Last year, the global Covid-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the way we live, work and connect.

The number of consumers that businesses interact with online exploded, and organisations across the board had to carefully think about how they can shape the customer experience given the reality we live in today.

At the same time, these disruptions have forced customers to re-examine their values, and what they expect from the companies they interact with.

There’s no doubt the world is heading towards a “digital first” reality, one in which all engagements between companies and consumers, and companies and their employees, transcend physical spaces.

This concept isn’t new, but never before has it been so crucial for organisations to move forward, or risk being left behind.

Practically overnight, sweeping lockdowns drove commerce almost completely online, forcing businesses of every size to deal with the future of their workplaces, and set new baselines around what their customers expect in the new normal.

To help businesses navigate CX in an era of unprecedented change, Zendesk’s team of experts examined data from 90 000 businesses across 175 countries.

The report compares how they use Zendesk, with feedback from customers, agents, CX leaders and technology buyers, and uses these insights to identify the top trends in CX and best practices to help businesses move forward and stay ahead of the curve.