Delivering personalised experiences in real time
Achieving a better customer experience is probably the best reason to focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is set to provide more compelling real-time experiences. Doing it in an environment where innovation is continuously creating fresh opportunities to engage customers and other stakeholders.
Artificial intelligence makes it possible for machines to learn from experience, adjust to new inputs and perform human-like tasks. Most AI examples you hear about today, from chess-playing computers to self-driving cars, rely heavily on deep learning and natural language processing. Using AI technologies, machines can be trained to accomplish specific tasks by processing large amounts of data and recognising patterns in the data.
No matter where customers live or travel, customers expect their preferred brands to be with them every step of the way. Through connected experiences across multiple channels they choose. It starts with curating better content for consistent customer experiences.
Building campaigns which deliver personalised content is crucial for customer interaction. It remains vital for businesses to keep gazing into the crystal ball, and to monitor the technology developments. With finite resources, judging where to focus investment is problematic, which is where advisors on digital strategies become critical.
AI is not just another exciting technology
While there are plenty of exciting technologies emerging, it is becoming increasingly essential to stay focused. Avoid the distraction of ‘interesting’ new technologies. Instead, remain focused on delivering against your core objectives. Namely creating a relevant, timely and engaging customer experience for your customers, to maximise sales and efficiency.
When you focus on the personalisation of communications, it cuts across numerous digital marketing techniques, including analytics, marketing automation, inbound marketing and content marketing. It is ‘unfinished business’, though, and there is plenty of room to hone these capabilities further.
Despite the advantages of AI for businesses, there is indeed more room for the uptake of this technology to drive campaigns and experiences.
AI is an enabler
The slow adoption could be put down to confusion or lack of knowledge around AI’s applications, amid widespread concerns over the societal impact of automation in general. AI and machine learning should be looked at as an ‘enabler’ for marketing to perform tasks more efficiently and effectively. Whether in delivering customer experience, generating content, enhancing a website design or any other of the many uses it can support.
Many people have concerns about the challenges of assimilating AI into their existing ways of working. However, like anything new with such power to change the way we work, it takes time and learning.
There are unlimited possibilities and possible perils of artificial intelligence (AI), learning and reasoning by machines. Without the intervention of humans, there are lots of opinions out there. Artificial Intelligence is becoming more popular because of increased data volumes, advanced algorithms, and improvements in computing power and storage.
Practical ways to start using AI in your customer experience
You do not need a large technology team to begin using AI. Many tools that businesses already rely on, such as email platforms, website search, chat services and analytics software, now include features that learn from customer behaviour. The key is to start with a clear problem you want to solve rather than the technology itself.
- Recommend relevant products, services or articles based on what visitors have already viewed
- Use chat tools to answer common questions quickly, with an easy path to a real person
- Personalise email content and send times according to how each subscriber engages
- Analyse enquiries and feedback to spot recurring themes and customer needs
Begin with one small project, measure the results and build from there. A focused trial teaches your team far more than a broad plan that never gets started.
Keeping the human touch
The most compelling user experiences combine smart technology with genuine human care. AI can handle repetitive tasks and surface useful insights, but customers still value empathy, judgement and a personal response when it matters. Make sure people can always reach your team when they need to.
It is also important to be open about how you use customer data. Explain what you collect and why, keep it secure and only use it in ways that improve the experience. Trust is hard to win back once it is lost, so treat privacy as part of the service you provide.
