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Metaverse and Web3 innovations are transforming the fundamental underpinnings and operation of the virtual world, Accenture said in its Technology Vision 2022 report.
Instead of viewing the internet as a disparate collection of sites and apps, metaverse efforts envision a persistent 3D environment with its own sense of place, where moving from work to a social platform is as simple as walking across the street.
According to the report, this convergence will result in the creation of immersive digital-only worlds and a deeper blurring between digital and physical.
It added, “Efforts to reimagine the way data moves through the internet will need a simple and intuitive experience to gain widespread adoption. These efforts to make the web experience more ‘real’ must also include an underlying data foundation that guarantees trust, safety and choice.”
We’re entering a new landscape with no rules or expectations, according to Accenture. It’s time to build and shape the world of tomorrow.
And that world of tomorrow will mean at least four changes for CX:
1. More Tailored Offerings
“The metaverse and technologies that create and surround it will allow for CX to be even more tailored and immersive,” said Katrina Klier, PROS CMO.
“People will be able to choose not just the classic channel where they want to learn more information or experience a product or service, but more specifically how they want to consume it. This takes CX much further down the ‘choose your own adventure’ path than we’ve ever been able to do before.
“Imagine creating a story and experience for your company that can come to life in a multitude of ways that is so immersive and personalized that you can create brand fans much more easily.”
It will take some time for people to become comfortable with this, Klier added. But, with the increasingly faster rates of technology adoption and broad acceptance of new types of experiences, “the sky is the limit for brands willing to innovate in the metaverse.”
Related Article: How to Personalize Your CXM Strategy
2. Additional CX Coaching Opportunities
“The convergence of the Metaverse and Web 3.0 will completely alter the customer experience and dramatically improve engagement overall,” said Rusty Bishop, Bigtincan CMO.
“These innovations are not only transforming how organizations approach their customers, they are also increasing the quality of work and communications.”
In addition to delivering highly engaging and personalized customer experiences, businesses can also help employees build confidence through immersive employee training in this digital reality, Bishop said.
“For example, virtual coaching opportunities allow organizations to put customer-facing teams into real-world scenarios with interactive characters and 3D video. These rehearsals allow employees to practice customer engagement and perfect their presentation skills.
“As employees onboard from across the globe, these coaching sessions are a gamechanger to manage brand and messaging consistency throughout their workforce without the cost of bringing teams together for in-person coaching sessions.”
3. Improved Privacy, Trust
“Web3 gives the consumer full control over their data,” said Marie Tatibouet, Gate.io CMO. “Thanks to technology like blockchain, web3 will allow us to experience unprecedented data transparency. You will always be able to trace your data and find out who all have had any access to it. This increased trust is going to have an immensely positive experience on CX.”
Any time digital and physical worlds come closer together, there are privacy concerns, added Lynne Capozzi, Acquia CMO. “As marketers approach the metaverse, they will be challenged to create distinctively valuable and differentiated experiences to help customers overcome hesitation and engage with the brand in a new way.
“To maintain customers’ trust, brands will need to be rigorous about upholding data privacy procedures. They will also need to help educate consumers about how commercial transactions work in the metaverse to help protect their customers from fraud.”
Related Article: How to Turn Data Privacy and Compliance Regulations Into a Buyer Advantage
4. Improved Innovation
The metaverse can bring tremendous CX innovation. For example, replying to an email today can take you out of what you are doing, Tatibouet said.
“Think of the blizzard message-based customer service, which ultimately takes you out of your World-of-Warcraft campaign,” she added. “With the metaverse, it will be possible for you and the CX to interact in real-time without going out of the experience itself. This method is synchronous and theoretically faster as well.”
Capozzi added that the convergence of Web3 and the metaverse will offer new opportunities for personalized marketing and commerce to come together in an immersive fashion, enabling brands to use their content in even more ways to engage and interact with their customers.
“Even if it’s a purely defensive move—brands should start to consider the metaverse as part of their CX strategies if they’re able to provide an immersive experience that aligns with their brand,” Capozzi added that there will be steep and novel challenges related to how different and new types of content are created, managed and deployed.
Final Thoughts
The convergence of the metaverse and web3 is less of an “if” and more of a “when.” In this Wild West of an internet landscape, it’s time for brands to acknowledge the CX changes coming their way and brainstorm strategies to adapt and excel.
