The pandemic forced brands to accelerate their digital transformation, leading to vast improvements in brand experiences that are streamlined and connected across in-person and digital touchpoints. The latest issue of the Customer Strategist Journal, from the CX experts at TTEC, evaluates how companies across a number of industries responded to the crisis to improve everyday business, and how they will carry that momentum forward. 

Highlights from the issue:

"Customer' expectations are on the rise when it comes to service and support: they want easy, omnichannel options; and quick, seamless resolutions to problems when they arise. Brands are trying to keep up, realizing they need to change their approaches and deliver differentiated customer experiences," writes Sushant Sahani, Vice President, Portfolio & Offer Marketing in "The Business Upside of CXaaS." 

Employees are quitting in what's called the Great Resignation, leaving many companies scrambling. Senior Editor Judith Aquino talks with author and entrepreneur Heather Younger, about why employee engagement and retention are more critical than ever and how executives can not only retain valuable talent, but level up the employee experience.

"Lean into what employees need and then be consistent in serving those needs. When employers do mess up, it's about admitting their mistake and asking, what can we do to make the experience better? It's the exact same interplay, whether it's the external customer or the internal customer," Younger says.

Leaders also can't miss CX guru Don Peppers' take on what to expect from the post-COVID customer experience. Peppers says, "E-commerce jumped quite abruptly, with the result that 2020 saw an increase in e-commerce of 44%, the highest annual jump in more than 20 years. Retail e-commerce now accounts for some 21% of all retail sales in the U.S."

Other articles spotlight CX trends in retail and banking, new customer service considerations for electric vehicles, and how to tackle wage pressures in contact centers.

This quarter's Customer Strategist Journal is available now to help executives plan for the post-pandemic future and take the first step towards improving their CX.