving their questions through people. Nevertheless, the decision to automate and digitize is still highly contingent on different industries and use cases. Ultimately, businesses must prioritize their base’s evolving needs and channel preferences.

Three key takeaways 

There are three realities companies must keep top of mind as the communications landscape rapidly modernizes and other big-name brands follow in Frontier Airlines’ footsteps to fully digitize. First, recognize that the digital transition is happening, and it will only accelerate as time goes on. Second, Gen Z consumers and beyond will be natives of these digital experiences; the generational window will continue to shrink. Lastly, those who drive a consistent, seamless and engaging customer experience across channels, regardless of whether they are digital or traditional voice, will win.