How the customer interface of the future will be designed

The Customer interface is a complex term for something that is, at its core, quite simple: the connection between people and brands. This connection is evolving rapidly. The chapter „Implementing the Customer Interface of the Future: Requirements for Business and Technical Architecture“ outlines how companies can navigate this new complexity with structure, clarity, and a holistic understanding of architecture.

What I took away from the chapter:

• The customer interface has evolved into a complex system of channels, touchpoints, and expectations, necessitating a new operating model.
  
  
• Customer journey mapping and agile requirements engineering serve as the methodological basis for designing future-proof interfaces.
  
  
• It's all about perception: customers see a single provider, regardless of how many systems are running in the background.
  
  
• Both internal and external perspectives must be integrated in a systemic way; this is essential for creating effective omnichannel experiences.
  
  
• Features such as video, personalization, and real-time services are not optional; they are requirements for the new interaction logic.

My conclusion: this chapter serves as a reality check for anyone who believes that implementing a chatbot and a few app integrations is sufficient to design the customer interface of the future. It offers a structured approach and challenges readers to consider the interface from the perspective of relationships rather than just technology.

🔗 To the book on Springer

This blog post is based on the chapter "Implementing the Customer Interface of the Future: Requirements for Business and Technical Architecture" by Dr. Peer Stehling from the book "CRM Goes Digital – Design and Use of Digital Customer Interface in Marketing, Sales and Service," published in 2024 by Springer Gabler Publishing House.