By Christopher Roberts
A significant transformation is underway in the Customer Experience (CX) space, driven by the in-roads being made by Artificial Intelligence (AI). This technological leap has the potential to reshape customer-business interactions. However, it is essential to approach AI’s role in CX with a discerning perspective.
We have begun venturing into an inevitable AI-infused future, which makes it all the more crucial to acknowledge both the promising prospects and potential pitfalls that AI introduces to CX. How can businesses such as yours effectively merge AI’s capabilities with the human touch to cultivate seamless and enriching customer experiences? Let us delve into a more balanced assessment.
The Unspoken Realities of AI in CX
Imagine a scenario where AI helps tailor customer interactions flawlessly to individual preferences, needs and behaviours. While some e-commerce companies have initiated personalised experiences, AI could potentially predict customer needs before they are even apparent.
So now, the critical question is not How AI can enhance CX, but rather How businesses can wield it responsibly to gain a competitive edge.
Embracing the New CX Paradigm with AI
A significant correlation has been discovered by Engaged Strategy: businesses that make customers feel valued, cared for, and supported can experience a substantial increase in their Net Promoter Score® (NPS). Even a 1-point rise in NPS can translate to a growth of 1.25% to 3% in a business’s share of wallet.
Balanced Benefits to Envision
Consider the tangible rewards for your business:
Imagine harnessing hyper-personalised experiences that resonate with each customer’s unique preferences, establishing a profound emotional link with your brand. This not only fosters loyalty but also drives increased spending, as happy customers are likely to spend up to 2X more than an average customers, according to an Engaged Strategy study.
Envision AI-powered virtual assistants providing real-time solutions that exceed customer expectations, bolstering efficiency and reducing operational costs. By swiftly and accurately addressing queries, AI-driven assistants save time, enabling your team to focus on impactful tasks, such as managing Detractors and improving the human touch in providing hyper-personalised customer experiences.
Picture a future where your business anticipates customer needs, fostering unwavering loyalty and advocacy. This does not merely retain customers; it transforms them into brand advocates, reducing acquisition costs and boosting revenue through referrals.
Balancing Reality: AI’s Role in CX
To avoid repeating this mistake that creates a larger pool of frustrated customers for your brand, it is crucial to remember to include a healthy mix of AI with the human touch. Here are a few suggestions:
Personalised Responses: AI can deliver personalised responses, but it must be done in a way that doesn’t sacrifice the human touch. Teach the bot to converse with respect and ensure that it understands when to transfer a conversation to a human support staff.
Enhanced Problem Solving and Agent Support: AI can enhance problem-solving and agent support, but it must not create barriers for customers.
Emotionally Resonant Messages: The AI that is integrated into the business fabric must potentially deliver emotionally resonant messages.
Human Interaction Option: It is imperative to always provide the option for customers to interact with a human as soon as it is observed that the bot does not have the capability to resolve the issue. AI should complement, not replace, human interaction.
For organisations to achieve this high level of AI integration with the CX they deliver, they need to adopt a unique approach to navigate this complex landscape:
Identify Critical Emotions: It is extremely critical to identify the key emotions that are vital to your business’s CX. These are the emotions that you need to evoke in your customers and ensure that they are transferred throughout the CX lifecycle.
Measure and Enhance Emotions: It is imperative for a business to measure the key emotions they intend to transfer to their customers, however complex they may be. By measuring them regularly, corrective actions can be taken to enhance customer experiences and avoid past pitfalls.
(The author is Christopher Roberts, Managing Director, Engaged Strategy, and the views expressed in this article are his own)
