Forrester Customer Experience: What the Research Actually Covers

What Forrester's Customer Experience Research Includes

Forrester customer experience work centers on how organizations design, measure, and improve the interactions customers have across channels and over time. The firm publishes research, frameworks, and benchmarking data aimed at experience leaders, product teams, and CX strategists who need a structured way to compare their performance against peers. Much of this output is tied to the Forrester CX Index, a methodology that scores brands on a standardized scale based on customer surveys and operational data.

The CX Index Methodology in Brief

The CX Index typically rests on three pillars: customer experience quality, customer loyalty, and business impact. Forrester weights these to produce an overall score, and the methodology publishes detailed criteria so teams can understand how their brand is evaluated. If you are using Forrester customer experience benchmarks, check whether the index version you are referencing covers your industry and region, as methodology updates can shift how scores are calculated.

How Teams Use Forrester CX Data

Experience teams use Forrester research to set targets, prioritize investments, and justify CX programs to stakeholders. Common use cases include comparing your brand against competitors, identifying experience gaps that correlate with churn, and building a business case for cross-channel improvements. The data is most useful when paired with your own voice-of-customer programs, because Forrester benchmarks tell you where you stand relative to others but not necessarily why.

Other Forrester Customer Experience Outputs

Beyond the index, Forrester publishes market guides, wave reports, and advisory research on CX platforms, customer journey orchestration, and feedback management. These documents help teams evaluate vendors and tools, though they focus on market positioning rather than prescriptive implementation guidance. Teams often pair Forrester customer experience research with practitioner frameworks from other analysts to fill in operational gaps.

Limitations to Keep in Mind

Forrester methodologies are proprietary, so some scoring logic and weighting assumptions are not fully transparent. Benchmarks also depend on sample size and survey timing, which means scores should be treated as directional rather than absolute. For high-stakes decisions, use Forrester data alongside your own CX metrics and qualitative research to triangulate findings.