One of the biggest trends in the customer experience center (CEC) world is accommodating equitable virtual and hybrid engagement. Historically, CECs have been physical locations where companies can interact with their customers, partners, and investors in person. Now, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, business stakeholders see the true value in appealing and satisfying virtual experiences.
What does this mean for the future of customer experience centers? As customers seek seamless, omnichannel experiences, companies must invest in innovative solutions and strategies to enhance their CECs and stay ahead of the curve.
What Is Another Name for “Customer Experience Center”?
One of the first trends to note surrounding customer experience centers is the many different names they go by, such as:
- Customer Briefing Center
- Customer Innovation Center
- Customer Experience Center of Excellence
- Customer Care Center
- Customer Solutions Center
- Customer Support Center
- Customer Engagement Center
Of course, there are no hard and fast rules to the CEC name game, and you can certainly pick a name that is more on-brand with your business. Call it a Customer Party Center if that feels right! For a real-world example, consider Microsoft—instead of a variation on “Customer Experience Center,” Microsoft calls its CECs “Microsoft Technology Centers.”
What Are Emerging Trends in Customer Experience Centers?
Studying the latest trends is the first step to creating a successful and worthwhile CEC. Here are three crucial trends guiding the modern CEC.
- Streamlining With Low-Code/No-Code Software
At the center of a modern CEC is the software tying the whole experience together. However, not everyone is a coding expert, and even for those that are—coding takes time. Low-code/no-code (LCNC) software solves both of these problems, allowing businesses to build and deploy applications and processes quickly and easily.
A recent TechRepublic enterprise survey found that nearly half of the respondents already use LCNC technology within their organization. Of those not using LCNC, 20% said they planned to adopt LCNC in the next year. Its popularity is picking up, and it only makes sense to utilize this incredible technology to develop a memorable CEC.
Alleo, for example, is a platform that allows you to create innovative and interactive CEC displays, all without writing any code! You can bring tours and workshops to life with purpose-built activities that are designed to get everyone involved, including the shyest participants. And with the ability to quickly implement new CEC processes and make changes to existing ones, businesses can ensure their CEC stays fresh and relevant.
- Customizing and Personalizing
In a survey of 3,000 consumers, 62% said that a generic, one-size-fits-all experience would cause them to say goodbye to a brand. This statistic highlights how crucial a personal touch is to each part of a customer’s journey. If you can make visiting customers and stakeholders feel special, they’ll remember that no matter their intentions.
To introduce customization in your CEC, you need to ditch the one-way presentations. Listening to someone talk at you can be interesting—for a little bit. But then your thoughts start to wander, and the longer the presentation drones on, the more you start thinking about what’s for lunch.
Instead, replace this stale format with interactive, participant-led experiences like those provided by Alleo. Imagine in-person and virtual attendees coming together in a collaborative space, illustrating their ideas on virtual whiteboards, participating in break-out rooms, and having fun with a group icebreaker, all in real-time —the possibilities are endless.
- Embracing Hybrid Practices
Before the pandemic hit, hybrid or virtual events only made up 18.9% of all gatherings, according to a recent study on hybrid events. Now, the tides have turned, and 59.5% of event planners surveyed said they’re all about mixing virtual and in-person events moving forward. Only 5.4% replied, “nope, not for us!” And the rest said, “maybe, we’ll see.”
This study demonstrates an extreme shift across all industries. Trying to fit traditional in-person experiences into a hybrid experience is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole—it doesn’t work. Well, it can work, but it likely won’t be effective. Hybrid audiences are here to stay, and a satisfying CEC experience will consider both remote and in-person participation.
So, what technologies can improve customer experience centers for hybrid participation? First, ensure you have high-quality microphones, speakers, and cameras to adequately capture in-person activities for the remote audience. The software you choose to guide folks through your CEC should also enhance the hybrid experience.
To illustrate this, consider how Alleo’s platform could serve virtual and in-person audiences. You can use Alleo to drive multiple engaging displays for in-person folks to walk through and easily configure the same experience for a virtual participant. Regardless of whether your audience is in-person or remote, they can all hear and see the same things at the same time.
How Do You Build a Customer Experience Center With Alleo?
Alleo simplifies building a CEC while also enhancing the customer-facing experience. Whether you’re organizing a workshop, hosting a panel discussion, conducting market research, or simply trying to impress visitors, Alleo can make it happen! We strive to make our platform accessible, user-centric, and, above all, a place for collaborative equity.
If you’re ready to design the CEC of your dreams, click here to see how Alleo can make that happen.
