Many companies are investing heavily in flashy customer experience (CX) technology, yet customers still aren’t seeing the meaningful improvements they expect.
Why? Businesses are falling into the over/under-investment trap. They overinvest in shiny tech, such as chatbots and advanced analytics. But they under-invest in the people and processes that make CX work.
The bottom line is revealing: Flashy does not always mean functional, and it certainly does not mean customer-centric.
The high cost of CX strategies often fails to deliver a meaningful return on investment, noted Calvin Cheng, partner of customer experience at business and technology consulting firm West Monroe. Companies can be distracted by implementing the latest tools without a clear vision — falling into the trap of “technology for technology’s sake.”
“This misalignment results in systems that add complexity or frustration rather than benefit, leaving overall satisfaction unchanged for both customers and employees,” he told CRM Buyer.
Tech-Heavy CX Strategies Stall Progress
For example, Cheng cited how many airlines deployed chatbots to handle customer inquiries during the pandemic. These bots often failed to resolve complex issues, leading to public backlash and stagnant satisfaction scores. Air Canada was a prime example of this in 2022, with its chatbot, he noted.
Partner at West Monroe
“The over/under trap happens when companies invest in technology like chatbots or self-service kiosks but neglect staff training and clear processes to make it real for helping the customer,” he added.
Another example he pointed out involves a retailer with automated returns that frustrate customers when unprepared staff intervene after the technology fails. Contact centers may launch new digital tools but leave agents unable to solve complex requests.
A third example of underinvesting in people while overspending on technology occurs when companies collect a lot of customer feedback but fail to act on it, leaving customers feeling ignored and undervalued.
“This imbalance creates inconsistent, unreliable customer experiences and leads to lost loyalty and negative perception of the brand,” Cheng suggested.
Overlooked Areas That Make CX Succeed
According to Cheng, critical CX investments that businesses often overlook include employee training, managing feedback from customers and employees, and maintaining consistent communication across teams within the enterprise. He described Starbucks’ reputation for CX as based not just on its customer app, but on well-trained baristas empowered to resolve complaints on the spot.
Disney is another example of a brand that successfully delivers a consistent customer experience across many touchpoints, including parks, stores, traveling shows, cruise lines, and streaming media, he continued.
“When done well, intentional investments for a consistent CX result in customer issues being resolved quickly and personally. This builds loyalty far beyond what can be achieved by tech-only solutions,” he said.
Empower Employees for Better CX
When frontline staff lack training and tools to help customers, even sophisticated CX technologies fail to deliver value for customers and the business. Business bosses can never assume that their self-service portals are sufficient, Cheng warned.
West Monroe assists clients in the health care, retail, and food and beverage industries that already have advanced self-service portals. Still, frustrated customers often need human help.
“Companies should invest in robust employee onboarding, regular training, and clear escalation processes so employees can confidently use their tools to provide a great customer experience,” he said.
Change Management That Drives CX Success
Change management is often an afterthought in large-scale CX transformations. Companies must guard against additional risks when introducing new technologies or processes.
The adage, “If you build it, they will come,” is not always the case for technology solutions, Cheng advised. Even as technology becomes more intuitive, effective change management remains critical to ensure new CX tools and processes are understood, adopted, and championed across the organization. When neglected, employees often resist change or misuse new systems, leading to project failures and customer dissatisfaction.
“Poorly managed CRM rollouts often result in low adoption and wasted investment,” he observed. “Successful ones include relevant and helpful communication, phased rollouts, and support resources to guide staff through the transition.”
Cheng again referred to Disney as an example of a company that combines all these elements. It skillfully balances technology with investments in people and processes to deliver exceptional customer experiences across its parks, cruises, retail stores, and Disney+ streaming platform.
“The Disney organization sets itself apart with deep investment in frontline ‘Cast Member’ training, empowering staff to create magical, memorable moments for guests — not just complete transactions,” he recounted.
The company uses real-time feedback channels to resolve issues quickly and consistently aligns customer service standards across all channels. As a result, Disney parks consistently achieve guest satisfaction scores above 90%. Its cruises lead the industry in Net Promoter Scores, and Disney+ boasts over 160 million global subscribers with strong engagement, Cheng explained.
Starting a Customer-First Transformation
Companies should start by mapping the current customer journey, identifying friction points, and gathering voice-of-the-customer feedback to target CX improvements. Cheng also views it as crucial to have cross-functional leaders define a clear customer experience vision, along with measurable goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) to track progress toward that vision.
“Then those cross-functional leaders can realign resources toward both tech and human elements that directly impact priority moments in that journey,” he said.
Technology platforms also matter, he added. Targeted technology can help businesses avoid the common trap of prioritizing technology over actual customer value.
He suggested leveraging both innovative platforms and customer-centric frameworks that focus on delivering measurable outcomes for customers and the business rather than getting distracted by launching flashy tools. Journey orchestration platforms like Braze unify customer data from every touchpoint and leverage real-time analytics to deliver personalized, context-aware experiences across email, mobile, web, and other channels.
Final Advice for Customer-Centric CX
The best advice Cheng offers to CEOs frustrated with their company’s CX ROI despite significant technology spending is simple: step back and listen for feedback.
Engage with customers and frontline employees directly to uncover what truly matters in their experience. Then, invest resources in prioritizing the reduction of pain points and empowering staff with the right tools and data to achieve measurable improvements in both customer satisfaction and business impact.
“Companies can avoid siloed investments and achieve measurable improvements in customer satisfaction, loyalty, and lifetime value,” he concluded.
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