Customer Engagement Summit showcased CX leaders and their strategies

On the 15^th of November, more than 800 people walked through the doors of the Westminster Park Plaza to attend Europe’s largest CX conference, the Customer Engagement Summit. Taking place for the 12^th year in a row and for the first time in person since 2019, the event showcased the exemplary customer and employee engagement strategies of numerous world-renowned brands including Microsoft, Ford, Panasonic, Huel, McDonald’s, Sky, Mitsubishi Electric, Aston Villa FC, Virgin Atlantic, and NatWest.

 

EQUIPPING ATTENDEES WITH TOOLS TO ELEVATE THEIR BRANDS

Featuring over 80 speakers and more than 100 presentations across 4 halls, the conference explored how new technologies, artificial intelligence and robotics can change the way businesses engage with their employees and customers. What is more, the summit included various workshops, interviews, panel debates and round table sessions where speakers discussed innovative and disruptive CX strategies, how to convert data into insights, and the future of CX.

Creating numerous networking opportunities, the Customer Engagement Summit equipped its delegates with new tools and strategies. In other words, it gave them the keys they need to level up their CX and become more competitive at a time when the needs and demands of customers are rapidly changing.

Voicing their satisfaction with this year’s in-person summit, the European Consumer Affairs Manager at Colgate-Palmolive shared: “I always learn new things and gain insights into what may be coming in our industry. In the last years, the chances to learn from our peers in other industries were muted, so to be able to gather has made such a difference.”

TAKING CHANGING CUSTOMER NEEDS INTO ACCOUNT

With the digital revolution in full swing, organisations must reflect on the needs of their customers and how they have changed in recent years. Many of the summit’s speakers highlighted this point as they discussed the modern customer’s needs and the impact of COVID. Taking a case in point, National Express revealed that it improved its customer experience by turning to digital applications after finding that some of its customers wanted more self-service options.

Another key speaker at the 2022 conference was Virgin Atlantic. In an exclusive interview, the organisation discussed how the pandemic influenced the aviation industry and its customers. Furthermore, they shared some of the challenges they faced and how they adapted their CX strategy during this difficult time.

ADOPTING NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO TACKLE CHALLENGES

The travel industry was certainly not the only one affected by the outbreak of COVID. Discussing how it overcame the challenges presented by the pandemic, NatWest revealed that it was forced to accelerate its digital adoption and introduce video-banking. By introducing this digital service, the bank successfully eliminated the need to travel to branches and meet in person.

Although the bank views this new service as one that complements rather than replaces face-to-face meetings, research reveals that many customers will continue using this modern alternative; that is, NatWest shared that a whopping 68% of its customers are likely to continue using video-banking post-COVID.

 

USING THE VOICE OF THE CUSTOMER TO DEVELOP CX STRATEGIES

Another world-renowned organisation that shared its experience at the Customer Engagement Summit this year was Microsoft. In a presentation, the tech giant underlined how the voice of the customer (VOC) is critical to the development of CX strategies.

More specifically, Microsoft explained how the VOC can promote stronger relationships with customers and allow organisations to transition from being case-centric to customer-centric.

WHAT OUR HOSTS, SPEAKERS AND DELEGATES SAY

Event host Brandie Deignan shared that the summit sought to prove that “the only way you can discover the possible is to go beyond the impossible.” According to her, there was something for everyone to take away due to the diversity of the conference’s speakers and panellists. What is more, she noted that the eclectic mix of presenters left the event’s attendees visibly fascinated.

When asked what they thought about this year’s Customer Engagement Summit, the Global Partnership Lead at Kantar commented: “We had a great stand, in a good position, with decent footfall throughout the day. We presented to an audience of 250+ and received superb feedback (lots of good-looking leads). Good networking. Top venue.”

Similarly, the Customer Service Manager at Bedford Hospital NHS Trust shared that the summit was not only held at an “excellent location” but that it also boasted “extremely good speakers”:

“The day was well planned and ran like clockwork (a massive task for the number of attendees). I enjoyed the variety of talks and took away some useful information.”

While many of our speakers and delegates commended the location of our event, we have chosen a new venue for the 2023 Customer Engagement Summit. Due to the exponential growth of our communities and conferences, next year’s summit will take place at The Brewery, a premier corporate venue in the City of London on Thursday, 28^th November 2023.

By Svilena Keane, Editor at Engage Customer