Data And Channel Integration Customers expect the same high level of service no matter how they choose to interact with your brand at a given moment. Smart organizations are investing in better data management capabilities so that a customer’s data profile (and therefore, their personalization and preferences) flows smoothly and instantaneously between offline and online channels. Many predicted that Whole Foods would lose its excellent CX reputation after Amazon’s acquisition. Instead, its score shot up 3.6 points this year. This was in part driven by two instances of physical- digital integration: 1) In-person shoppers can use Prime benefits, and 2) online shoppers can order Whole Foods groceries through Amazon’s site, often with 1-hour delivery. While progress has been made on this front, the challenge for CX professionals is real: Existing channel structures — with owners who want to optimize their specific channel — can easily fracture the customer journey. This is a challenge on multiple fronts: data, people, and the channel itself. These structures are not in the control of CX professionals, so you either benefit from buy-in from channel owners who believe in the greater CX vision or are inflicted by the reality of a legacy organizational structure that is not tuned to the customer. © 2019 Forrester Research, Inc.