Integrate the front office to create Total Experience and capture business value with AI
Our survey of 300+ leaders offers data, leadership insights, and practical pathways to shape Total Experience in 2026. Discover what it will take to close the gap between intent and execution in front office integration.
2026 KPMG Customer Advisory Research
Customer expectations are shifting faster than most organizations can adjust. Differentiation is no longer about having the best product or even the best service. It comes from understanding how every interaction, workflow, and moment shapes the customer’s experience.
Our 2026 KPMG Customer Advisory Research examines why so many organizations are struggling to deliver on that promise, and what it will take to move forward. The answer is not more technology or another reorganization, but a fundamentally different approach to integrating the front office around Total Experience.
The integration reality check: Front‑office integration is no longer optional, but most organizations are stuck in the middle
Executives widely agree that integrating marketing, sales, and service is essential to delivering meaningful customer experiences and sustained enterprise value. But despite years of effort and investment, results have fallen short.
“Executives know the importance of moving towards Total Experience, and to get there, they know they need to integrate. We have a good idea why: we asked 300 executives and they overwhelmingly believed that integration is the path to great experience. But only five percent feel they are fully there. There’s a lot of work to do!”
Scott Lieberman
US Customer Advisory Leader, KPMG
Why integration stalls: The hidden barriers holding the front office back
Front‑office integration does not fail because the vision is wrong. It fails because the integration engine never fully engages.
Technology presents a paradox. It is the greatest enabler of personalization and efficiency, and it is the biggest blocker when systems remain siloed. Legacy platforms, fragmented data, and complex architectures slow decision‑making and limit the effectiveness of analytics and AI. At the same time, organizational silos, misaligned incentives, and under‑invested change management prevent teams from operating as one.
Technology and data are no longer just enablers of integration. They are the integration. When they are not intentionally connected and governed, transformation stalls before value can be realized.
What the data reveals about leaders who break through
Despite these challenges, the data shows a clear pattern. When organizations move beyond partial integration and align marketing, sales, and service around shared data and coordinated execution, performance improves.
Leaders report measurable gains across both customer and business outcomes. Integration is not an abstract aspiration. It is a practical advantage that compounds over time.
Percentage that report improvements by outcome
Redefining integration, from structural alignment to Total Experience
The old model of integration relied on reorganizing teams and aligning processes. It was constrained by siloed systems, linear workflows, and disconnected data.
Total Experience represents a different model.
Turning integration into advantage
The question facing leaders is no longer whether integration matters. It is how to move from stalled progress to sustained value.
The full research report explores how leading organizations are redefining integration for the AI era, turning fragmented capabilities into coordinated execution, and making Total Experience a durable source of enterprise performance.
Dive into our thinking
Total Experience: Integrate to differentiate—and win.
Explore the depth of the data, the leadership insights, and the practical pathways shaping Total Experience in 2026, and what it will take to close the gap between intent and execution.
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