The coming of the metaverse has prompted many companies to embrace the virtual world. Many global enterprises, such as Disney, Meta, and Nike, have embraced this new, virtual world. Aside from investing in the metaverse and purchasing virtual real estate properties, these companies have started to expand operations in these digital dimensions.
Brands are slowly moving to the metaverse, enabling them to connect with more digital-savvy consumers in new ways. Aside from opening up new opportunities, this transition to the metaverse also has an impact on their operations, services, and what they’re able to provide their customers.
The “New” Face of Customer Service in the Virtual World
Customer experience shapes a customer’s perception of a brand. It’s one of the crucial factors that can affect a company’s success. This applies to all brands, whether they’re in the real world or in the metaverse.
The metaverse presents an opportunity for brands to rethink their strategies and adapt to changing conventions that come with the ongoing development of virtual worlds.
But just how different will the metaverse CX be compared to its real-world counterpart? We interviewed Daniel Rodriguez, CMO of Simplr—a US-Based customer service company that specializes in helping brands innovate how they deliver customer service—to see what he thinks of CX in the metaverse.
Rodriguez shares that brands who are able to balance this new metaverse channel on top of their existing CX channels will gain a competitive edge. It’s all about being able to offer “the best and most personalized CX in the metaverse which stands to nab the attention and loyalty of customers shopping in the metaverse.”
He adds that there are three key components that can help brands achieve CX dominance, whether it’s in the real world or a virtual one. These are empathy, personalization, and efficiency. According to him, some brands tend to think of the metaverse as a digital alternative to the real world, where users can buy digital goods for their avatars.
However, according to Rodriguez, “This might be how it works out, but if we’ve learned anything from Facebook and Twitter, it’s that our first impressions of new digital spaces don’t always anticipate how they’ll evolve. Instead, brands should focus on creating a quality, foundational CX that’s first and foremost built to be as agile as the conditions of the metaverse change.”
So, should we be expecting major changes to CX in the metaverse?
Not exactly. Rodriguez shared that consumers can definitely expect to see familiar services that have been tailored to suit the metaverse. One defining characteristic of CX in the metaverse is that it will be a more interactive or even more complex version of its real-world counterpart.
Customer Experience Challenges in the Metaverse
Before jumping into the fray, brands have several key points to consider, including their target audience, the technology needed for them to operate optimally in the metaverse, being able to create virtual-first experiences that can deliver a truly virtual experience, and conducting studies and tests to learn more about the buyer’s journey and customer experiences within the context of the metaverse.
When it comes to challenges that might come up with the adoption of virtual CX, companies should look to the current state of chatbots. “Many brands think that chatbots alone can solve every customer interaction—but current technology can’t meet customers’ complicated needs alone,” said Rodriguez.
He adds that brands shouldn’t adopt virtual CX and force it to become something that it’s not. They should instead focus on building a metaverse channel and how it could be used to meet individual customer needs efficiently and “with empathy in a whole new space.”
What about poor user experience in the metaverse? “Poor customer experiences will reverberate more loudly in unified metaverse communities,” Rodriguez commented on the implications of poor CX in the virtual world. “As the metaverse becomes adopted by more people, brands that fail to cultivate loyalty through their CX will instead see larger customer migrations to their competitors.”
New Opportunities for CX in the Metaverse
So, how will the coming of the metaverse affect customer experience?
Many brands, particularly from the e-commerce and retail industry, have become early adopters of emerging trends, according to Rodriguez. He adds that companies that are able to dive into the metaverse have an opportunity to gain stronger customer relationships among loyal supporters and new fans.
Smaller e-commerce and retail brands can stand to benefit from embracing the metaverse and innovating their CX. “The metaverse presents an opportunity to invest in a new type of tech that doesn’t come with a huge price tag. This new way of interacting has the potential to level the playing field for brands and bring an all-new meaning to the ‘storefront’ for those with ‘digital-only channels.’”
