Forrester Rates ARKE a Leading Digital Experience Service Provider
By Noreen Seebacher, Content Evangelist, ARKE
Forrester recognized ARKE as one of the “most important” digital experience service providers in a new report.
An Atlanta-based brand experience consultancy, ARKE specializes in strategic implementations of marketing technology solutions.
In a just released Vendor Landscape of digital agencies, consultancies, and technology implementers, Forrester culled ARKE from hundreds of companies that design, build, and manage digital customer experiences.
In fact, ARKE is one of just 57 from a broad sea of competitors that Forrester includes in its knowledge base of leading digital experience (DX) service providers. Ted Schadler and Danielle Geoffroy co-authored the report with help from Brigitte Majewski, Anjali Yakkundi, Amy Homan, and Kara Hartig.
Forrester Vendor Landscape reports orient technology buyers to the business benefits, key capabilities, and provider offerings within a specific category of technology or services.
About Digital Experience Service Providers
Forrester said DX service providers are critical to successfully delivering digital customer experiences. The best partners “bridge painful divides between technology and marketing groups, bringing about wholescale organizational change,” the company found.
- DX service providers offer five kinds of services: customer experience strategy, experience design, technology, data and analytics, and global program management.
- Customers should take a “deep dive” into the capabilities of any DX service provider they consider hiring. Look at their industry knowledge, capability mix, and cultural fit to create the best shortlist.
- Manage your partner risk through a cocreation process. Bring in all stakeholders, make site visits, and work together as one team with the client and client partners.
Digital Initiatives Are Priorities
According to the 2017/18 Global Digital Outlook Study from Forrester and SoDA, an industry trade group for digital professionals, companies are heavily investing in digital initiatives. Specifically:
- 43 percent of marketers said their companies are increasing their digital experience budget for 2017
- 29 percent said that they are maintaining budgets
But Forrester warns application development and delivery (AD&D) professionals in these companies remain “at risk of digital hubris — the delusion that their 10 years of practice building web and mobile experiences mean that they are masters of the digital realm. They’re not. ”
Strengths of DX Service Providers
To build digital experiences connected across the customer journey, nine out of 10 companies opt to work with DX service providers. These are companies that design, build, and manage digital customer experiences in the context of their digital business transformation.
The best DX service providers have strong capabilities in five areas:
- Customer experience strategy services, which tie customer experience strategy to a business case.
- Experience design services, “the instantiation of a brand promise in a digital experience.” Think products, interfaces, and interactions.
- Data and analytics services for both real-time personalization and customer insights.
- Digital experience technology services, including the ability to architect digital experience platforms using software from Adobe, Sitecore, and other vendors.
- Program management and global operations services for a digital commerce or customer care strategy that spans business units and geographies.
Picking the Right DX Service Provider
Forrester cautions there is “no one-size-fits-all service provider.”
While global giants may be right for some customers, others will benefit from the personal service of a smaller firm like ARKE.
As Forrester noted:
“You may wish to work with a boutique firm with deep expertise in your scenario that can devote senior leadership and expertise to your project.”
We could tell you about our technology partners, our industry certifications (here and here) and our awards.
But when it comes to the right partner for your company, nothing speaks louder than work already done. So have a look at our case studies and read our testimonials. Get to know us, and see the kind of work ARKE can do for you.
ARKE. Experience. Results.
Originally published at education.arke.com on July 27, 2017.
