·¬ÇÑÉçÇø

Creating a quality customer experience (CX) is an imperative component of every single business. Even with cutting-edge products and innovative services, organizations can still falter if current and potential customers don’t have a positive experience during each and every interaction throughout their journey with the brand—we all know it only takes a few clicks to make a switch to a competitor or comparable brand.

Consistently positive experiences are what lead to first-time and ongoing purchases, meaning each interaction needs to be enticing, informative, relevant, memorable and meaningful to keep your customers coming back. In turn, the content that you create and deliver at each touchpoint needs to adhere to the same characteristics. This, however, is becoming increasingly difficult to accomplish, as the best practices, protocols and parameters tied to content creation are always changing.

CMS insights

Content needs are rapidly growing—don’t let your CMS hold you back

By David A. Gang
January 27, 2023

Digital content demands are increasing at an unparalleled clip. Businesses need content solutions to keep pace, but the right CMS is not a panacea—it’s one part of the solution. You need the right content strategy aligned with the right people, processes and technology to deliver truly great experiences for your customers.

4 Min Read

The worlds of content and CX are in a state of constant change

When you’re in the thick of the content-management world, it’s easy to overlook just how much it’s changing because you’re part of the change, living and breathing its complexities day in and day out.

Taking a step back, you know that CX channels are multiplying and that your CX touchpoints are expanding. You also know that the type and volume of content that you’re expected to deliver is growing in complexity. You’re asked to leverage customer insights and metadata to inform more personalized content. You’re expected to know the intricacies of every device and channel and how content needs to be formatted and delivered for each one. You need to have a pulse on measurement and results for each channel, each campaign and each customer type and adjust your strategy accordingly.

In other words, you’re asked to create and deliver more than ever before—likely with fewer resources and less support—while also providing exceptional experiences for your customers every time they interact with your brand. Sound familiar?

You’re not alone. Brightspot-commissioned research from Forrester Consulting found that nearly half (49%) of professionals in marketing, IT and product teams feel that content challenges make it harder to create cohesive customer journeys. Another 60% said they’re feeling less likely to succeed at solving challenges of managing more content with fewer resources.

The life of content connoisseurs is challenging, and it’s incredibly difficult to keep up in a world of constant change. But even as complexities continue to mount, the CX needs to remain a top priority, as it has a direct impact on the bottom line. Our Forrester research found that a variety of industries have experienced higher growth by turning happy customers into even happier customers.

Study snapshot

"What challenges does your organization encounter managing its digital content today?"

45%

Complexities with managing multiple technology infrastructures

43%

Challenges scaling content across digital properties or product lines

42%

Incomplete integration of our content stack/tools

41%

Content needs expanding faster than capabilities keep pace

Download study here

How to manage content complexities and deliver quality experiences

If quality experiences are imperative to an organization’s success (and they are), so are the strategy and infrastructure in which you deliver those experiences. It takes people, processes and technology to work together in harmony in order to create consistent, quality experiences for both your prospects and current customers and, ultimately, to drive business growth.

If you’re noticing quality starting to slide within the CX as content requirements grow more and more complex, here are some tips to get things on the right path.

Delivering better customer experiences tip #1: Switch to a platform that actually works for you

Content management systems (CMSs) are the backbone of content programs. They ensure teams are set up with smooth, streamlined workflows that allow them to work fast and work smart—or at least, they’re supposed to. Too many systems today are creating roadblocks for content teams and don’t allow programs to scale as needed. This tends to happen when brands rush their CMS selection process and choose a platform that doesn’t actually fit their organization’s content needs or its existing technology infrastructure. 

Nearly every respondent from the Forrester research believed there would be benefits of onboarding an optimized CMS platform that better matches their specific needs, and half (49%) believe a better future fit of CMS tools can help them expand their growing digital content requirements—and it’s true! Finding the right CMS for your business can help solve a lot of your existing challenges.

Snapshot: Delivering better digital customer experiences

What is customer experience (CX)?

Customer experience (CX) is a term to frame how a business or brand interacts with its customers along each point of the buyer journey. These touchpoints include top-of-the-funnel marketing, the research and consideration phase, customer service interactions, the purchase phase and the ongoing post-purchase interactions between the customer and the brand.

What is digital customer experience (DXP), and how does it differ from customer experience?

Digital customer experience (DXP) speaks to the digital interactions a customer has with a business or brand along the customer's buyer journey. In a world where many—if not all—interactions happen online, DXP is to all intents and purpose the same as CX for everything beyond the physical aspect of being in a store or business location.

How to create better customer experiences?

The best customer experiences, whether online or in person, meet—and hopefully exceed—expectations at the exact stage where the customer is on that during their buyer journey. So that could start with a highly personalized and engaging online experience when the customer is researching different options and ideas, or end with a frictionless purchase experience on a smartphone that leads to a highly satisfied customer at the end of the sale. With today's technology, it's also important to create unique and engaging that suit the format and delivery channel for where each customer is engaging with your brand or business.

So, where to start? First consider your content goals, then consider the people, processes and workflows you need to achieve those goals … then start your search for a platform that enables your success. (We’re here to help with this, too.)

Delivering better customer experiences tip #2: Ask your customers what they expect and prefer from your brand

Don’t assume that you know what your customers want from you or expect from the content you’re delivering to them. Their expectations are always evolving, so it’s important to dive deeper and connect with them on a personal level to know exactly what they need at this time . Remove the guesswork and ask what’s interesting and helpful to them—and importantly, what keeps them coming back for more. 

Customer insights also help content teams create and deliver truly personalized experiences, which reign supreme in the CX world. Unfortunately, more than half (53%) of Forrester respondents said they were dissatisfied with how their CMS tackles personalization. Look for a CMS solution that delivers a range of capabilities, including creation, editing, delivery and insights, and that can help bring a personal touch to content and elevate the buyer’s journey.

Delivering better customer experiences tip #3: Adopt a ‘continuous improvements’ mindset

Know that finding the right CMS platform isn’t a silver bullet, nor is having customer insights at your fingertips. As strategies inevitably evolve and objectives shift, it’s important for everyone within the organization (especially those on the CX and content teams) to continuously look for areas within your strategy and execution that can be updated, improved and made easier. 

Everything and everyone must come together to ensure customers are happy and satisfied and that content teams are confident and set up for success as well. When there’s internal cohesion and harmony, customers feel it, too.

There’s always going to be complexity within the content management world—if you’re reading this, you already know that. Remember not to let that complexity override the experiences that you and your teams are on the hook to deliver.

With the right platform, the right people and the right processes, you can better tame the chaos and execute memorable, meaningful interactions that keep people coming back for more. And if you have any questions along the way, remember that we’re here for you.

Forrester Analyst Study

Forrester Study: Ensure your content technology is solving, not creating, content problems

Download this study, commissioned by Brightspot from Forrester Consulting, to learn how to avoid the content management marketing hype by matching your technology choice to your specific context.