How to redefine customer experience in 2025, at Customer Experience Forum

Beyond Customer Service performance, 74% of customers place great value on brand interactions, and their loyalty is directly influenced by factors such as: environmental impact and alignment with personal values ​​(61%), the existence of an online application for the product or service (53%), reward programs (69%), company website speed (49%), etc.

Emotions and empathy play a decisive role when it comes to customer loyalty and satisfaction, and technology must now facilitate authentic and individualized connections.

The year 2024 has brought a new perspective on how companies build their strategies for working with customers, placing an even greater emphasis on their brand experience. As customer expectations evolve rapidly, companies are forced to constantly innovate and invest in advanced technologies to deliver personalized and effective interactions. This dynamic leads to the need for a unified customer perspective in marketing, sales, human resources and Customer Care divisions.

76% of CX agents are overwhelmed by work systems and data volume, in the absence of smart technologies. And 70% of Customer Care leaders say that maintaining customer loyalty is a real struggle. Innovative companies achieved their strategic goals 57% more than non-modernized organizations. Furthermore, brands that invest in operational innovation generate 4.6 times more customer satisfaction excellence, and 2-3 times more employee satisfaction excellence compared to traditional companies.

7 out of 10 marketers using AI and automation technologies such as Chatbots report more positive brand experiences, and an overall Customer Experience quality increase.

96% of marketers say that personalization drives business continuity, and 94% report increased sales through hyper-personalized services, interactions, and products.

From self-service to self-development: 1 in 4 modern companies have a cross-functional and multidisciplinary strategy, and are continuously investing in solutions to optimize self-service options and to collect and analyse customer data. In the AI ​​Era, 1 in 6 Contact Centers have already started using generative AI processes and technologies and reported higher productivity for CX agents, and 42% of Contact Centers plan to begin this transformation and use Gen AI in 2025. However, 61% of customers prefer human interactions over automated ones. This is precisely why emotions and empathy are vital for customer loyalty and satisfaction, and technology must facilitate authentic and individualized connections as much as possible.

Sources: Deloitte, Forbes, Qualtrics, Gartner, Hubspot

Marketing Insiders Group, the CX community ambassador in Romania and Central and Eastern Europe, organizes the 11th CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE FORUM Edition, one of the most awaited customer experience events, on October 16-17, 2024, at Biavati Events Bucharest. Built around the theme NAVIGATE THE FUTURE OF CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT – Swiftly Adapt. Deeply Connect.”, the event addresses professionals from various industries and brings together leading specialists to discuss new trends and challenges from the Customer Experience (CX) sector.

Here are just some of the CExp Forum 2024 debate topics: customer behaviour changes and predictions, the business impact of positive employee experience, intelligent tools for data management and Customer Experience performance metrics, effective CX design solutions, Customer Marketing campaigns, Emotion AI and Customer Sentiment solutions, CX Leadership in hybrid operational contexts, Design Thinking and Foresight for agile business cultures and architectures, and others.

A novelty for this year’s edition is InnovateCX – Startup Pitch Session, a section dedicated to international start-ups that will present innovative CX solutions. Five selected companies will showcase their ideas alongside InnovX, bringing a new and disruptive perspective on how technology and AI influences customer experience.

The forum will also include a keynote session from the 2024 Cannes Lions Festival, showcasing award-winning international campaigns focused on Customer Experience, innovation and the impact of AI in business. Furthermore, on October 17, participants will have the opportunity to get actively involved in three special workshops: “Design Thinking for Customer Experience“, “Employee Experience for CX“, “How to put Care back in Customer Care“.

Another premiere of this year’s conference is the special “Academic Participation” opportunity, intended for universities. The forum offers 25 special invitations to academics, professors, PhD students and final-year students, thus recognizing the importance of collaboration between academia and business in developing the next generation of CX specialists.

“This year’s Customer Experience Conference focuses on connecting with customers beyond immediate product or service needs, through respect for values, transparency, emotion, all accelerated by technology. Customer Experience is a concept for all companies, big or small, both for CX specialists from multinational companies and for Romanian entrepreneurs. We focus a lot on practical case studies, sharing best practices from multiple industries, and being close to all that advanced technology has to offer. The Customer Experience Forum isn’t just anticipating the future in Customer Experience, it’s creating it.”–  MĂDĂLINA VILĂU, CX Advisor & CEO, Marketing Insiders Group, Customer Experience Forum Founder.

“We have the ambition and passion to transform customer experience (CX) through technological innovation. We are excited to support next-generation Contact Center solutions integrated with artificial intelligence that help companies deliver personalized, effective and relevant interactions. Technology plays an essential role in redefining the way brands connect with customers, and we are proud to be at the forefront of this digital revolution.” – DAN MAZILU, General Manager, Mediatel Data.

Confirmed Speakers’ line-up includes : Florina Dobre – Chief Executive Officer, Bringo România, Doina Costache – Regional Director Central & Eastern Europe, Google, Mihaela Apostoleanu – Director EMEA Customer Success Account Managers, Microsoft, Julien Zidaru – Managing Partner, Exact Business Solutions & Founder, Design Thinkers Academy Eastern Europe, Diana Stafie – Strategic Foresight Consultant & Founder, Future Station, Andrei Călin – Sr. PM Digital Development & Innovation, OMV Petrom, Isabella Brănișteanu – Founder, Thinkegic, Corina Neagu – Founder, Dare – Development Advice & Resources, Dan Mazilu – Owner & General Manager, Mediatel Data, Adriana Muscalu – Senior Research & Business Consultant, Exact Business Solutions, Roxana Milas – Mindset & Team Coach, Raluca Păduraru – CX Business Consultant, Coach & Facilitator, Marketing Insiders Group, Lorena Călin – Europe Contact Center CX & Social Media Manager, Global Mobile Apps Support, Philips Domestic Appliances, Alin Roșca – Chief Executive Officer & Founder, RepsMate, Teodora Migdalovici – Founder, The Alternative School & Love And Lobby, Daniel Mereuță  – Vice President, TDCX, Adrian Mîndreanu – Customer Experience & Product Manager, Mediatel Data,  Delia Necula – Founder & CEO, InnovX, Business Mentor & Angel Investor, Raluca Nicolaescu – Marketing Leader & Communications Strategist.

The 11th Customer Experience Forum edition benefits from the visionary support of: PLATINUM PARTNERS: MEDIATEL DATA, Genesys and Algotech, GOLD PARTNER: RepsMate.

The conference is strategically supported by a wide partner network: INSPIRATION PARTNER – The Alternative School, INNOVATION PARTNERS – InnovX, Bright Distribution, STRATEGIC PARTNERS: Mystery Shopping Agency, Future Station, Design Thinkers Academy, ABSL, DARE – Development Advice & REsources), Care Academy, Exact Business Solutions, Comm’on, Thinkegic, and MEDIA PARTNERS: Radio Guerilla, Customer Insider Magazine, AdHugger, Portal HR, protv.ro, VOYO and We Invent.

Business event info can be accessed by visiting customers.ro, conference-arena.com, as well as our social media channels. For CExp Forum 2024 ticket purchases, sponsorship and public speaking opportunities, or strategic and media partnerships, you can contact us at alexandra.cozma@market-insiders.com.

Source: Customer Insider Magazine