3.03 – Optimise The Customer Experience With Tech
Many large companies use advanced technology to monitor consumer behaviour and purchasing trends. This includes predictive analytics, real-time monitoring of purchasing intent, agent-assist programs for upselling and cross-selling, and sentiment analysis. By mining data from multiple systems, marketers gain in-depth insights on individual consumers, personas, and segments, which helps them make informed decisions.
Using Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) merges customer data with machine learning to predict consumer behaviours and actions. In marketing, AI analyses historical consumer data to predict new outputs or behaviours, allowing brands to deliver specific and relevant content and promotions at the right moment. This creates a highly personalised customer experience.
AI capabilities for marketers include:
- Automating content for social media posts: AI tools can generate timely posts for platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter based on data input.
- Inserting chatbots: These simulate human conversations to chat with customers, collect data, and provide automated information without live resources.
- Integrating dynamic pricing tools: These update e-commerce prices in real time to match competitor changes.
- Identifying market and consumer trends: Predictive analytics helps stay on top of changes in purchasing patterns and criteria.
While AI offers many benefits, it also comes with challenges. AI systems are expensive, require skilled staff to maintain, can cross privacy thresholds, and depend on large amounts of customer data, which can be difficult to collect and manage.
Succeeding Without Expensive Apps and Systems
Small businesses can compete with large brands without relying on AI or extensive data points. Creating loyalty doesn’t always require complex systems; sometimes, it’s about showing customers you care and helping them achieve their goals.
Customer Experience Example
Small businesses can document and track customer interactions, needs, emotions, and expectations with a simple CRM system. Setting up customer segments based on lead scores, content opened, business sectors, purchasing intentions, and sensitivities (like price and contract flexibility) helps personalise the customer experience.
Account-Based Marketing (ABM)
A key strategy for creating profitable experiences in the business-to-business (B2B) world is account-based marketing (ABM). ABM customises marketing experiences and offers on an individual account basis. Each account is assigned to an “owner” responsible for maintaining the relationship, ensuring customer satisfaction, identifying needs and expectations, assessing risk of attrition, and recognising upsell or cross-sell opportunities. Personalised offers and communications are essential for a brand experience that keeps accounts happy and feeling valued.
These activities can be documented and monitored in a CRM tool like HubSpot, providing multiple people in the organisation with a view of how accounts are being managed. For more on ABM, refer to Chapter 16.
Conclusion
Optimising the customer experience with technology can greatly enhance consumer engagement and loyalty. Whether using advanced AI systems or simple CRM tools, the key is to personalise interactions and show genuine care for customers’ needs and goals. By doing so, businesses of all sizes can create meaningful and lasting customer relationships.
