The biggest customer experience predictions for 2024

No one wants that post-PTO feeling 😅

Hot off the SMB press this week: 

• A quarterly planning template to start the year off strong.
• 2024’s predictions for everything customer experience.
• How Trainual is making content viewing access easier for your business.
• Why gamification might be the answer to increasing employee engagement.

STARTER PACK

Template of the week: Quarterly Planning with SWOT Process

It’s a new year, and we’re guessing that you’ve set some big goals for your business to hit in the next 12 months. Whether that’s growing your customer base to a certain size, hitting specific revenue milestones, or organizing your business to run like a well-oiled machine, you’ve probably already defined what you want to accomplish during some form of annual planning last year.

But if running a business has taught you anything, it’s that life comes at you fast, and there are circumstances outside of your control that can quickly change the trajectory of your expectations. And while we don’t want that to happen (knock on wood), it’s also important to be prepared for any obstacles that arise throughout the year — which is why you need a quarterly planning process.

Quarterly planning allows you to get a pulse check on where your business is at periodically — and gives you the opportunity to realign what you’re doing each quarter to what your goals are for the year. Plus, if you pair quarterly planning with analysis like SWOT (AKA, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), you can evaluate your company’s current position in the industry while also planning for future opportunities and challenges.

👉 So, set up your business playbook with this Quarterly Planning with SWOT Process template. Adapt it to account for your business’ unique needs, and it’s ready to share with your team! You may not need to start planning until the last month of the quarter, but having this template now gets everyone on the same page on what it takes to make your next quarterly planning session smooth and successful.

Want more templates to help you build your business playbook? Check out our entire template archive of free, multimedia-enhanced, and customizable policy, process, and role starters. New to Trainual? Get a demo.

SEE INTO THE FUTURE

Customer experience predictions to keep in mind for 2024

The new year is finally here, and for many businesses, the number one priority is…
…customer experience (CX). Which makes sense. Now more than ever, it seems that people will only do business with companies they like  — and refuse to work with companies they don’t. And when you consider that good CX also contributes to customer retention and improved chances of cross-selling and up-selling, it’s clear why companies are focusing their efforts in that department.

So, what does that mean for 2024?
It seems we just avoided a recession in 2023, but we’re still in the danger zone. There’s some chance of a recession in the coming year, which means that customers will continue to be discerning about where they spend their money — and with whom.

So, to keep up with your customers and stay on top of your CX in 2024, here are some predictions to keep in mind for your business to stay ahead:

Price, value, and making budgetary savings will be the three biggest decision-making factors for customers.
This may seem like a no-brainer, but retaining the high value of your products and services is a must — especially when there are competitors out there who are trying to steal your customers away. And introducing loyalty programs or chances for customers to save with special deals will help you find and retain those customers.

And while it may be tempting to try skimpflation (reducing quality to save money) or shrinkflation (reducing the volume and keeping the price the same), remember that customers are focused on value — they’ll move on if they feel like they’re not getting what they deserve.

👉 See more 2024 CX predictions.

TRAINUAL TIPS & TRICKS

New feature alert: Give users viewing access to content they’re not assigned

Picture this: One of your employees is out sick (or on vacation, or on professional development leave — you get the idea). It’s clear that someone on a different team has to take over their responsibilities for the day. Since you’re totally on the ball, how to do their job is all documented in Trainual. So their replacement has everything they need… right?

Well, maybe. But the person covering for your OOO teammate might have to request access to that content and get their request approved before they can view it. Which is why we implemented new content discoverability options — solving for this very scenario (and countless others).

As of today, you have total control over the results that populate when your team goes searching for answers. Meaning now, you can set content to be:

1. Discoverable by your whole team, even if content hasn’t been shared with them directly. Employees can search for and immediately view this subject material.
2. Viewable by request only. When these subjects surface in search results, unassigned employees will see the subject title only (until their request is approved — then they can view what’s inside). Note that this is the default discoverability for your subjects.
3. Private and hidden for everyone but admins and assignees. Employees who aren’t assigned this content won’t see that it exists when they go searching for answers.

👉 Just head to the group share modal on any subject and use the dropdown at the bottom to set content discoverability.

LEVEL UP

Improve employee engagement and productivity with… gaming?

Gaming? Isn’t that a distraction?
We’re not suggesting you set up a Nintendo Switch at your office and give your employees free rein to goof off during work hours. We’re talking about gamifying certain aspects of their jobs — because while it may seem counterintuitive, work gamification has been shown to improve employee motivation and engagement, ultimately increasing productivity.

Sounds interesting. What would that look like?
That’s the best part — you can create any gamification system that works best for your business! At its core, a game is simply a chance for people to accomplish challenging, but achievable goals for some form of reward or acknowledgment.

Maybe that’s setting target goals for your sales team members, or establishing an “employee of the month”-style reward for people who best represent your company’s core values. As long as you set the rules of the game beforehand and establish the parameters for “winning,” you can create a game out of any system in your business.

Need some more ideas? Here are some other ways to introduce gamification to your business:  

1. Gamify your onboarding and training. Every new hire has to undergo some form of training when they start, so why not make it fun? Play a company-themed Jeopardy game post-onboarding, or give out prizes when employees hit 100% completion in their training. (Pro tip: Training completion is automatically tracked with Trainual.)
2. Set challenges to encourage innovation. Set a timed challenge — anywhere from a couple of weeks to a full quarter — and have team members compete against each other on certain projects. That could be documenting new processes, coming up with new marketing campaigns, or achieving the highest customer satisfaction score — whatever makes the most sense for your team! A little friendly competition will inspire your employees to get creative with their work (especially if there’s a prize on the line).

👉 Find more gamification ideas.