Selecting the right Customer Journey Orchestration (CJO) platform is challenging, especially with so many options available. Fortunately, Forrester, a leader in customer experience research, has made the process easier by evaluating the top platforms in their latest report. Engage Hub is proud to have been included in The Forrester Wave™: Customer Journey Orchestration Platforms, Q2 2024, for the third time.
Forrester’s comprehensive evaluation of 9 platforms across 30 criteria provides invaluable insights into the most critical CJO capabilities and the strategic vision that will drive future customer experience (CX) success.
Here’s what you need to know from the report and how it can help you select the right platform.
What is Customer Journey Orchestration (CJO)?
Customer Journey Orchestration (CJO) is the process of using real-time data to understand, predict and influence individual customer behaviour in the moment. This technology helps businesses improve customer lifetime value, operational efficiency and overall results by delivering tailored experiences.
With thousands of marketing tech companies vying for attention, CJO stands out because it enhances post-acquisition loyalty. The Forrester Wave™ report highlights how CJO can significantly boost customer satisfaction, increase spending and build loyalty – especially for large enterprises with millions of customers.
The right CJO platform: Core to vendor strategy
One of the key insights from the Forrester report is the importance of selecting a CJO platform – it shouldn’t be an afterthought.
Some vendors tack on CJO capabilities to their existing technology, but these systems often struggle to integrate real-time data across all customer touchpoints. This can lead to a disjointed customer journey and hinder the platform’s ability to deliver real-time, individualised experiences.
Dedicated CJO platforms, like Engage Hub, offer a holistic solution that integrates seamlessly with existing CX ecosystems. These platforms provide a unified view of the customer, allowing for sophisticated, real-time journey orchestration across all channels and touchpoints.
Key features to evaluate in CJO platforms
Forrester’s evaluation highlights several must-have capabilities in CJO platforms. When evaluating your options, be mindful of these critical features:
- Identify and close experience gaps: A robust CJO platform should be able to pinpoint engagement gaps across the customer lifecycle and propose multi-channel strategies to close them. Using AI, it should also continuously learn and optimise its strategies for better outcomes over time.
- Prove business impact and ROI: Look for platforms that can analyse the business impact of specific customer journeys and provide clear metrics to demonstrate ROI. Quick wins are crucial in today’s fast-paced CX environment, where teams must prove results quickly.
- Integrate historical and real-time data: Data is the backbone of CJO. Platforms should be able to seamlessly integrate data from multiple sources, including both historical and real-time information, to generate accurate, actionable insights.
3 tips for choosing the right CJO platform
With Forrester’s insights in mind, here are 3 practical tips to help you make the right choice when selecting a CJO platform:
- Focus on core functionality: Don’t be distracted by flashy features that might look impressive in a demo. The real power of a CJO platform lies in its ability to act on real-time customer signals (not just storytelling). Prioritise platforms with robust data integration and decisioning capabilities.
- Avoid “free” platforms: If a vendor offers their CJO solution for free, it’s likely still under development. You don’t want to be a beta tester for an incomplete platform. Stick to proven solutions with a strong track record.
- See it in action: Ask for a live demo that addresses your specific challenges rather than settling for a generic presentation. This allows you to assess whether the platform is user-friendly and suited to your organisation’s needs.
Why Engage Hub?
At Engage Hub, we’ve developed a CJO platform that excels in journey analytics, orchestration, digital communications, and AI. Our inclusion in The Forrester Wave™: Customer Journey Orchestration Platforms, Q2 2024 confirms our commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions that improve customer satisfaction, loyalty and ROI.
Get in touch to learn how Engage Hub can help your organisation orchestrate meaningful, high-value customer journeys that drive success.
