PULSE SURVEY

Rethinking Customer
Interactions to Boost
Customer Experience

Sponsored by
SPONSOR PERSPECTIVE

Customer Interactions Maketh Your

Customer Experiences!

In a hyperconnected ecosystem, enterprises need to think about creating

superior experiences for their employees, customers, partners, and
users across the value chain. Specifically for customers, as expectations
continue to rise, customer experience, and thus customer interactions
have evolved into a crucial determinant of business success.
Mauro Carobene
Customer interactions have evolved to extend beyond individual
Vice President and Head,
touchpoints, encompassing the entire customer journey. Traditionally, Customer Interactions Suite
customer interactions were transactional, focusing primarily on completing
Tata Communications
a sale or resolving an issue. However, today, customer interactions
are viewed as opportunities to create memorable engagements, build
relationships, and foster loyalty.

Enterprises seek to create seamless customer experiences across

channels, ensuring consistency and continuity at every stage of the
customer life cycle. To do so, it is important for them to understand the
elements of a CX strategy driven by interactions, and consistently drive
efforts to make every interaction count. This strategy revolves around
understanding your customers, humanizing and personalizing interactions,
improving efficiency utilizing technology and intelligence, breaking
organizational silos, and driving a culture of empathy and collaboration.

Working with customers across the globe, we at Tata Communications

have witnessed firsthand the transformative shift in customer interactions.
With the Tata Communications Customer Interaction Suite (CIS) that
enables contextual, hyper-personalized, and trusted interactions at
scale through the entire customer journey, we are helping enterprises
blend artificial intelligence-led automation with seamless human-led
interactions to deliver better CX, enhance marketing ROI, and drive
operational efficiencies.

We sponsored this survey and report to delve deeper into what the
landscape of customer interactions looks like today, and how it will evolve
in the future, as we truly believe that customer interactions power CX,
which, in turn, drives business growth. The report offers insightful data
from industry leaders and perspectives into the evolving world of customer
interactions from academicians and experts. It also provides actionable
insights and useful best practices to build or strengthen your customer
interactions strategy for today and beyond. Read on!

For more information, please visit: www.tatacommunications.com

Rethinking Customer Interactions
to Boost Customer Experience

Simply put, customer experience (CX) has the power HIGHLIGHTS

to make or break business success. The experience a
company provides is often as important as its products
97% of respondents say that
or services when it comes to customer satisfaction and over the next 12 months, their
organization is focusing on
loyalty. And in today’s digitally driven world, there are one or more improvements to
more customer touchpoints and ways of communicating customer interactions.

than ever before, making it imperative to get CX right.

Conversely, organizations cannot afford to get CX wrong, 94% of respondents say that, in
as dissatisfaction can result in diminishing brand value, order to be successful in their
organization’s industry, it is very
lost revenue, and customer churn. important that organizations
consistently deliver positive
customer interactions but only
Each customer interaction is one building block that makes up a customer’s
38% say their organization is
perception of an organization or brand. The sum total of these interactions very successful at doing so.
is CX. Individual interactions, overall experience, and business outcomes are
inextricably linked. A global survey by Harvard Business Review Analytic
Services in December 2023 of 264 members of the Harvard Business Review 91% of respondents agree that
audience, all familiar with their organization’s strategy and approach to making interactions more useful
customer interactions, finds that customer interactions are critical to CX, and for customers can optimize an
in turn, CX is critical to business success. The vast majority of respondents organization’s efficiency.
(92%) agree that each customer interaction impacts overall CX, and 93% agree
that the quality of an organization’s CX impacts its ability to succeed.
But organizations may be struggling to put these sentiments into practice. The
survey findings point to a gap between what organizations believe is important
and what they can successfully execute: although 94% of respondents say that, Due to rounding, some figures in this report may not
add up to 100%.
in order to be successful in their organization’s industry, it is very important that
organizations consistently deliver positive customer interactions (indicating
8–10 on a 10-point scale, where 10 is “extremely important”), only 38% indicate

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that, overall, their organization is very successful at doing so

(8–10 on a 10-point scale, where 10 is “extremely successful”).
Consistently delivering good interactions across a myriad
of channels is not an easy task. Organizations have an
overwhelming amount of data to process to get a clear view “Minimizing the effort the customer
of customers’ behaviors and preferences. And integrating
that information—in a manner that is as seamless for internal
has to put into any interaction,
operations as it is for external customers—is increasingly reducing friction, and making the
difficult to achieve using outdated systems and siloed overall experience easier for the
ways of working.
“There are companies that do a good job of collecting
customer form a thread running
data around specific touchpoints, but I don’t think there through every touchpoint that is
are many that do a very good job of knitting that together to critical for strengthening the positive
create an entire life cycle view of the customer,” says Matt
Dixon, founding partner of DCM Insights, a Washington, D.C.-
relationship between customer and
based firm that helps organizations better understand their company,” says Matt Dixon, founding
customers. “An end-to-end view of the customer relationship partner of DCM Insights.
across all its interactions can help to determine what is causing
friction. Minimizing the effort the customer has to put into
any interaction, reducing friction, and making the overall
experience easier for the customer form a thread running
through every touchpoint that is critical for strengthening with disappointed customers) in case any of the first three
the positive relationship between customer and company.” fail. This set of elements is the baseline, but companies can
This report seeks to understand how organizations are do more, he explains. “For a company to actually delight a
prioritizing and rethinking customer interactions and CX to customer, more is needed. The ‘more’ comes from anticipatory
meet customers’ needs. It will explore the idea that putting customer service: fulfilling desires the customer hasn’t yet
personalized, relevant, seamless interactions at the heart of expressed and answering questions a customer hasn’t even
CX strategy can improve business outcomes. The report will voiced. Traditionally, anticipatory customer service has been
also examine the tools and technologies that organizations are provided by an empathetic, focused employee paying attention
relying on to help them do so, uncover any obstacles to success, to the customer in a deep way. However, this hands-on
and elaborate on how these obstacles can be overcome. approach can now be augmented by using technology in an
It is vital to interact with customers in the way that suits them anticipatory way.”
best, says Micah Solomon, author, trainer, keynote speaker, Human kindness and connection go a long way in building
and president of Four Aces Inc., a Seattle-based consultancy positive interactions. “Key attributes are being knowledgeable,
specializing in improving CX. “Today’s customers, from helpful, and friendly,” says Shep Hyken, customer service and
every generation, don’t subscribe to the idea that commerce experience expert and author of The Cult of the Customer.
should be confined to just one channel,” he explains. “Younger “By contrast, rudeness and apathy are the top reasons why
customers are, on average, the most emphatic about having a customers don’t come back.”
world without boundaries—and this perspective extends to DCM Insights’ Dixon believes that post-sale service
their consumer behavior.” interactions are the ones that can make or break the customer
relationship—and here the best experiences are low friction.
“One of the most critical moments in the broader customer
What Good Interactions Look Like experience is how you handle problems or unexpected
“Good” may mean different things to different organizations, issues. These interactions determine customer retention
but certain characteristics stand out as necessary for making and advocacy. But often, this is where companies go wrong.
any customer interaction a positive one: frictionless, They are focusing on surprising, delighting, and wowing
personalized, seamless, and human, even when the interaction customers when in this instance all customers want is a quick
is digital. and easy experience. Customer service is the place to really
According to Solomon, the four elements required to focus on efficiency and making the interaction a low-effort
satisfy customers are a “perfect” product (designed and experience,” Dixon says.
tested to perform to the applicable standards), timeliness, Unfortunately, customers often have difficult experiences
friendliness, and a service recovery framework (for working when it comes to customer support. According to Hyken,

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 Harvard Business Review Analytic Services

the author of The Cult of the Customer, it is common for FIGURE 1

customers to repeatedly scream “agent” or “representative”

Interactive Improvements Are Underway
into the phone and eventually hang up out of frustration.
“Our consumer research shows that 38% of customers would Seamlessness, personalization, and consistency top the list
rather clean a toilet than call customer support,” he says in Over the next 12 months, what improvements to customer interactions, if any,
all seriousness. is your organization focusing on? Select all that apply.
One way to improve such interactions is to focus on
seamlessness, particularly the ability for customers to switch 55%
channels—for example, from a chatbot to a call center— Making interactions more seamless for customers (e.g., easier, faster,
without having to repeat information or reauthenticate. more efficient)
Annette Franz, CEO of CX Journey Inc., a customer experience
strategy consultancy based in Orange County, Calif., believes 50
Enhancing personalization in customer interactions
combining an omnichannel and an optichannel approach to
interactions can achieve seamlessness and boost CX.
50
“Omnichannel is about having many channels and making
Delivering a more consistent experience across communication touchpoints
sure the customer experience across all of them is seamless (i.e., omnichannel)
and consistent,” she says. “Optichannel means knowing and
understanding your customers, their preferences, and where 48
they are in the journey—and using the optimal channel to Ensuring marketing messaging is targeted and relevant
interact with them. The focus is maximizing the effectiveness
of what’s happening in each channel.” 45
The survey finds that organizations aren’t settling for Making interactions more seamless for agents/employees (i.e., more efficient,
easier to execute workflows/processes)
mediocrity; almost all (97%) are focusing on one or more
improvements to customer interactions over the next 12 44
months, primarily around seamlessness, personalization, Improving human-assisted interactions (where a customer interacts with
and providing a consistent cross-channel experience. Only a person)
3% of respondents say their organization is not focusing on
making improvements to its customer interactions. FIGURE 1 39
As the bar on customer expectations continues to be raised, Improving automated interactions (e.g., notifications, chatbots, apps)
and technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, the world
34
of CX could become increasingly digitized and removed from
Adding more self-service resources for customers
human-to-human interaction. But every interaction, whether
digital or not, has a human behind it. As Hyken points out,
32
technology is built by people to be used by people. “If you Tailoring the type of communication channel used based on a customer’s
analyze all customer touchpoints and examine what is driving preferences and needs (i.e., optichannel)
them, you’ll find an impact point—and impact points are
made by employees who may not have any interaction with 27
customers at all,” he says. “From designing an online shopping Offering more communication channels
experience to putting a label on a package to be shipped, there
is always a human element somewhere.” 3
Other (please specify)
Hyken believes that in an increasingly digital world, it is
important to keep the option for human interaction alive.
3
“In the bigger picture, people can’t isolate themselves and
My organization is not focusing on making improvements to its
leave technology to take care of everything. I expect the customer interactions
social, real-life aspect of CX will remain. The challenge and
the opportunity is to find a way for technology to make this 0
possible,” he says. Don’t know

Source: Harvard Business Review Analytic Services survey, December 2023

Improved Organizational Efficiency

Better customer interactions can offer a direct pathway to
happier customers, repeat sales, and increased revenues.

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 Harvard Business Review Analytic Services

The survey results indicate that organizations are making

changes with organizational efficiency in mind. When
respondents whose organizations are focusing on at least
one improvement to customer interactions over the next 12
months are asked what business outcomes their organization
“In the bigger picture, people can’t most hopes to achieve from such adjustments, most (74%)
cite improved customer satisfaction, but this goal is closely
isolate themselves and leave followed by increased sales/revenue (61%). And just over a
technology to take care of everything. third (36%) are hoping for greater organizational efficiency.
I expect the social, real-life aspect
of CX will remain. The challenge and A Pervasive Lack of Collaboration
the opportunity is to find a way for There are several challenges that stand in the way of improving
technology to make this possible,” customer interactions, many of which involve an organization
not having a cohesive or unified way of viewing CX. Dixon
says Shep Hyken, customer service describes how a traditional organizational structure can create
and experience expert and author. silos that hamper CX efforts. “While many companies have a
head of CX, typically there is nobody who is responsible for it
as it applies to all areas of the organization. Often CX is limited
to customer service or gauging customer satisfaction,” he says.
“Nobody is empowered to collect data from all of the different
Additionally, making improvements to how useful a touchpoints and get functional leaders together to agree on
customer’s interaction is could have big payoffs through what is broken and what should be prioritized in terms of
greater efficiency and lower costs. Around nine in 10 survey improvement, for instance, across product, marketing, sales,
respondents say making customer interactions more post-sales service, and accounts.”
useful can improve organizational costs, and a similar According to Dixon, the problem posed by structural silos
percentage say so for efficiency. More specifically, 87% can be compounded by different areas using different metrics
agree that making interactions more useful for customers and incentive structures. For example, sales teams may be
can optimize an organization’s costs, and 91% agree that compensated on one measure, such as conversion rates,
making interactions more useful for customers can optimize and customer service employees may be compensated on
an organization’s efficiency. reduced handling times or call volumes, while marketing
CX Journey’s Franz describes how getting customer teams could be incentivized according to website clicks.
interactions, and ultimately CX, right can spill over into “Function-specific metrics are not unified; they’re not all
many aspects of business. “There’s a common perception that pointing in the same direction or working toward a common
if you want to improve CX it means spending more money goal of creating the easiest, most enjoyable experience for the
and doing more work. But really, a true focus on CX means customer,” says Dixon.
doing things more efficiently and more effectively. And good Another challenge is making data accessible to those who
CX means doing the right things because you understand need it. “Data is at the heart of designing and delivering a
your customers’ expectations, their pain points, and what great customer experience. For that you need the right data
problems you need to solve,” she says. that is contextually relevant,” says Franz, who points to the
Further, a combination of omnichannel and optichannel virtues of silo-transcending systems such as “data lakes,”
approaches can cement customer interactions at the central repositories designed to store, process, and secure
heart of the business. “It’s possible to combine seamless large amounts of data. “Data also has to be accessible if it’s
integration between multiple channels, essentially an to be of any use,” she continues. “Whether organizations are
omnichannel strategy, with the optichannel approach of using unified customer data platforms or centralized data
optimizing what is happening in individual interactions lakes, the system needs to put data in the right place at the
in specific channels—that’s the sweet spot,” says Franz. right time for the people who need it.”
“That combination enhances both the effectiveness and The survey indicates that common challenges in delivering
the efficiency of a business’s marketing, sales, strategy, quality customer interactions revolve around a lack of
and customer service efforts. It also makes for a great integration in terms of both people working together and
customer experience that is personalized and enhances data and systems working together. For example, lack of
engagement.” collaboration across teams (48%), siloed/disorganized

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 Harvard Business Review Analytic Services

“Data is at the heart of designing and delivering a great customer

experience. For that you need the right data that is contextually
relevant,” says Annette Franz, CEO of CX Journey Inc.

FIGURE 2 customer data (39%), and different digital tools or dashboards

used across the organization (35%) are all cited by over a third
A Customer Interaction Hurdle
of survey respondents. FIGURE 2
Lack of collaboration is the most common challenge There’s also strong sentiment among survey respondents
What challenges, if any, does your organization face in delivering quality about the importance of having a seamless system of tools
customer interactions? Select all that apply. to support end-to-end customer interactions, but few have
such a system. When it comes to the technology organizations
48% use to execute their customer interactions, a strong majority
Lack of collaboration across teams (92%) agree that it’s important that the digital tools, systems,
and strategies used for customer interactions be connected
40 across an organization. Yet when asked whether they agree
Need more/better talent that they actually are connected across their organization,
just 50% could agree. Again, there is a gap between what
39 respondents believe is ideal and what’s happening in practice
Lack of data analysis capabilities
at their organization.
But work is being done to remedy disconnected systems
39
and processes. Many organizations are looking into
Siloed/disorganized customer data
increasing data sharing between their teams, tools, and
35 systems. Respondents were asked whether they expect
Different digital tools or dashboards used across the organization their organization to increase or decrease the extent to
which it conducts a few different customer interaction
31 activities, primarily focused on cross-team collaboration
Need new/better digital tools and information sharing. Seventy-five percent say their
organization is either considering or currently increasing the
28 alignment of processes across teams involved in customer
Too many customer touchpoints/channels to be good at all of them service interactions, and 71% say their organization is
considering or currently increasing the integration of
24
data across the digital tools/systems used for customer
Lack of budget for customer interaction efforts
interactions. Notably fewer respondents (20%) say their
organization is considering or currently increasing the
22
sharing of customer data with external partners. FIGURE 3 This
Leadership doesn’t prioritize customer interactions
hesitancy could be due, in part, to increased sensitivities
20 around data privacy or the need to comply with country-
Low ROI/value generated from customer interactions specific regulations, as elsewhere in the survey, one-third of
respondents (32%) say cybersecurity/data privacy protocols
2 are one of the most important factors for their organization
None when selecting a platform/tool vendor to help execute
customer interaction processes.
1
Other (please specify)
Tech as Enabler
1
On a practical level, organizations can invest in the
Don’t know
technology solutions they need to get CX systems and data
Source: Harvard Business Review Analytic Services survey, December 2023 more integrated in support of cohesive action. It is worth

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 Harvard Business Review Analytic Services

FIGURE 3

Greater Alignment and Sharing

Data sharing is increasing across internal teams and systems

Is your organization altering the extent to which it conducts the following activities as part of its customer interaction operations?

■ Decreasing (currently or considering) ■ No change being considered to this area ■ Increasing (currently or considering) ■ Don’t know

4% 28% 64% 5%
Sharing customer data between internal teams

10 60 20 9
Sharing customer data with external partners

2 23 71 4
Integrating data across the digital tools/systems used for customer interactions

2 20 75 3
Aligning processes across teams involved in customer interactions

Source: Harvard Business Review Analytic Services survey, December 2023

noting that only 51% of survey respondents agree that their According to Franz, people need to learn to work with
organization currently has the right technology in place to artificial intelligence (AI), but they also need to know how to
support strong customer interactions. work side by side with AI. “People can learn to let go of some
It’s not surprising, then, that organizations are planning things that humans have always done, and let the AI do it,
to increase their digital tools and capabilities over the next instead of spending hours on tasks that drain time and energy,”
12 months. When respondents are asked about the digital she asserts. “But keeping a human in the loop is necessary to
tools or capabilities their organization is increasing its ensure judgment and control over any AI outputs.”
use of as part of its customer interaction processes, about Four Aces’ Solomon describes using a triangular approach to
half say their organizations are increasing customer data understand how technology can support human interactions.
analytics (53%), customer relationship management tools “A triangular framework is a useful way to think about
(51%), and process/workflow automation (46%), followed introducing tools like AI. The three vertices of the triangle
by customer experience or engagement tools (44%). are the customer, AI or other advanced technology, and the
Around a third say their organizations are increasing human agent. These all work with each other interactionally,”
communication/messaging software (31%) and generative he says. “The customer can initially engage with AI such as
AI tools (30%). FIGURE 4 a chatbot on the company’s site, and then, when things get
While the right technology is essential for building a complicated (or when they’re ready to take action), they can
deeper understanding of customer behavior, as well as text, call, chat, or email the human agent. And here’s where
improving interactions and overall CX, technology alone is it gets interesting: even once the customer is speaking or
not a panacea. Rather, technology can be an enabler of better messaging directly with a human agent, behind the scenes
CX. “Customer experience is not technology,” states Franz. the AI can be helping the agent in many ways. And it’s likely
“Technology, no matter how advanced it is, is only a tool the customer will continue to use AI, whether they realize it
to facilitate and support the experience the customer has.” or not. For example, they may still be using an AI-powered
There are many elements that need to work together for dynamic search bar on the company’s website.”
any technology to reap the intended benefits—and culture, Dixon says that one of the ways in which technology is
strategy, processes, and people all play a role. Franz believes most useful, but often disregarded, is in making work easier
that people are at the heart of realizing technology’s full for employees. “CX rests on creating an easier, frictionless
value. “So many companies try to throw technology at experience for the customer. But one of the things I think
a people issue,” she adds. “Really, what they should be companies often overlook is that being easy to do business with
doing is focusing on people and helping them to adjust to starts at home,” he says. “Employees need to be empowered
technology, especially when it comes to working with AI.” to do their jobs well, whether they are frontline staff or those

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FIGURE 4 Define a vision of CX excellence. For Hyken, improvements

begin with a company-wide commitment to customer
Digital Is on the Rise
centricity. “Leadership needs to decide to improve customer
Around half are increasing customer data analytics over the interactions and communicate the vision of what that ideal
next 12 months or the aspiration looks like,” he says, citing the example of
Over the next 12 months, what digital tools or capabilities is your organization Horst Schulze, cofounder and former COO of The Ritz-Carlton
increasing its use of as part of its customer interaction processes, if any? Hotel Co., who set the standard for CX at the hotel chain
Select all that apply.
by implementing the motto, ‘We are ladies and gentlemen
serving ladies and gentlemen." Adds Hyken: “That vision
53% is well-defined and easily understood and communicated.
Customer data analytics You’ve got to define the vision, communicate it, and train
everyone at all levels of the organization in how to action it.”
51
Customer relationship management (CRM)
Pay attention to culture. Organizational culture can set
the stage for a vision to take hold. Franz says that while
46
Process/workflow automation elements such as strategy, data, and technology are essential
for revitalizing CX, culture sets the foundation for any
44 improvements to become actionable. “If you don’t have the
Customer experience or engagement tools culture in place that puts people before products and metrics,
then you may struggle to improve customer interactions,” she
31 explains. “It may be a cliché to say that culture eats strategy
Communication/messaging software (e.g., contact center software, for breakfast, but it’s true. If you don’t have that foundation
communication platform as a service)
in place, then people will be questioning why anything
needs to change.”
30
Generative AI tools
Unify systems. Greater collaboration and data sharing,
26 across people and systems, can lead to seamless customer
Customer journey mapping tools interactions. Franz believes that some organizations may be
struggling to manage the data needed for CX improvements,
22 due to a lack of technology or having disparate systems in
Customer privacy/data security place or relying on legacy systems. “Getting a unified data
system in place is essential for improving CX,” she says.
4
None Build capabilities. Dixon believes that companies that excel
at customer interactions tend to focus on and invest in the
2
same four capabilities. “The first is creating a frictionless
Don’t know
digital self-service experience—one that is simple, intuitive,
and easy to use. Second, they think one step ahead of the
1
Other (please specify) customer and not only fix the problem they reached out with,
but work at next-issue avoidance, too. Third, companies
Source: Harvard Business Review Analytic Services survey, December 2023 train their representatives to use language in a principled
and purposeful way that can help to make the customer
experience more positive, and fourth, they invest in their
frontline professionals,” he says.
designing and implementing customer interactions. If people The more interactions move online, become automated,
are given the correct technology that supports their work, it or are easily resolved by customers, the more important
can set them and the company up for success.” it is to have frontline staff who are well supported and
equipped to deal with complicated issues. “Customers tend
to reach out when they cannot solve issues themselves,
Best Practices for Bridging the Gap which means that the problem is likely a difficult one. In
There are several actions that organizations can take to this scenario, you want to give more autonomy and control
overcome challenges and turn their CX aspirations into reality: to your frontline people to allow them to handle the issue in

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“In this environment of rapid change, achieving great CX entails doing

the right things, for the right reasons. You need to keep the customer
at the center of your decisions, your culture, and your strategy,” says
CX Journey’s Franz.

the way they see fit, instead of having to stick to a predictive Thanks to technological advances, there are already
script,” says Dixon. significant opportunities to develop CX in ways that were
unimaginable a few years ago. According to Franz, tapping
Keep the human touch. The foundation of good CX is making these opportunities is just the beginning. “Right now, it
sure that all interactions convey a similar experience, Hyken feels as if we’re at a tipping point,” she notes. “There has
explains. “If it’s human to human, the interaction should be been rapid adoption of multiple use cases, and technology
friendly; if it’s online, it should be intuitive,” he says. “One is going to continue to evolve, expand, and take capabilities
way to invoke the human touch is to personalize interactions. to a whole new level.
A personalized experience means the company is effectively “CX has already taken leaps forward by using new
saying: ‘I know who you are, I hear what you’re saying, I know technologies in areas like predictive analytics, customer
your buying history and your preferences.’” segmentation, sentiment analysis, customer journey
orchestration, and hyper personalization,” Franz continues.
Improve the employee experience. Happy employees make “And generative AI can help organizations to create content
for happy customers. “If you’re looking to improve CX, the that is personalized and localized. When you think about
adage, ‘physician, heal thyself,’ applies,” says Dixon. “The adding the world of augmented reality and virtual reality, the
first place to look is at your own employee experience. Are possibilities for customer interactions are phenomenal. For
you making the job hard for your people? If you are, it’s a tall example, it’s possible for customers to visit virtual showrooms,
order for them to create a beautiful customer experience.” and do virtual try-ons, with interactive support.”
This pace of technological evolution may seem overwhelming
and exhilarating at the same time. Organizations looking to
Conclusion delve into the details of customer interactions to improve
Many organizations aspire to understand and improve overall CX would do well to embrace change and the
customer interactions across multiple channels—and technology on offer.
technology can help them get there. Once the right technology “In this environment of rapid change, achieving great CX
is in place, organizations can analyze customer data better, entails doing the right things, for the right reasons,” says
personalize interactions, make data accessible across the Franz. “You need to keep the customer at the center of your
organization, and integrate systems for a process that is decisions, your culture, and your strategy.”
seamless for customers and those who serve them.

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M E T H O D O LO GY A N D PA R T I C I PA N T P R O F I L E

Harvard Business Review Analytic Services surveyed 264 members of the Harvard Business
Review audience via an online survey fielded in December 2023. Respondents qualified
to complete the survey if they were familiar with and engaged in decisions about their
organization’s customer interactions strategy and approach.

Size of Organization Seniority Industry Sectors Job Functions Regions

22% 24% 14% 18% 45%

10,000 or more Executive Technology General/executive North America
employees management/ management
board members
11% 20%
30% Health care 15% Europe
1,000-9,999 44% Sales/business
employees Senior development/
management 10% customer service 19%
Education Asia Pacific
10%
500-999 24% 10%
employees Middle 8% HR/training 8%
management Manufacturing Latin America
39% All other sectors 10%
50-499 8% less than 8% each. Marketing/PR/ 7%
employees Other grades communications Middle East/Africa

8% 1%
Administration Other

All other functions

less than 8% each.

Figures may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

ABOUT US

Harvard Business Review Analytic Services is an independent commercial research

unit within Harvard Business Review Group, conducting research and comparative
analysis on important management challenges and emerging business opportunities.
Seeking to provide business intelligence and peer-group insight, each report is
published based on the findings of original quantitative and/or qualitative research
and analysis. Quantitative surveys are conducted with the HBR Advisory Council,
HBR’s global research panel, and qualitative research is conducted with senior
business executives and subject-matter experts from within and beyond the Harvard
Business Review author community. Email us at [email protected].

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