Two of the most impactful pop-culture defining experiences over the last few months have me reflecting on the state of entertainment and the intersection of customer-centered design at scale. The first was watching U2 at The Sphere in Las Vegas, and the second, the most-watched Super Bowl ever between the Chiefs and the 49ers. The intersection of technology and experience could not be more interconnected and interdependent. And the magic in the moments they delivered not only during U2’s incredible performance, but every interaction before and after, made it a core memory.
The ease of entering the event, the personal experience ordering food and drinks, to the process of vacating tens of thousands of people in minutes has me in awe of the people and processes that enabled it.
Connected technologies are redefining and setting a new precedent for what experience means—from the moment the ticket is purchased to the end of the fourth quarter or encore performance. And that last mile execution for your end customer is enabled by how companies leverage their data and technology to empower employees—helping to bridge the technology and data insight to the end customer.
Reinventing the customer experience
It all starts with putting the human–and their end-to-end journey–at the center of what you do. Embedding the customer in the DNA of your company’s culture creates the connective tissue across all lines of the business, from marketing to supply chain to sales and service.
Not sure where to start your journey? Below are my three key tips and tricks that you can take to unlock customer experiences and start making customer memories:
1. Develop a shared mission from the top down
Historically, experience has been somebody’s job—and really it should be everybody’s job—a C-suite priority. It requires a shared vision and shared accountability across the C-suite.
Today, brands are no longer communicating with their customers through advertising. Customer relationships and loyalty are the result of deeply human, personal, exceptional experiences that need to go beyond the moment of transaction. The ability to deliver on those experiences is what differentiates brands today and what will enable them to capture market share tomorrow. 
2. Define your data strategy
Despite the abundance of data sources, a Gartner survey reveals only 14% of organizations have achieved a 360-degree view of their customers. By leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning, you’ll be able to gather and analyze real-time data to offer insights that’ll help provide a personalized and connected experience.
Your end-to-end data strategy is there to unify customer insights and should be accessible to every employee that impacts the consumer. Your success depends on your ability to attract new customers and keep existing ones happy.
3. Create agility
Exceptional and human-centered experiences require leaders that are adept at cultivating organization-wide agility, fostering the ability to pivot in response to changing employee and customer needs. Our customers, like us, live incredibly fast-paced lives and the ability to react sooner to intent signals is what helps you win. Coupled with data-powered insights, your business needs to be able to scale the volume and turn it up or down to give customers what they need when they need it.
Putting a customer experience strategy into action
Fall weekends filled with football are one of my favorite times of year—whether I’m watching at home or in person. Regardless of where you’re watching the game, all viewers want an entertaining and reliable experience. Raymond James Stadium, home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was no exception.
Their top priority for the stadium: fan and employee experience. From using their mobile app for tickets and parking before the game, to finding their way through the stadium and watching game highlights, the Buccaneers’ network was as busy as their offensive line. But it didn’t stop with the fans. They extended the experience beyond the field to the staff and players. Needing to transfer data seamlessly from headquarters to their office and the practice field, they needed a solution that would improve network capacity while lowering network costs.
By investing in a modern network, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers delivered wins for their fans on the field and in the stadium. The solution also means that fans now can use their mobile app to keep them connected to everything in the stadium. As a result, the Buccaneers’ ROI improved by reducing day-to-day maintenance and system downtime—talk about a game winning play.
These innovative new ways to harness data offer profound applications far beyond the football field and the stadium experience. Your business may not deal in touchdowns and field goals, but mastering agility, risk management and informed decision-making is critical for a smart strategy, no matter the field of play.
LEARN MORE¹Forbes, “50 Stats That Prove The Value Of Customer Experience,” September 2019.
²Gartner, Cross-Functional Customer Data Survey, January 2022.
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The post Tech View: Reimagining Customer Experiences On and Off the Field first appeared on Lumen.
The post Tech View: Reimagining Customer Experiences On and Off the Field appeared first on Lumen.
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