AI AND INTELLIGENT EXPERIENCES

Chatbots are rapidly transforming

into digital agents that have
The top trends for the capability to do more
companies with fewer CX leaders interviewed are transforming their

than 250 employees chatbots into digital agents – AI-powered

chatbots that blend brand traits with top human
agent practices, ensuring dynamic interactions
As part of CX Trends 2024
throughout the customer journey.
research, Zendesk surveyed
1,100 CX leaders, including
These advanced chatbots are especially
business leaders who oversee CX
advantageous to businesses with fewer than 250
responsibilities, in organisations
employees, because it enables them to offer 24/7
with fewer than 250 employees
tailored support without the need to hire additional
across 20 countries.
support staff. That helps keep staffing costs in check.

These leaders were asked about

Currently, only 10% of CX leaders interviewed
which trends presented the best
consider their chatbots to have reached the level of
opportunities to turn customers’
digital agents, with 52% expecting their chatbots to
experiences into meaningful,
reach that level within the year. To do
interactive and personalised
so, small to mid-size businesses
experiences – while remaining
should ensure the chatbots
cost-efficient. Discover what
they choose are pre-trained
these trends are and how they
to handle more than basic
can impact your business.
questions. Choosing chatbots with generative AI
capabilities is also becoming increasingly popular
because they can analyse customer intent and
generate the appropriate responses, thus creating
more conversational experiences.
DATA AND TRUSTWORTHY EXPERIENCES
Businesses heavily focused
on being able to instantly
modify user experiences are
putting increased emphasis on
leveraging data in real time
Customers are expecting organisations with fewer
than 250 employees to deliver personalised, instant
service experiences and to anticipate their needs,
putting pressure on businesses to meet these
expectations.
Collecting data enables these
organisations to convert that
data into revenue-generating
opportunities, such as by
turning one-time interactions
into meaningful ones, ultimately enhancing
customer satisfaction.
However, only 20% indicate that their organisations
are able to automatically identify customer intent,
and another 55% of CX leaders feel they’re lagging
behind in providing the instant experiences
consumers expect. To catch up, organisations with
fewer than 250 employees must improve their
ability to collect, analyse and leverage customer
data to predict customer intent and tailor their
experiences accordingly.
NEXT GEN AND IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES
Live and immersive experiences
are now heavily influencing the
future of online shopping
While online shopping is here to stay, customers are
now looking for ways to make their online shopping
a more engaging, interactive and personalised
experience.
Zendesk identifies two ways businesses
can deliver that experience.
Conversational commerce – where
customers can make a seamless
purchase via chat or messaging –
and live commerce (livestreaming).
These channels are particularly important for
small to mid-sized businesses, because they help
foster meaningful relationships by reaching and
interacting with customers in ways they prefer.
Currently, only 19% of CX leaders interviewed
have implemented conversational commerce,
with 59% planning to explore and implement
it within the next year. To do so successfully,
it will be important to train staff for live/
conversational commerce and prioritise
immediate Q&A sessions to foster authentic
relationships and build trust with customers.
Planned change in investment
level over the next year: CX Trends 2024:
Unlock the power
of intelligent CX
Somewhat
Greatly increase
increase
investment
investment

Advanced AI-powered Learn more about how Zendesk

chatbots that act as digital
agents
Technology that leverages
data to enable instant,
personalised experiences
33% 16%
can help you unlock the future of
intelligent CX by exploring the full
global report with the top ten trends,
34% 17% best practice guides, virtual and in-
person events, and much more.

Conversational commerce
Check it all out at
(allowing for customers to
34% 19%
make purchases directly cxtrends.zendesk.com/apac
within chat interactions)

Whilst these three trends represent significant opportunities for

organisations with under 250 employees, there are more trends these
organisations can get behind to deliver quality customer experiences.