The Demand for Better Customer Experiences is Here
Lauren OlsonAs a new year kicks off, there is no shortage of commentary on the internet with predictions of what’s to come in 2024. It’s as if everyone is looking into their crystal balls all at once. But at Studio Science, there is one singular trend in particular (and an accompanying piece of advice) that we’d bet our bottom dollar holds true for the year ahead: B2B customers will demand the same quality of experiences they have enjoyed as B2C consumers. And for businesses who don’t step up, they’ll risk losing customers (and then some).
This isn’t necessarily breaking news, especially as factors like the COVID-19 pandemic and the acceleration of technology have changed the game in many ways. But it was after Salesforce’s annual signature event, Dreamforce, last fall that we were certain 2024 is the year better B2B experiences will take center stage. And it’s not hard to understand why B2B buyers would desire the same personalization and ease they receive as consumers. In fact, many B2B companies understand what they need to deliver in terms of experiences, but they don’t always know how to do it.
Where to Focus for Better B2B Experiences
The challenge is in understanding where to start and what to focus on, with so many options vying for business leaders’ attention. To be successful in 2024, we believe you will need to focus on:
- Centralized data: In order to create more seamless, cohesive, and personalized experiences for your B2B customers, your data must first be centralized and it must be actionable. Something we have seen countless times with our B2B clients is an inefficient flow of data between parts of their businesses because various data points are siloed in different systems or departments.
- B2B commerce: From large, complex orders to account-specific pricing, B2B business owners need a platform that can manage their orders and create unique storefronts, especially as traditional B2B in-person selling becomes a thing of the past. And Salesforce’s B2B Commerce Cloud is at the top in terms of functionality and capabilities.
- AI: While there are still many unknowns around AI, one thing that’s for certain is its impressive ability to automate repeatable, mundane tasks that free up valuable employee time will be crucial so teams can work on more complex problems to improve the customer experience.
Most people go straight to asking, “But what about AI?! Isn’t that the big thing of the future?” As you can see, it’s part of the future, yes. But you need to make sure other aspects of your business are in order first (hence why we listed it last). Here at Studio Science, we take a thoughtful, holistic, design-centered approach that lays a solid foundation and teaches our clients how to swim before diving into the deep end.
Lauren Olson
Lauren Olson is the Executive Vice President of Marketing at Studio Science where she drives the brand, voice, and perspective of the consultancy and how it engages with key audiences. Lauren has more than 15 years of experience building brands and engaging audiences.
