This blog post forms part of our new content series: ‘Digital Infrastructure Insights: Elevating the customer experience‘. For more informative and timely content like this, simply follow the link.
With customers in the B2C and B2B worlds increasingly opting to shop online or on less traditional platforms, businesses need to adapt to stay competitive. One crucial aspect of this adaptation is re-assessing digital infrastructure to provide the best possible customer experiences. In this blog post, we will explore the DNA of the new customer and where digital infrastructure (DI) comes into that.
The DNA of the new customer
The new customer is always online and always connected. They have rising expectations, are difficult to retain, and demand seamless and convenient online experiences, from browsing and purchasing to receiving after-sales support. If they don’t like an experience, they will move on. Two-thirds of millennials now expect real-time customer service and three-quarters of all customers expect a consistent cross-channel experience. This shift in customer expectations has driven businesses to rethink their strategies and prioritise digitalisation.
Intelligent infrastructure matters more now than ever for customers and is important at every stage of the customer journey. Delivering personalised experiences that cater to individual customer preferences is crucial. With DI that is built, managed and scaled well, businesses can stay relevant and deliver experiences that keep customers engaged and satisfied.
Businesses must prioritise ongoing investments in DI if they want to stay ahead of the competition. They need to be aware of future trends, consider advancements in artificial intelligence such as machine learning and continue to adapt their strategies as they go. Take artificial experience (AI) for example, AI-enabled customer service is now said to be the ‘quickest and most effective route for institutions to deliver personalized, proactive experiences that drive customer engagement.’
Data is key
Because customer expectations are changing so often, companies need to become more data centric. They should be digging into and leveraging their customer interaction data to help deliver a next-level experience. Each customer interaction and conversation can give businesses valuable insight way beyond what can be derived from NPS scores and generic surveys.
What businesses need to remember, however, is that customers still desire a service with a human touch. It’s therefore best to avoid a strictly automated approach. After all, AI isn’t perfect, and companies are still comprised of talented teams who customers want to speak in person with.
Next steps?
Meeting the demands of the online customer requires businesses to embrace digitalisation and prioritise customer-centric strategies. We encourage businesses to reassess their digital infrastructure (whilst keeping it secure) and stay agile in meeting the changing behaviours and expectations of the new customer. By embracing digitalisation, businesses can create the best possible customer experiences and remain competitive in this highly competitive online marketplace.
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