The big three B2B organic growth drivers today are personalization, ease and speed according to the Customer Experience consultancy Walker.

Walker has released a follow-up to their 2013 report Customers 2020, called  Customers 2020: A Progress Report, which endeavors to answer three questions:

• What customer expectations and trends are still relevant as 2020 approaches?
• What should B-to-B firms do today to ensure they’re able to win and keep customers in 2020 and beyond?
• What are the implications for CX professionals?

Walker says “interactions at every stage of the journey are becoming more complex, presents a striking conundrum for today’s B-to-B firms”.

The winners are focused on personalization, ease, and speed. According to Walker, these companies have fundamentally changed how they think, act, and collaborate.

Here is how Walker defines the three imperatives:

PERSONALIZATION:
There is no average customer. Customers want to do business with companies that know their individual and company needs and are willing to tailor the experience to meet those needs.
EASE:
An explosion of information, connected networks, and more competitive options lead to little patience for complexity. Customers don’t have time on their side and place a real premium on simplicity.
SPEED:
The pace of business is accelerating rapidly. Time is of the essence. Customers can’t afford to wait around while their business issues are being considered. They value companies that provide real-time response and proactively anticipate their future needs.