Stephen Farkouh

With the ever-growing sophistication and number of apps, it’s no wonder we expect information and control at our fingertips, no matter our location or the time of day. Our experiences as consumers have dramatically elevated our expectations and have changed how we work, effectively blurring the metaphorical digital experience line between our personal and professional lives.

The simplification and ease of the consumer experience is now anticipated in the business environment and we’ve no doubt come to expect the same swift and effortless transactions in our professional lives — but is this expectation a reality, or will we be left disappointed? Consumers want ease of transaction regardless of what the service or transaction is. From Uber to Amazon and everything in between, there’s an app for everything, ultimately bringing ease, intuitiveness and predictive insights to our everyday lives.

Further complicating matters in the commercial world, the “digital experience” is quickly morphing with “customer experience”. In fact, 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience (CX). The more expensive the item, the more consumers are willing to pay, and a recent study found that by the end of 2020, customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator.

Steps to Improve CX

It doesn’t matter what kind of business you’re in, improving CX is the key to increasing retention, satisfaction and revenue growth in the digital age. As a partner, the digital experience you have with your underlying provider most definitely cascades and affects your end users’ experience, making this a critical function in 2020 and beyond. So, what can you do to ensure the end-to-end digital experience is top-notch?

By harnessing and elevating your digital experience in 2020 with the above innovations, you’ll fundamentally make your business more customer focused and improve CX.

Stephen Farkouh is chief information officer for Windstream. He previously was senior vice president of cloud technology and platform development for Windstream Enterprise after joining Windstream via the acquisition of Broadview Networks in 2017. He began his career at Bell Communications Research. He holds a master’s degree in in electrical engineering from Princeton and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Columbia. Follow him on LinkedIn and @Windstream on Twitter.