CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
1.“ OMNICHANNEL”: THE OVERUSED MESSIAH OF CX
Few words in CX are as overhyped as“ omnichannel.” Supposedly, it means delivering a seamless, integrated customer experience across all channels.
But reality tells a different story.
• Most so-called“ omnichannel” experiences still force customers to repeat themselves when switching between channels.
• Vendors slap this label on basic integrations( like phone plus email) and call it groundbreaking.
• Many businesses implement a patchwork of disconnected tools and claim it’ s an omnichannel approach when it’ s just a duct-taped mess.
• Customers don’ t care about the terminology; they just want a smooth experience without frustration.
What it should mean: A truly connected, data-driven experience where every interaction builds on the last, with no repetition, no gaps, and most importantly, no customer frustration.
2.“ AI-POWERED”: JUST SPRINKLE SOME MAGIC ON IT
Artificial intelligence( AI) is the golden child of CX right now. But let’ s be real: most“ AI-powered” solutions aren’ t as smart as they claim to be. The term is slapped onto everything, from chatbots to analytics, often with little evidence of real artificial intelligence.
• Many“ AI-powered” chatbots are just glorified scripts that can’ t handle complex interactions.
•“ AI-driven analytics” is often just automation, not real machine learning.
• The dream of fully AI-powered contact centers? Still far from reality.
What it should mean: A self-learning system that actually improves over time and can handle customer issues without constantly deflecting to a human. AI is powerful when used correctly.
3.“ CUSTOMER-CENTRIC”: THE BUZZWORD THAT SHOULDN’ T EXIST
Every company loves to claim they’ re“ customer-centric,” but if that were true, we wouldn’ t have:
• Long hold times and confusing IVRs that make customers jump through hoops.
• Robotic service responses that prioritize scripts over real conversations.
• A focus on cutting costs over improving service quality.
What it should mean: Prioritizing actions over marketing fluff measuring success based on customer satisfaction, not internal KPIs. A real customer-centric strategy means investing in technologies and processes that improve CX from the inside out.
... MOST“ AI-POWERED” SOLUTIONS AREN’ T AS SMART AS THEY CLAIM TO BE. THE TERM IS SLAPPED ONTO EVERYTHING... OFTEN WITH LITTLE EVIDENCE OF REAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
4.“ NEXT-GEN”: THE MARKETING TRICK THAT NEVER ENDS
“ Next-gen” is a favorite for vendors that don’ t actually have much to show. It’ s an empty promise that tricks buyers into thinking they’ re getting something futuristic when, in reality, they’ re just getting an updated version of something that has existed for years.
•“ Next-gen cloud contact centers.” Switching from on-premise to software-as-a-service( SaaS): which happened ages ago.
•“ Next-gen analytics” = a prettier dashboard, but the same old data.
•“ Next-gen” is always shifting because it never actually means anything specific.
What it should mean: If the application( or hardware) is truly next-generation, prove it with real results instead of a shiny new logo.
JUNE 2025 17