Improving or adding to customers experiences on mobile is a main business concern for the next 12 months for almost half of UK business leaders, a new study by Accenture and Forrester Consulting has revealed.

The figure reflects the fact that almost a quarter placed improving overall customer experience as their number one priority for the coming year, ahead of the 15 per cent who cited generating growth revenues as their key focus.

Improving online customer experience was the heart of digital strategy for 62 per cent of UK business leaders, far ahead of improving the in-store experience for consumers, at 45 per cent. Only two per cent believed that they were already exceeding customer expectations when it came to online business.

“Customer experience is now clearly at the heart of digital transformation, and digital is at the centre of that customer experience,” said Anatoly Roytman, managing director and global digital commerce lead at Accenture Interactive. “But many companies have considerable ground to cover on their path to becoming digital enterprises. Theyre challenged with setting a digital vision and strategy, getting the right people in place, and measuring digital success.”

While in-house teams are on the rise, 85 per cent of businesses in the study work with third-party providers when it comes to achieving their digital transformation, and perhaps more worryingly, only two per cent of UK chief marketing officers are responsible for digital transformation at their organisation, with 40 per cent of business leaders laying the responsibility at the feet of the CEO.

“Look at how fast consumer bejaviour is changing and how great customer experiences are jumping industry boundaries,” said Jay Dettling, managing director for Accenture Interactive. “Companies need to ask themselves how long customers will accept experiences that are just good enough.”