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I recently read a fascinating report from Conversocial—“The State of CX Trends 2021.” In it, the authors share results of a study that sampled over 2,000 U.S. and EU consumers, as well as over 100 CX professionals, to better understand how customer communication needs have changed over time, and what the implications are for CX and holistic customer journeys.

Here are a few things I found interesting:

1. The growth rate of private messaging conversations is exploding relative to public social conversations, which is growing much more slowly

The data shows this is especially true in retail, e-commerce, and financial services. It’s clear from the trend line that when the study’s authors call 2020 a “digital reckoning,” it’s not hyperbole. I asked Conversocial’s Steve Davies for his take. “These channels are at your convenience as a customer versus waiting for an agent at a contact center,” he says. “These channels can be so much more seamless and effortless integrate into customers lives in ways that traditional legacy channels can’t.”

2. Conversational design is critical to effectively deploying an AI solution, such as a chatbot

I’ve had enough poor experiences with chatbots that this conclusion intuitively made sense, but I asked Davies about the characteristics of effective design in avoiding common pitfalls that can harm the experience during the messaging touchpoint. “I think it’s about recognizing where automation shines and when human empathy is required,” he says. “Bots are amazing when designed for straightforward processes, like order tracking or appointment booking, and provide far more satisfying experience than a human could do. On the other hand, if it’s a more complicated issue, then the role of automation is to gather the relevant information ahead of handing off to an agent so they have everything they need to resolve a problem quickly and efficiently.”

3. Brands should focus on CX use cases for automation within larger journey contexts.

The report concludes that specific use-cases for automation should be established (“thinking you can create good CX through private messaging channels is only half the battle, says Davies), and lists IVR deflection, appointment booking, and post-purchase engagement as a few. CX professionals have a role to play in helping to identify customer pain points that this technology can solve, Davies says. “Rather than trying to fix the world with automation from day one, the most successful approach is to find a single use-case to start with and go from there.”

I’d love to hear more about how you’re helping to lend journey context to conversational design in your organization. Share your successes and challenges in the comments!