New study reveals 4 key traits of CX leaders

Customer experience (CX) is a core focus area of digital transformation in every industry; long-established research shows that companies delivering best-in-class CX enjoy multiple bottom-line payoffs. 

What does it take to become a CX leader? Freshworks commissioned a global survey (conducted by Forrester Consulting) of 500 companies to explore that question, as well as the role of conversational engagement in improving experience. Just 12% of surveyed organizations identified themselves as CX leaders (called “Pioneers”), while 88% “Majority” organizations made up the remainder.

Following are some data highlights of the survey that suggest what’s working—and why—for today’s CX pioneers.

83% of CX leaders use AI to predict customer journeys and proactively engage

Takeaway: Putting technology to work to personalize experience is a key driver of success. Aside from communicating with customers on the channels of their choice, deploying AI-powered chatbots to automate conversations helps ensure a personalized experience every time a customer interacts with the brand.

70% of companies that pair chatbots with live chat grew by at least 10%

Takeaway: In a 24/7 world, chatbots provide always-on customer support. Paired with generative AI, chatbots can deliver on the promise of personalization and be deployed in any messaging platform. Bots can be further fine-tuned in iterative fashion using data insights from customer conversations.

Read also: Real-time quality coaching in customer service

77% of CX leaders use AI-driven routing for chat inquiries

Takeaway: One of the easiest ways to please customers is to not keep them waiting. CX leaders route inbound queries to agents best suited to customer needs, cutting resolution time. Automated prompts can also give agents a productivity boost while keeping customers engaged. AI-powered summarizers can recap support ticket conversations. 

85% of CX leaders have a 360-degree data view of customers 

Takeaway: A messaging platform that connects all support channels—email, live chat, WhatsApp, SMS, iMessage, social media, etc.—enables agents to manage and reply to conversations from a single workspace, regardless of the channel.

Editor’s note: We will publish the full results of the survey at a later date—stay tuned! In the meantime, take this quick 2-minute assessment to analyze your conversational engagement maturity score.