This year saw the rapid acceleration of digital interactions across all sectors of the economy. While marketers were already building programs and investing in solutions to support a digital experience, the pandemic accelerated the journey. In this piece from our sister publication, Retail Technology Insider, Sitecore’s Paige O’Neill looks at how a moment-to-moment approach can improve customer experience in the digital realm leading to benefits for both customer and brand.

Digital interactions have grown exponentially this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. And, as consumers become more comfortable with digital interactions their expectations have evolved rapidly.  These rising expectations have created a dilemma for brands – how can they keep up with growing customer demands?

At 2020’s Sitecore Symposium Sitecore CMO Paige O’Neill introduced the notion of companies adopting a moment-to-moment mindset to customer experience (CX). By targeting key moments for customers, companies will be able to better meet their customers’ needs and expectations in this increasingly digital world.

“Brands should think about developing a moment-to-moment mindset to be ready to react at these important moments that really matter to customers,” O’Neill said.“75 percent of people using digital channels for the first time intend to keep using them,” she added.

O’Neill highlighted the three ways a company can adopt a moment-to-moment customer experience:

1. Empathy

Empathy has become a buzzword these past months. It is something that companies should strive to get across in their content and digital experiences. It shows your brand understands what the customers need in the moment, O’Neill explained.

“This is a totally different mindset that should come before the sales process and marketing materials,” O’Neill said. “It requires not only the right thinking and understanding, but also requires the right data to be able to drive the decisions.”

2. Content

Next, these decisions translate into what will bridge the connection to customers – the content. Content drives a brand’s digital customer experience, how to show customers that your brand understands and empathizes with their needs, and that your brand meets their needs.

“Content strategy is the bridge that connects you and your customer and shows that you understand and empathize about their needs. The challenge is to be ready at a quick notice and be ready any digital touchpoint with the right content for that situation,” said O’Neill.

3. Agility

Often the challenge for organizations is the ability be ready at any digital touchpoint with the right content for that situation. Agility is the last key component in the “moment-to-moment” mindset. It’s important to be able to react quickly in the moment by having the tools you need to serve up the right content to the right person at the right time, O’Neill shared.

“The pandemic has shown us that year-long campaigns or business plans are not that agile, especially if we want to operate with a moment-to-moment mindset to better serve customers,” O’Neill said.

Learn more about how to create moments that make experiences here.