Digital transformation was well underway before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. The effects of the pandemic greatly increased the speed of transformation. With so many routine transactions that once were in-person events now occurring digitally, it is more important than ever to heed what customers want. This requires a team with emotional intelligence. 

What does an emotionally intelligent team do that delivers an exceptional customer experience? These three core practices are key:

• Recognition of the importance of the digital experience. Because a seamless digital experience is de rigueur for today’s customers, there is no room – and no excuse – for anything less. Getting it right the first time requires the necessary investments in resources, as well as an understanding of customer needs.
• Understanding of the true user experience. You can’t just depend on use cases – you have to actually communicate with customers to know what they want. Regular customer contact to obtain feedback is crucial. And it’s important to recognize that needs change and keep up with those changes.
• Empathy and listening are baked into the team culture. It’s not possible for experience and product developers to all be of the same demographic groups as the customers they’re going after. This is why listening and empathy are so important. As an example, a study from the University of San Francisco found that as many as 13 million people age 65+ were not ready for telehealth. Since most of the developers of telehealth platforms are considerably younger – likely twenty-somethings – how do they meet the needs of older patients with a telehealth platform? In this case, feedback from seniors is necessary to understand and implement their needs.