Whitepaper The Future Is Human

The future is human
WHITE PAPER—2021
Contents This paper is for anyone leading or driving
Customer Experience, Insights or Research efforts.
1. 2. 3. 4.
The future The barriers The HX Preparing your
The future is human — Forsta white paper 2022 — © Forsta, 2022. All rights reserved.
is human to HX insights roadmap organization
for HX
Introduction i. 1. D
rowning in data, Observe Structure
Dubious data tangled in tech Converse Systems
Clear data 2. The information silo Empathize Skills
ii. 3. Dancing with Connect
democratization
Disconnected data Predict
4. The morning after
Connected data Inspire
the night before
iii. Act
5. The color of money
Dehumanized data
Human-centered data
2/42
Introduction
Treat me
like a
human
I am not your consumer, your user, your
respondent. I am not the sum of my clicks,
likes and shares.
I am not my purchase history, my
demographics, my audience segment.
I am not my asthma, my Adidas or my
Apple devices.
I am none of these things and I am all
of them. I am a human. Understand me.
3/42
Introduction
The world of experience Today, there is unprecedented demand It requires a new roadmap to transcend,
for high quality data, research and improve and unite the disciplines of
and insights is changing experience feedback. For leaders of Customer Experience, Customer Insights
Experience and Insights teams, this is a and Market Research.
for good. transformative opportunity.
At Forsta, we are seeing the most dynamic
Those who succeed will operate at the and forward-thinking organizations
strategic heart of their organizations. embrace this approach. They reject
They will help drive innovation, customer artificial divisions between insight sources,
retention, acquisition, and growth. And internal data silos and the datafication
they will be at the forefront of a global of customers and they pursue a holistic
trend toward more human-centric business understanding of their most important
practices. But seizing this opportunity stakeholder: their customer.
involves a paradigm shift.
Behind every data point is a person
Behind every data point is a person, a real
human being. Organizations need to get
77%
closer to them to fully understand their
experiences, really see who they are, better
respond to their needs, and build genuine
of Forsta clients believe that using a lasting relationships with them.
range of methods helps them to get a If you focus only on CX you just see what is
now, only Qual and you miss the significance,
more well-rounded view of the customer.* only Quant and you miss the feel.
*Source: Forsta Product Survey, October 2021
4/42
Introduction
When we lose sight of the human, we see HX is the full story of your audience: Data sources and software tools are
only patterns, data points and dollar signs. multiplying. It takes time and expertise
– Gathered in multiple ways — quant,
to find, set up and run the right systems.
The future of research and experience qual, CX, research, observational,
Platforms can be inflexible; vendor pricing
technology will transcend silos of data, conversational
and support can be restrictive.
methodologies and functions, and it
– Brought to life as both broad patterns
will bring you closer to your customers. Organizational structures get in the way.
and personal pictures
That future is here at Forsta. Data silos emerge in different teams,
– Shared and understood consistently making it hard to get a joined-up view
We call it HX, or Human Experience.
across your organization of experiences. Integrating this data is a
– Used to improve performance, and build further drain on limited resources.
long lasting relationships. And democratizing access to insights can
be a double-edged sword. Stakeholders
HX gives you the insights you need for need their data yesterday. Every
Human Experience outstanding experience management. department wants to research customers.
But Experience and Insights teams are
unites the capabilities, But the challenges are real
under constant pressure to do more with
Uncertainty, change, and growth mean
data and technologies that organizations need to understand the less headcount. Leaders who want to meet
this growing demand need to tackle these
that help companies people they serve at scale and at depth.
challenges head-on.
And they need to respond quickly. For many
understand the people Experience and Insights teams, there are
significant hurdles to leap if they are to
they serve. meet this growth in demand effectively.
5/42
Introduction
The Human Experience At Forsta, we help thousands of HX-centric

roadmap organizations to square this circle.
The most successful Experience and Insights
teams align technology, expertise, and culture
to deliver three transformative capabilities.
1. 2. 3.
First, they use a wide range of data Next, they connect these data Finally, they inspire their colleagues
inputs about the people they serve: sources and work to remove internal with clear stories and visualizations;
observation and behavioral data; silos. They integrate qualitative they generate predictive insights
conversation and feedback; empathy and quantitative perspectives; that drive strategic decision-
and emotional understanding. they combine digital and offline making; and they prescribe tangible
insights; they make experience data actions for frontline managers
accessible across all relevant teams. and staff.
6/42
1
i.
Dubious data
Clear data
ii.
Disconnected data
Connected data
iii.
Dehumanized data
Human-centered data
The future
is human
7/42
1
The future is human
We need
The most successful companies know the
value of understanding both the pattern
and the person. They take the 30,000 ft
perspective and zoom in to see up close
better
and personal from 3 ft.
They combine massively quantitative
data with rich human insight on a deep
qualitative level.
Human
At Forsta we call this approach Human
Experience, or HX.
Human Experience (HX) unites the disciplines

of Customer and Employee Experience with
Experience
Market Research, Customer Insights and
Behavioral Analytics.
It builds on the principles of Human-

Centered Design by combining deep
insights...
insights at the individual level with
broad observation and feedback from
large populations.
8/42
1
The future is human
Modern lives are encoded in data. People

spend four hours a day on their smartphone.
Two-and-a-half hours on social media.1
And a lifetime on Zoom calls.
...but
Data footprints are left in search queries,
Twitter posts, Uber journeys. Cell towers and
satellites track real-world movements.
Customer surveys. Web analytics. NPS
data isn’t
feedback. CRM profiles. Social listening.
Experience and Insights teams have never
had so much to work with.
So why don’t we see a better return on all
delivering.
this data?
Three reasons: too much of it is dubious,

disconnected and dehumanizing.
HX helps resolve these data challenges by

bringing clarity, connection and human-
centered insight.
9/42
1
The future is human
i.
Dubious data
Clear data
i. From dubious data...
ii.
Disconnected data
Connected data In advanced economies, people are For comparison, that’s roughly double
iii. exposed to over 5,000 ads every day. Facebook’s 2020 revenue.
Dehumanized data That’s a ten-fold increase since the 1970s2.
Marketers are starting to have doubts: eBay,
Human-centered data
Online ads are unsurprisingly the main P&G and JP Morgan Chase have all slashed
culprit: web users are trolled by algorithms, programmatic budgets and seen no impact
pursued mercilessly by re-targeting on sales.
campaigns. In the programmatic swamp,
And Dubious Data doesn’t just lurk in
audiences are profiled, packaged, traded
ads. Experience and Insights teams also
and targeted in milliseconds.
need to be wary. Safeguards must be
It’s a marvel. Especially for the tech taken to mitigate the risks of fraudulent
platforms, data brokers and trading desks survey responses4, and behavioral data
on the supply side of the equation. sources such as geo-location or on-device
behavior being gathered illicitly or without
Unfortunately for advertisers, up to 90%
fully informed consent.
of online ad clicks are from bots or click
farms. Fraud is staggeringly widespread
and lucrative: it is forecast to be a $150bn
business by 20253.
10/42
1
The future is human
... to clear data.

i.
Dubious data
Clear data
ii.
Disconnected data
Connected data HX insights are built on first-party and Zero-party data is intentionally and
iii. zero-party trusted data. proactively shared by a customer:
Dehumanized data experience feedback, personal profile,
First-party data is behavioral: on-site,
Human-centered data purchase intentions. Sources include
in-app, purchase history, account activity.
customer and market surveys, contact
Sources include CRM systems, web analytics
center interactions and attributable reviews.
or sales data.
Trusted feedback, behavioral and
contextual data is the foundation layer for
Human Experience insights. When you know
where your data comes from, you can make
more confident decisions with it.
76%
of Forsta clients agree that better
customer insights improve their
strategic decision making.*
11/42
1
The future is human
ii. From disconnected data...

i.
Dubious data
Clear data
ii.
Disconnected data
Connected data Yes, Experience and Insights teams have We may design compelling PowerPoint
iii. more data than ever. models that take customers on Journeys,
Dehumanized data across Channels and through Funnels;
But how much of it is readily available—in
Human-centered data but the reality is often a mess of
a usable format—without battling another
disconnected systems, departmental
department for it?
wrangles and delays.
These days it’s less about who owns the
For many organizations, the Single View of
customer and more about who owns the
the Customer is distant dream. The reality
customer data.
is a kaleidoscope of fragmented, partial
Technical, organizational and cultural silos views; plenty of frustration; and huge
all limit the effectiveness of data strategies. inefficiencies when trying to put the picture
back together again.
12/42
1
The future is human
...to connected data.

i.
Dubious data
Clear data
ii.
Disconnected data
Connected data The most effective organizations break Connecting different perspectives builds
iii. down data silos to combine HX data a more complete view; enables more
Dehumanized data sources into a single view. powerful and predictive analytics; and
Human-centered data helps develop products and services
Open integration layers, data lakes and
designed around people.
granular security protocols are used to
integrate HX data:
– between different departments: CRM, CX,

Customer Insights, Digital, UX, Analytics
– across source types: customer/non- Fewer tools, fewer silos
customer surveys, behavioral data, social Lenovo, a global technology company, recently
/reviews, contact center feedback combined its legacy CX tools into a single
platform. By consolidating, Lenovo now has fewer
– across formats: structured/unstructured; data silos, a more efficient program and a unified
text, image and video; large and view of the entire customer experience.
small datasets
13/42
1
The future is human
iii. From dehumanized data...

i.
Dubious data
Clear data
ii.
Disconnected data
Connected data In the long run, this may be the most When we lose sight of the human, we see
iii. significant of the three issues. only patterns, data points and dollar signs.
Dehumanized data
Four out of five brands fail to connect People are labeled solely by the value they
Human-centered data
emotionally with their audiences5. Trust represent: they become users, consumers,
in brands and institutions is declining6. subscribers, viewers or respondents.
Machine learning algorithms reinforce
Where did the human go?
biases that dehumanize individuals.
Data without depth is not a trivial matter.
In many areas, the explosion of data about
People are the most valuable asset in any
people has the unintended consequence of
organization. If we don’t understand and
obscuring the human, the individual person
connect with them on a human level, we’re
we try to create experiences for.
following in the footsteps of a thousand
failed brands.
14/42
1
The future is human
...to human-centered data.

i.
Dubious data
Clear data
ii.
Disconnected data
Connected data Positive human experiences are under-
iii. pinned by empathy and understanding. Giving data the human touch
Dehumanized data eBay wanted to combine hard data with face-to-
Qualitative insights—combined with
Human-centered data face discussions so they could relate better to the
large-scale data–reveal the texture, real people behind their sellers, bidders and buyers.
stories and emotions that help deliver They didn’t just want to rely on facts and figures:
they wanted to see their customers’ emotions,
these experiences. passions, frustrations and faces.
Video discussions, individual interviews, Using the Forsta platform, eBay gathered feedback
through online forms and then held remote video
group interactions, smartphone diaries: this
interviews with carefully selected participants.
is what gives data a human face and heart. Recordings captured not only their answers, but
also their facial expressions and body language.
Only by understanding the whole person do
By combining the different types of data, eBay can
we see the whole picture. We make data now put customers onscreen to illustrate findings
78%
work so much better when we humanize it. from analytics—and use the hard data to validate
qualitative insights from video interviews.
“In most presentations, you’re forced to help bring

to life the voice of the customer through text and
of Forsta clients want to put customers pictures but with this new approach, you can bring
the customer into the room with you to tell their
at the heart of their decision making.* story.” — Sam Harami, Director of Global Customer
Loyalty, eBay
15/42
2
1. Drowning in data, tangled in tech
2. The information silo
3. Dancing with democratization
4. The morning after the night before
The barriers
to Human
Experience
insights
16/42
2
The barriers to Human
Experience insights
Overview Today, many organizations are a long At Forsta, we work with 18 of the top 20
way from understanding the full Human companies in the Fortune 100, over 3,000
Experience of their audiences. companies across the globe, and nearly two
million Customer Insights and Experience
To do so effectively requires clear vision, a
professionals use our technology.
collaborative culture, the right systems and
partners. However, bad habits, structural We’re uniquely positioned to understand
barriers and inflexible technology stand in this journey and the challenges. Here
the way. are five of the most significant barriers
we encounter:
And, it is also a journey, even for the most
successful human-centric organizations.

17/42
2
Experience insights
“I never expected to There has been steep growth in the volume The data comes in so many shapes and
and variety of data sources for Experience sizes because of a related challenge: the
spend so much time
and Insights teams: behavioral data, social rise of the so-called Frankenstack: the
in the weeds.” posts, reviews, video transcriptions, text multi-headed beast of too many different
analytics, CRM records... and so on. software tools.
But more signals bring more noise: data is in Large companies now use an average of
different formats and time periods; it’s hard 300 different SaaS applications7; for some,
to join together for analysis; and there are the number is far higher. Experience, Insights
usually gaps and inconsistencies to resolve. and Research teams can choose from
nearly 1,200 specialist software tools8.
In the absence of a common data
platform to combine and manage these The result? Organizations often have
inputs, teams spend too much time on multiple survey platforms, NPS tools and
data wrangling tasks. This usually means CX feedback solutions. Social listening,
cleaning, formatting and importing CSV review management, text analytics and
files. Repeatedly. data visualization software are all similarly
duplicated or overlapping.
18/42
2
Experience insights
For Insights and Experience leaders, this For these reasons, leading organizations
is an even bigger problem than workflow with a strong HX vision are rationalizing
and data integration. With so many similar software and consolidating data with
tools, budget is inevitably wasted; data common platforms.
security becomes more challenging; and
each system has its own learning curve and
training requirements.
Giving Best Buy instant insights during the pandemic.
When Covid-19 first hit, customer expectations and able to act on real-time insights, overcome pandemic
priorities changed quickly. For retailers like Best Buy, the challenges and even make innovations to pricing
challenge was to keep people safe while limiting the strategy, reporting processes and digital sales.
inconvenience. With almost 1,000 stores to adapt to a
By August 2020, business performance was better than
new way of working, they needed to improvise quickly
it had been pre-pandemic, and Best Buy was awarded
and focus on changes that would best suit customers’
‘Best in Industry’ in the Ipsos Big Box Retail Awards.
needs.
“Forsta enabled speed and flexibility as needs shifted
Best Buy quickly adapted its feedback process across
[during the pandemic], especially in regard to the
all regions and touchpoints by adding new questions
1. Drowning in data, tangled in tech numerous survey and reporting updates. These quick
to surveys, combining sales with feedback data and
2. The information silo updates to surveys and reporting enabled us to bring
delivering daily insights straight to the people who
Covid-specific insights directly to senior leaders.”
3. Dancing with democratization could act on them.
— Jaclyn von Oven, Director of Customer Experience
4. The morning after the night before Using Forsta’s multi-touchpoint surveys, advanced Measurement and Insights, Best Buy
analytics and live dashboards, Best Buy’s CX team was
19/42
2
Experience insights
“They’re for storing grain There are always strong reasons to handle This pattern is repeated within different
research and experience data with types of teams: customer analytics, product
and missiles. Remind me
care: breaches of privacy, compliance or management, user experience, brand
why we hide our most commercial secrets are costly. marketing, data science. All stand to gain
useful data in them?” But good governance is not a good reason
if insights and experience data is brought
together, managed consistently and made
to prevent data flowing between teams
securely accessible to those who need it.
with similar goals. At its worst, this is just a
fig leaf for tribalism or competition between In many organizations, this silo-busting
departments. is already underway with customer data.
Sales, Marketing and Service teams
Experience and Insights resources can
organize data using platforms such as
often be managed by separate teams with
Salesforce: a unifying layer with open
different reporting lines and KPIs. They may
connections to thousands of specialist third
use different platforms for similar purposes.
party apps and data sources through the
Rigid processes and systems make sharing
1. Drowning in data, tangled in tech Salesforce AppExchange.
data hard and slow. The problem is
particularly acute in large international Experience and Insights teams need a
organizations with complex structures, similar approach if they want to put humans
and not made any easier by data privacy at the heart of their organization’s decisions.
regulations that vary widely across regions.
20/42
2
Experience insights
“I want other teams to For many Experience and Insights teams, Asking the wrong people the wrong
‘democratizing’ access to data can feel like question using a self-service tool, with no
get closer to customers.
a no-win scenario. You’re damned if you do, governance: a little knowledge really can
But we have to clean up damned if you don’t. be a dangerous thing.
the mess when they do But let’s start with the positives. So, how do Experience and Insights teams
it badly.” strike the right balance between control
A focus on customer centricity means that
and empowerment?
more colleagues in more departments want
to embed the customer perspective into Technology can play a strong role here.
their decisions. By enabling colleagues to Research, reporting and data visualization
self-serve basic requests, Experience and software needs to be easy to use with
Insights specialists can focus on higher built-in guardrails, layered permissions,
value work. templates, education, onboarding and
human support.
In theory, this is a good thing. But it rarely
1. Drowning in data, tangled in tech works out so simply.
As more non-expert users work with
3. Dancing with democratization customer insights data, the risks increase:
4. The morning after the night before poor design leads to unreliable data; poor
5. The color of money analysis leads to the wrong conclusions.
21/42
2
Experience insights
“This is not what I Save time. Save money. Have more impact. But for complex B2B organizations,
Free your team to focus on strategic work. such black-box approaches are highly
thought I bought.”
Be fitter, happier, more productive. constraining. The software needs you to
adapt entirely to its model; but there is no
We’ve all been seduced by technology
corresponding flex in the software to fit with
pitches. They are often compelling. We say
your needs.
yes in the belief that—this time—things really
will be different. It is rare to find a platform that combines
the robustness of good technology with
Then, as we get to know what we’ve
the flexibility to fit around an organization’s
bought, the scales gradually fall from our
unique requirements, structures and
eyes. Technology disappointments usually
workflows.
cluster around three factors.
Mind the gap
Any color as long as it’s black
It’s the best-kept secret of automation: you
SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) platforms
need plenty of human skill and time to get
1. Drowning in data, tangled in tech are designed for robustness, scale and
it right.
2. The information silo efficiency. These build-once-deploy-
3. Dancing with democratization everywhere models have created the Many SaaS providers believe their tools
4. The morning after the night before fastest-growing and most profitable can slot easily into Experience and Insights
5. The color of money businesses in history. teams with minimal effort. For the simplest
tools, this may even be true.
22/42
2
Experience insights
But most require expert services for setup structure, workflows, culture and—above
and on-going support. all —people.
Opening up data Tech platforms—funded with the For any technology to be effective, it
Transport Focus, the UK’s independent watchdog expectation of high margin, low overhead requires some level of adaptation and
for transport users, makes its data accessible to operating models—are reluctant to hire behavior change.
the public. However, its legacy system delivered an
extremely poor user experience. By consolidating all experienced (AKA costly) Experience or
Data visualization tools are a good
data in an intuitive platform with state-of-the-art Insights consultants. Instead, they offer
visualizations, Transport Focus has broken down example. ‘Self-service’ dashboards are now
Customer Success and Technical Support
barriers and increased stakeholder engagement. a staple output for Experience and Insights
teams.
“We’re able to be so open. It’s incredibly easy, you teams. Stakeholders can access data, run
have access to everything with no login required”. There is a sizable gap between this reality queries and create their own reports.
and the expectations of customers.
But—perversely—some teams find their
The expertise then needs to come from
workloads increasing after rolling out such
additional consultants, agencies or full-time
tools. Stakeholders try the new dashboards;
hires; none of which featured in the original
realize how much more data is available;
budget or business case.
briefly try to run their own analyses; but
Hybrid and partnership models help to quickly exhaust their own patience or skill
offset this risk. In hybrid models, technology levels. Feeling frustrated, they ask their
firms have the required ‘grown up’ expertise Insights or Experience colleagues to run
in-house; or they have strong research more analysis for them.
agency and management consultancy
2. The information silo Technology roll-out or change projects
partners.
3. Dancing with democratization should always include these environmental
4. The morning after the night before That bullet’s not silver and behavioral aspects as part of the initial
5. The color of money Technology products are never standalone scoping work. Software doesn’t exist in a
entities. They interlock with an organization’s vacuum.
23/42
2
Experience insights
“Our new owners make There is increasing scrutiny on the ROI standard. This can in turn drive referrals
and commercial impact of Experience and recommendations, reduce churn and
us document the
and Insights teams. They need to manage stimulate account growth. A measurable
commercial impact of resources and costs effectively; and they dollar value can be attached these
every project we do.” need to prove their commercial value to outcomes; but software systems need to
their organizations. be highly configurable to ensure this can
be implemented and measured across
On the cost side of the equation, suppliers’
complex organizations and hierarchies.
pricing models and license tiers can be
too heavily weighted in the vendor’s favor. Intangible factors also contribute positive
Value-based pricing helps to redress this ROI for Experience and Insights teams
balance with a more equitable sharing of but the commercial value needs to be
risk and reward. estimated. This can be done by gathering
feedback from stakeholders to determine
Proving ROI on the output side involves
the role played by Insights and Experience
both tangible and intangible factors.
1. Drowning in data, tangled in tech teams in influencing decisions. Clear and
2. The information silo Tangible factors help turn insights timely reporting through mobile apps,
3. Dancing with democratization into actions on the front line: closed- storytelling and data visualization can
4. The morning after the night before loop reporting, red-flagging of serious all help improve commercial impact with
5. The color of money issues, ensuring store-level or agent- stakeholders.
level performance meets the expected
24/42
The future is human — Forsta white paper 2022 — © Forsta, 2022. All rights reserved. 25/42
Empathize
Converse
Connect
Observe
Predict
Inspire
Act
The Human
Experience
roadmap
3
3
The Human Experience
roadmap
At Forsta we begin with the premise that behind HX involves understanding customers
from all angles, all the time.
every data point is a person, a real human being. It’s making use of all the sources of data
and insight in your business. It’s about
You need to get closer to them to fully understand everyone in your business really knowing
the customer in the round. And it’s helping
their experiences, really see who they are, better
translate data, insight, and empathy into
respond to their needs, and build genuine lasting stories that fuel action for growth.
relationships with them. This is what smart leaders and decision

makers are looking for: complete, human-
centered insight, across every business
The future of technology will transcend silos, function, so they can get closer to the
build a fuller, richer picture of your customers, customer and make better choices for
today—and for the future.
and genuinely bring you closer to them.
HX comprises methods that are both
broad (quantitative measures from
That future is here today. thousands or millions of people) and deep
We call it Human Experience. (qualitative richness based on individuals
or small groups).
The tools also combine approaches for

several disciplines: market research, CX and
Employee Experience, UX research, digital
analytics and others.
26/42
3
roadmap
HX roadmap
At Forsta, we believe that seven related capabilities
are the keys to unlocking Human Experience Insights.
Inputs Integrations Outputs
1. Observe 5. Predict
Gather large and small-scale Use data to build models,
observational and behavioral 1. 5. forecasting tools and ‘what
data from search, social,
sales, CRM, e-commerce and Observe Predict if’ scenarios that empower
both strategic planners and
hundreds of other sources. frontline managers.
2. Converse 6. Inspire
Capture direct feedback Create compelling narratives
using surveys, interviews
or focus groups to profile
2. 4. 6. and data visualizations that
engage stakeholders and lead
audiences, understand Converse Connect Inspire to action.
experiences, capture needs,
explore attitudes and identify
opportunities.
3. Empathize 4. Connect 7. Act

Uncover deeper insights by Integrate qualitative and Translate human insight into
revealing the underlying bias, 3. quantitative data from 7. tangible actions that improve
emotion and non-conscious
drivers of human behavior.
Empathize a wide range of sources,
formats and channels.
Act the experience of customers,
users and employees.
Organizational Conditions for HX Success
Structure Systems Skills
27/42
3
roadmap
Observe
How & why The Forsta difference
Observing how people act in an environment has The Forsta platform supports all types
of behavioral and observed data, both
long been a staple of academic research. qualitative and quantitative: from video
observations of small groups to predictive
analytics using millions of customer data points.
In recent years, these methods have gained This includes:
Forsta’s centralized data hub is a source-
wider adoption in commercial research as – In-store or in-home video
agnostic, open integration layer that
the limitations of direct questioning - in – Screen recordings of website or app enables any external data source to
surveys, interviews or focus groups - have usage be connected and analyzed alongside
become apparent. People don’t always – Behavioral, CRM or e-commerce data feedback data.
respond to surveys; when they do, they – Social, search and reviews data Advanced analytics capabilities support
may not recall experiences accurately; and – Website analytics and passive very large structured and unstructured
various biases influence their answers. device activity data sets, including proprietary Text
Analytics models built for specific industries
Now, with abundant data and lower cost Incorporating observed and behavioral and geographies.
collection methods, Insights and Experience data is a core feature of the Human
teams have access to a far broader range Experience roadmap.
of ‘observational’ data.
28/42
3
roadmap
2
Converse
Every year, over 300 million surveys are

Behavioral data may be rich and broad; but research
completed on our technology.
will always need direct feedback from people. Feedback can be captured online, over the
phone or face-to-face with a wide range
of engaging designs and format options to
Asking questions, monitoring feedback, The key is to design experience and
ensure maximum response rates; and AI-
exploring issues in qualitative discussions: research programs with modern feedback based tools speed up survey creation with
surveys and focus groups remain an tools, polished interfaces and the ability predictive suggestions for templates.
essential element of understanding the for participants to respond on their terms:
The Forsta qualitative suite includes online
human experience. whenever they want, wherever they are, focus groups, live streaming of in-person
on the devices they choose. discussions and ‘day in the life’ storytelling
mobile apps.
Harmonized human insights

As a global leader in logistics, FedEx needs a
comprehensive view of its customer experience.
Starting with its vast retail network, FedEx is rolling
out a transformational CX program with a fully
integrated digital approach. It features closed loop,
auto loop and analytics tools for action planning at
strategic and tactical levels.
29/42
3
roadmap
3
Empathize
Empathy is a critical feature of the At Forsta, we continually explore the latest
advances in implicit research methods and
Human Experience roadmap. Artificial Intelligence to improve our software.
Our platform includes many specialist

In recent years, there has been growing HX is designed for us to understand better capabilities for emotion recognition.
appreciation of the role played by and in the round at both the group and Vocal tone analysis can be applied to
emotion in shaping decisions. The concept the individual levels. online focus groups or to call center
of ‘System 1’ thinking9 from Behavioral recordings. Facial coding or eye tracking
At the heart of HX is the ambition to technology can be embedded in surveys
Economics and neuroscience-led advances
improve empathy among businesses for to measure emotional responses to media.
in understanding the human brain have Eye tracking can be enabled in online
their audiences so they can grow closer
also highlighted the need to use implicit qualitative research.
to them, better respond to their needs
and emotional measures in research and
and build firm and lasting relationships.
insights programs.
Advances in AI and sensor technology

are making these techniques more widely
available; they include biometrics and
facial expression analysis; eye tracking;
heart rate measurement; and emerging
approaches that infer emotional states
from indirect observations.
30/42
3
roadmap
4
Connect
Future-proofed technology for Insights and Experience The Forsta platform’s integration layer,
its centralized data hub, is truly source-
is underpinned by frictionless data flows, open agnostic: any data source can be
connected to it.
architecture and easy integrations with other software Put your e-commerce store data alongside
and data sources. your call center feedback; your qualitative

interviews and videos together with all your
80%
survey responses.
Such open ecosystems are founded on a .
Find themes that matter by combining
strong ‘base layer’ into which a wide range
multiple channels: online reviews, call
of technologies can seamlessly connect:
survey platforms, CRM, HR systems, social
of Forsta’s clients agree transcripts, open-ended feedback and
social media posts. Analyze behavioral
and sales data. that comprehensive data data with customer feedback—whether
that comes from the Forsta survey engine or
And connected data is more powerful. integration means they third-party providers.
It means less duplicated work between
different teams. It reveals more patterns get a fuller view of their Transformed, analyzed or summarized
data connects to the tools you use in your
about people. It provides richer
customers. organization’s native environment, allowing
opportunities for predictive modeling. your team keep working in their own systems:
Salesforce, Slack, Zendesk, BI reporting
tools and many more. And we know things
change. Our platform has the flexibility to
adapt over time as your business, systems
31/42
and needs evolve.
3
roadmap
Predict
Predictive analytics is an essential capability The Forsta platform has highly advanced
machine learning capabilities. It combines
for modern Experience and Insights teams. signals from feedback, sentiment analysis,
reviews, Customer Effort Scores and many
other inputs to predict at-risk customers or
Patterns are identified from behavioral and up-sell opportunities, and find customer segments and recommend remedial actions.
feedback data to uncover relationships, find segments or patterns of behavior to drive
‘Lookalike’ models generate predictive NPS
associations and help forecast trends. new product and service development. results for cohort groups of customers or
Sophisticated models help to anticipate Predictive analytics also helps with tactical staff. Next Best Actions (NBX) identify the
optimum strategy for individual customers
and fight churn, identify cross-sell and resource allocation such as call center staff
based on historical outcomes.
planning. If you can forecast the need for
customer support more accurately, you can Front line managers can also benefit from
these tools. Call center managers, for
ensure enough team members are online for
example, can run ‘What If’ simulations to
Growing human capital peaks in demand whilst avoiding the cost of model the impact of specific improvements
over-capacity when demand is lower. in the way that call handlers respond to
To help develop a pipeline of great leaders, Mars
created a tailored platform to identify the strengths customer queries.
and blind spots of internal candidates. The system
combined self-assessment, 360 degree peer review
and manager feedback. Following the roll-out, 17% of
participants were promoted to Sales Director—roles
which would previously have been hired externally.
32/42
3
roadmap
6
Inspire
Experience and Insights teams have one At Forsta, we understand the power of
storytelling in visual form.
overarching objective: to understand people Data visualizations are a proven method for
attracting more attention, stimulating more
in order to inspire action. emotion and triggering more action than
flat, fact-based reporting alone.
Inspiring action amongst colleagues and It’s a battle for attention, and internal Our data visualization platform has the
stakeholder teams is no longer a question audiences need to be engaged in the industry’s most customizable and creative
of simply delivering reports or KPIs. insights if they are to act on them. studio dashboards for distribution of data
and insights.
Storytelling, data visualization and
high impact reporting are all now The Forsta Go smartphone app puts
dashboards and curated comments in
essential components of the Insights
the pockets of executives and operational
and Experience toolbox. teams.
Compelling data stories
Heathrow, one of the world’s busiest airports,
Our qualitative reporting, with video
surveys 500,000 of its 80 million passengers every highlights and showreels, adds human depth
year. Heathrow’s Insights team uses dashboards to our data stories.
and analytics to process all this feedback quickly,
connect it with vast amounts of behavioral data And we know how these tools work for
and empower stakeholders to find KPIs, patterns engaging stakeholder audiences: each
and human insights instantly. month, more than 20,000 people access
stories and visualize data with them.
33/42
3
roadmap
7
Act
Driving action goes beyond inspiring stakeholders The Forsta platform helps organizations take
action at both the strategic and tactical
and decision-makers to trigger outcomes or level, and it can flex to accommodate even
the most complex structures and hierarchies.
resolve problems. Our innovation software helps to
crowdsource and rank new product or
It involves automating specific tasks There are also other types of closed-loop service ideas from the most informed groups
natively in team workflows, on the frontline actions that can generate more strategic or —whether they be customers, employees or
other stakeholders.
and tailored to specific individuals. growth-based outcomes.
With prescriptive analytics and an industry
A very low NPS score may automatically Product feature requests can feed into the leading workflow engine to manage closed
send the customer an apology email with a new product innovation process. Positive loop outputs and strategic action plans,
discount code. comments from promoters can be used the platform provides fast and automated
in marketing collateral. And on occasions, resolution of issues.
Training tips may be automatically sent by
immediate sales opportunities can be Targeted interventions. Quick responses to
email to a customer support representative
identified and routed to account teams to problems. Training tips for individual team
who fails to meet satisfaction benchmarks.
follow up. members. The Forsta platform activates
Complaints expressed in an online review human-centered insight right at the
may be flagged to the relevant store frontline to improve the experiences of your
customers and your team.
manager for follow up.
34/42
The future is human — Forsta white paper 2022 — © Forsta, 2022. All rights reserved. 35/42
Structure
Systems
Skills
Preparing your
organization
for HX
4
4
Preparing your
organization for HX
Overview Building a culture and roadmap for Human Experience

Insights is a significant undertaking. For some
organizations, it is an ongoing journey; for others,
it involves some fundamental transformations.
Every day, we support thousands of customers
at different stages along this journey. The most
successful and the most advanced share a number
of common features.
Read on to discover what they are, and how they can

help you prepare for HX success.
36/42
4
Preparing your
organization for HX
Structure
Structure
Systems
Skills
Strong alignment Good governance
between departments
Clear rules are in place with RASCI or
CX, UX, Consumer insights, CRM, Analytics equivalent models for multi-team projects.
and other teams work closely together Each team’s exclusive area of responsibility
on Insights and Experience work-streams. is documented; ‘gray’ areas of overlap are
They collaborate on shared initiatives; identified and subject to regular review.
pool budget and team members where A steering group comprising members
necessary; and have a functional matrix of all relevant teams meets on a weekly
reporting that ensures a ‘no surprises’ culture. or monthly schedule to ensure efficient
resource allocation, manage common
projects and resolve any potential conflicts.
37/42
4
Preparing your
organization for HX
Systems
Structure
Systems
Skills
Documented data and Collaborative
insights framework software sourcing
Data and insight requirements for relevant The specific needs of each team are
teams and stakeholders are clearly documented. Functionality required by
documented. All data sources and outputs several teams is identified and software
are similarly identified. Best practice platforms are procured centrally so that
guidelines and Standard Operating budget can be deployed effectively.
Procedures for Insights and Experience data
have clear ownership, are consistent across
teams and reviewed as needed by the
steering group.
38/42
4
Preparing your
organization for HX
Skills
Structure
Systems
Skills
Continuous team Effective engagement
development of partners
Skills requirements in each team are Specialist expertise comes from agencies,
mapped as part of the data and insights consultants and freelancers. To smooth
framework. A skills matrix highlights those out peaks and troughs in team resourcing,
that are common to all teams and those retainers and secondments are provided by
that are specific to individual teams. A joint strategic partners.
development plan maintains alignment
between teams and encourages career
moves within organizations. Between
5% and 10% of each team member’s
working time is allocated to training and
development, with a plan that combines
structured courses, self-paced micro-
learning and on-the-job coaching.
39/42
4
Preparing your
organization for HX
Ready for HX? At Forsta, we’re confident we can help create better
Human Experiences for the people who matter to you.
Find out what our technology and experts could do for

your organization.
Get in touch at forsta.com/contact
and visit forsta.com
40/42
Endnotes 1
Time spent on social media: https:// 6
The Edelman Trust Barometer: https://
www.statista.com/statistics/433871/daily- www.edelman.com/trust/2021-trust-
social-media-usage-worldwide/ barometer
2
Ad exposure resources: https:// 7
SaaS application usage: https://www.
ppcprotect.com/blog/strategy/how- blissfully.com/blog/saas-statistics/
many-ads-do-we-see-a-day/
8
CX and Research Software Directory:
3
Ad fraud: https://www.profgalloway.com/ https://www.insightplatforms.com/
carcinogens/ platform-directory/
4
Survey fraud: https://www.ipqualityscore. 9
System 1 Thinking, from ‘Thinking Fast
com/articles/view/67/8-methods-to- and Slow’, Daniel Kahneman
prevent-market-research-fraud
5
The cost of failing to connect emotionally:
https://www.warc.com/content/feed/lack-
of-emotional-connection-costs-brands/
en-gb/3738
41/42
forsta.com
42/42
WP-0008

Whitepaper The Future Is Human

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Whitepaper The Future Is Human

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Whitepaper The Future Is Human

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The future is human

*Source: Forsta Product Survey, October 2021

The Human Experience At Forsta, we help thousands of HX-centric

They combine massively quantitative

Human Experience (HX) unites the disciplines

It builds on the principles of Human-

Modern lives are encoded in data. People

Customer surveys. Web analytics. NPS

So why don’t we see a better return on all

Three reasons: too much of it is dubious,

HX helps resolve these data challenges by

... to clear data.

ii. From disconnected data...

...to connected data.

– between different departments: CRM, CX,

iii. From dehumanized data...

...to human-centered data.

“In most presentations, you’re forced to help bring

*Source: Forsta Product Survey, October 2021

1. Drowning in data, tangled in tech

1. Drowning in data, tangled in tech

Giving Best Buy instant insights during the pandemic.

2. The information silo

3. Dancing with democratization

4. The morning after the night before

5. The color of money

relationships with them. This is what smart leaders and decision

The tools also combine approaches for

Inputs Integrations Outputs

3. Empathize 4. Connect 7. Act

Organizational Conditions for HX Success

Structure Systems Skills

Every year, over 300 million surveys are

Harmonized human insights

Empathy is a critical feature of the At Forsta, we continually explore the latest

Human Experience roadmap. Artificial Intelligence to improve our software.

Our platform includes many specialist

Advances in AI and sensor technology

and data sources. your call center feedback; your qualitative

Overview Building a culture and roadmap for Human Experience

Read on to discover what they are, and how they can

Strong alignment Good governance

Documented data and Collaborative

Continuous team Effective engagement

Find out what our technology and experts could do for

You might also like