This report has devoted little time to discussing what your customers want today that was different from yesterday and that’s because, on the demand side, there are no CX trends. What the majority of consumers expect from their brand engagements today is the same as it was five years ago. Omnichannel engagement, personalization, self-service, speed, efficiency and immediate access to helpful, friendly staff are no longer emerging or developing preferences or expectations. They’re the mainstream definition of CX and the benchmark against which your organization will be judged today and tomorrow.

What’s in flux is the supply side — the challenges your organization needs to overcome in order to deliver on those expectations seem to be constantly changing.

However, even if each test is different, the way to pass these tests isn’t changing. Our 2023 CX trends report was intended as a call to action. It was based on both client conversations and the results of a global consumer study focusing on the very definition of CX and identified key areas where businesses would need to invest time and money to maintain forward momentum and, crucially, retain a relationship with their customer base.

In particular, we identified the need for organizations to get the basics of CX delivery right, cautioned business leaders about the risks of getting overexcited about technology’s ability to deliver genuine return on investment, and warned that the only way to prepare for a war for talent was prioritizing the provision of lifelong learning and skills development within the existing workforce.

A year later, the business environment has changed again, but the steps your business should be taking to counter any negative impacts that these changes may bring remain the same.

In 2024, the businesses that pass the test and become customer experience delivery trendsetters will do so because they have a retention mindset. They retain revenues, retain rivalry, retain relevance, retain resources and retain their resilience.