A few years back, it seemed forecasters everywhere were predicting the demise of the call center as self-serve digital channels accelerated up the steep curve of early customer adoption. More recently, with the advent of automation in the form of Intelligent Virtual Assistants, natural language processing and other artificial intelligence-based tools, the extinction of the call center was revisited.
It is true that digital interactions are increasing. According to this 2018 McKinsey research, 48% of all customer care interactions will be digital by 2020.1 But another study states that a majority of consumers ranked speaking with a human on the phone as their preferred communication channel with a business.2 When you peel back the onion, it’s clear that digital channels and call centers need to work in concert to optimize customer engagement.
http://customerthink.com/the-value-of-cross-channel-voice-of-the-customer/
In today's highly commoditised age where there is often little differentiation when it comes to competitive products and offerings, the biggest factor that prompts customers to patronise one brand over the other is often customer engagement. There are several studies that show the impact of customer experience on both customer acquisition and retention.
A study conducted by Bain & Company, in association with professors from the Harvard Business School, found just a 5% increase in customer retention rates increased profit by 25% to 95%. Therefore, customer experience is an important influencer of an organisation's profitability. Organisations are already starting to realize this. A recent Frost & Sullivan study found that about 80% of organisations in Asia-Pacific recognised customer lifetime value as the most significant business benefit delivered by customer experience.
https://www.itweb.co.za/content/Pero3MZgRyEqQb6m/
At its core, conversational experience is an easy-back-and forth with a customer on a specific channel such as chat or voice. The customer is able to speak or type naturally and ask spontaneous questions — without having to navigate cumbersome IVRs, thank you very much. In short, said Jim Freeze, CMO of virtual assistant provider Interactions, customers are able to talk or type to a virtual assistant exactly how they would if they were speaking with a human. Or put another way: “The idea is to move away from forms and buttons to a process that enables an exchange that resembles what we have in a 1:1 conversation with a friend,” said Ajeet Kushwaha, director of bots and automation at customer engagement software provider Freshworks.
https://www.cmswire.com/customer-experience/what-is-a-conversational-experience/
By using event detection to listen to patterns in data, and then applying Artificial Intelligence, your business can now sense these moments of needs as they are happening
Customer experience or ‘CX’ as it is popularly referred to is one of the most important verticals that businesses need to address in order to thrive. And tanks to artificial intelligence and data, CX can be achieved via the use of these technologies in an improved and efficient manner. From artificial intelligence to IoT, Don Schuerman, CTO and VP Product Marketing, Pegasystems, states 7 ways in which technology will aid customer engagement.
https://www.dqindia.com/artificial-intelligence-technology-improved-customer-engagement-cx-2019/
Engaging customers with attention-getting content is one of the most important ways to draw new business and then keep it coming. Today, though, consumers are bombarded with marketing campaigns on multiple fronts, from television and radio to in-app ads and social media. It takes a truly creative approach to stand out.
Recent successful strategies have included challenges like photo/caption contests—games that increase customer engagement through fun and competitiveness. So, what are some other strategic and entertaining ways to boost engagement that stand out from the crowd? Below, 15 members of Forbes Communications Council offer ideas on creative ways of increasing customer engagement in today’s competitive landscape.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2019/01/22/boost-customer-engagement-with-these-15-fun-strategies/
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