May 8, 2025
With the evolution from traditional Customer Communications Management (CCM) to more comprehensive Customer Experience Management (CXM) continuing at pace, businesses today are navigating some significant shifts in how they approach accessibility – elevating it from a mere compliance checkbox to an integral component of the overall customer experience strategy.
Understanding the Evolution of CCM-to-CXM
Traditional approaches to CCM have primarily focused on the creation, management, and delivery of personalized, data-driven communications. (Not too long ago sending a pdf bill might have been enough. Today, as a minimum that bill needs to be mobile-friendly, screen reader accessible and directly actionable.) While effective for its time, this framework largely viewed communications as isolated touchpoints rather than elements of a cohesive customer journey.
As consumer expectations have evolved, so too has the business approach to customer interactions. Modern CXM manages all interactions with the goal of improving customers’ perception of your brand. This shift fundamentally transforms how organizations view accessibility – it’s no longer just about document compliance but about creating truly inclusive experiences across all touchpoints.
Why Accessibility Is Central to Modern CXM
Our recent research reveals that consumers are increasingly willing to take action to secure better communications. In fact, one in five consumers switched providers in the last year due to poor communications experiences, with this figure rising to over a quarter among Millennials and Gen Z.
What’s driving this change? Today’s consumers demand communications that are:
- Relevant and personalized to their specific needs
- Consistent across all channels
- Easy to understand and navigate
- Accessible regardless of ability
When companies fail to deliver on these expectations, they risk losing customers. Our data shows that 40% of consumers would consider switching providers if communications are difficult to understand—a clear indication that accessibility directly impacts customer loyalty and retention.
The Global Regulatory Landscape
The push for accessible communications isn’t just consumer-driven—it’s increasingly mandated by law. Recent and upcoming regulations are creating a more comprehensive global framework for digital inclusivity:
- The European Accessibility Act (EAA), with most provisions applying from June 2025, harmonizes accessibility requirements across the EU for products and services, directly affecting how businesses communicate with customers.
- In North America, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) continues to evolve through court interpretations, while Canada’s Accessible Canada Act establishes a proactive framework for accessibility.
- The UK’s Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations and Consumer Duty rules explicitly require WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, establishing clear standards for accessible communications.
These regulations increasingly reference the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as the technical standard defining what “accessible” means in legal contexts, with courts and regulators typically looking to WCAG when legislation requires “accessible” digital content but doesn’t specify technical requirements.
The Path Forward
Understanding the CCM-to-CXM evolution is essential for organizations striving to create truly inclusive experiences across the breadth of their communications touchpoints. Only then can businesses fully leverage the technologies available to them that help ensure accessibility without sacrificing efficiency. As the landscape continues to evolve, organizations should be looking to prioritize:
- Implementing automated solutions that can adapt to changing regulations (such as tools that apply accessibility tagging to high-volume pdfs to give just one example)
- Focusing first on high-frequency customer communications for accessibility improvements
- Adopting a holistic view of accessibility as part of the overall customer experience
- Preparing for increasingly stringent regulatory requirements
By embracing accessibility as a core element of your CXM strategy, you can create more meaningful connections with all customers while future-proofing your communications approach.
Want to learn more about how accessibility fits into modern customer experience strategies? Download our comprehensive report, “Customer Communications and the Demand for Inclusivity,” for detailed insights and actionable recommendations to transform your accessibility approach.