Customer support frequently involves digital channels like online chat, social media, advanced chatbots, and self-service portals. Organizations that can keep up with consumers and digitize the customer experience (CX) will build stronger relationships, drive loyalty, and stay ahead of the competition.
Those that lack a thoughtful strategy and fall behind on their digital transformation, however, risk losing customers to their competitors.
What Does Digitizing Your Customer Experience Mean?
A digital customer experience (DCX) includes every interaction your customers can have with your brand online, whether they seek out engagement through support or you push promotions to them with marketing.
A strong DCX strategy includes all aspects of interacting with a brand or organization online, such as:
The company’s website
Online chat, both with agents and chatbots
Social media
Email and SMS marketing
The DCX is part of the overall CX , which includes all interactions (such as in-store purchases and calling contact centers). DCX is focused entirely on virtual touchpoints.
Your CX strategy should be designed with more than just quantitative factors in mind. Qualitative CX measures include ease of use, responsiveness, and the value of the information provided.
Additionally, the DCX should be seamless and consistent — whether a customer contacts your organization via email, chat, or social media, they should get the same quality experience.
For instance, imagine you’re a customer trying to contact your bank about a transaction you don’t recognize. Calling their customer support line would be part of the traditional contact center experience .
The DCX, on the other hand, would include going to the website to find information about this charge, reaching out to the bank through their “contact us” form, communicating with customer service via email or web chat, and even interacting on social media if you tag them in a post.
Practical Examples of Digitizing the Customer Experience
The DCX can take several forms. What follows are some examples of how to create a great DCX:
Unified service channels
One key step to providing a great DCX is to unify all service channels so they offer the same levels of support and information. This means embedding DCX tools throughout the customer journey, including everything from marketing and sales to support and the help desk.
Providing the same levels of support across all digital service channels helps ensure that your support team can connect with customers on the channels they’re most comfortable with, without compromising quality. Consistent, platform-agnostic support goes a long way to ensuring a universally positive DCX.
Personalized experiences
Each customer has a unique journey, challenges, and needs. As such, CX management includes tailoring the CX to each individual.
In the past, this was an impossible challenge — how could any organization expect to adjust everything for each of their customers? However, with the customer data and AI-powered customer service tools available today, it’s a far more attainable goal.
Every step of the customer journey provides information. Organizations can use AI and machine learning tools to leverage that data, provide actionable insights to support agents or sales reps, and present personalized suggestions, creating a DCX tailored to each customer.
Streamlined agent workflows
What’s good for the agent is good for the customer, and making agents more efficient creates a better experience for everyone. Organizations can improve agent productivity by automating tasks and providing efficient self-service options.
Customer service automation tools improve efficiency by handling repetitive, time-consuming tasks, such as logging customer information, that agents would normally have to do by hand. This frees up the agents for more important tasks and gives them more time to better support customers.
On the customer end, self-service options are a key part of the DCX. Customers want to resolve their issues quickly, and if they can find the answers online or through a self-service portal, that’s even better.
Self-service tools can help customers with troubleshooting basic problems, finding information, and managing their accounts without needing to speak with an agent. This gives agents more time to help other customers, and customers can resolve their issues quickly.
Real-time customer insights
Digital customer interactions are overflowing with data that can provide an amazing experience. The tricky part is gathering that data and using it effectively.
With the right tools, organizations can gain insights about their customers in real time and use that information to provide better service. This data can also be used for future interactions, creating a more customized experience.
Why Is a Digital Customer Experience Non-Negotiable?
Many decision-makers overlook the nuances of DCX and fail to factor it in when formulating their CX strategy. That, however, is a major oversight, as it ignores the opportunities for growth, insights, and value that a good digital experience can bring. So why is the DCX so important?
Customers are already there
Instead of bringing the customers to you, you need to go to where your customers are, and most of them are already online.
Customers look at company websites for contact information, post on social media, and otherwise engage online, and companies need to be there if they want to provide a great CX.
Reach a wider audience
Online channels create new opportunities for brands to reach a global audience and boost their engagement. Social media presence alone can provide a significant boost to an organization’s name recognition, but including social ads, email marketing, online engagement, and more provides an even greater reach that can help bring in new customers.
These customers also use digital channels to interact with businesses, so maintaining a strong digital presence and DCX is essential for both bringing in new customers and boosting customer retention.
24/7 availability
When an organization has customers around the world, their customer service can’t be limited to a single time zone.
Customer expectations include access to support and information anytime, anywhere. Organizations using digital tools, such as chatbots and self-service portals, and 24/7 online customer support teams can provide the level of availability and immediate support that customers expect.
Faster response times
On a similar note, online channels facilitate quicker resolutions for issues and inquiries. Live chat allows customers to quickly reach a real agent directly from a webpage, and companies can also use features like chatbots to assist customers instantly.
This saves time for the customers and agents; customers don’t have to wait on hold to get the information they need, and agents have more time to help customers with issues that need a human touch.
Data-driven insights
Online interactions are a treasure trove of data, which can provide new insights into customer behavior and preferences.
With the right software, organizations can delve into their digital interactions and analyze this data, discovering new trends, customer wants, potential issues, and more, as well as providing customers with a better overall experience.
Personalization opportunities
Online channels provide new opportunities for personalized services and support, including targeted messaging and offers for each customer. These can take the form of ads, “suggested for you” pages, offers based on past purchases, and more, allowing organizations to provide a unique, tailored experience and increase sales.
Improved scalability
Digital channels are typically easy to scale, so they can grow with a business. With multiple digital channels, chats, and AI assistants, organizations with a strong digital presence can handle high volumes of inquiries without sacrificing quality.
Digital Customer Experience Channels
What does a good DCX look like in action? Let’s explore some common digital features and tools companies use today, as well as some examples of how companies create a strong DCX.
Websites & mobile apps
Modern websites built with a focus on the DCX typically feature several tools designed to help customers.
These include the following:
Self-service portals: Give customers access to FAQs, knowledge bases, and troubleshooting guides without needing to contact an agent.
Live chat : Provides instant support and personalized assistance for complex issues.
Chatbots and other virtual assistants: Provide automated responses to help with common questions at any time of the day.
E-commerce platforms: Enable seamless online shopping, including product information, reviews, and secure checkout.
Amazon, one of the largest e-commerce websites on the planet, is a good example of a company that excels at DCX.
It uses each customer’s search and purchase history to provide customized recommendations and includes a “help library” divided into topics and frequently asked questions to assist customers with inquiries. It also offers a chatbot that can help with troubleshooting or basic queries and connect the chat to a live agent for more complex matters.
Social media
A good social media presence is essential for digital outreach, marketing, and customer engagement. This includes maintaining visibility across multiple social networks, monitoring chatter, and actively posting/engaging with customers.
Social media presence includes the following:
Brand pages and communities: Directly engage with customers, listen to customer feedback, and build brand loyalty.
Social listening: Monitor brand mentions and promptly respond to customer inquiries and comments.
Social media advertising: Reach target audiences with personalized messaging and offers.
Nextiva, for instance, has active accounts on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) , LinkedIn , Facebook , and Instagram . These pages are frequently updated to maintain an active presence, share news about the company, and engage with customers.
The posts also often tie into trending events, such as the Super Bowl or Valentine’s Day, to remain relevant to customers and stay on top of trends. And of course, should a customer message or mention Nextiva, the social team is there to respond.
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