Data is key to understanding customers and predicting behavior, intent and outcomes. But can customer experience analysts replicate the modern success of meteorology? Tornadoes, or as we call them here, twisters, are a common sight in Texas. 100 years ago, when we wanted to find out if a tornado was coming, we had to either see it, or hear it. “It sounds like a freight train,” my grandfather, who had seen a few of them, used to say. Here in South Texas, we are at the end of the “tornado alley,” a term for the region in the United States that experiences tornadoes most often where last year alone, there were 1,676 reported so called twisters. ...

As the business world ups its competitive game for a digital age, customer satisfaction can no longer be treated as merely nice to have, or as an ambition metric for the corporate scorecard. On the contrary, it is a business essential that will determine the success or failure of brand advocacy, customer loyalty and consumer adoption and as a result, competitive advantage. Many organizations still find themselves in catch-up mode on their digital transformation strategies. But, regardless of where they are on this shift, it is critical that customer experience (CX) remains at the heart of change and innovation. Redefining CX for the 21 st century ...