As the business landscape gets more competitive than ever, product differentiation and pricing are no longer the ways to stand apart. The only way to win the customers and retain them is by delivering exceptional selling experiences. A seamless, consistent customer experience has the potential to engage the first-timers, convert them, and make them brand loyalists.
Fortunately, technology has made it easier to ramp up customer interactions and give them experiences to remember. The key lies in making the right tech investment, with the right tools and training to your sales and marketing teams. Here are the CX technologies that every business should consider right now.
Automation
Automation lets you put certain tasks on autopilot so that your team can focus their energy and talent elsewhere. But there’s a lot more that this technology can do for your customers. A chatbot is the best example of CX automation as it simplifies the interactions and allows the customers to get instant gratification. Since these smart virtual assistants are always available, they boost loyalty and build trust with your brand. By automating the simple and repetitive tasks, your customer service team is left free to help customers with the complex ones. Overall, this translates into enhanced customer satisfaction.
Artificial Intelligence
Apart from chatbots, there are several customer-facing applications driven by Artificial Intelligence technology. AI makes them as smart as humans so that they are able to understand buyer expectations. As a result, these programs deliver contextual recommendations, offers, and solutions to the customers. Obviously, this simplifies the buyer’s journey and gives them experiences that go beyond their expectations. So you have better chances of converting them by understanding what they want.
Big Data
Whether it is automation or AI, the entire CX technologies are driven by Big Data. It is the data that you collect to know your customers better and design their experiences accordingly. For example, you can use ip geolocation to pinpoint their exact location. Once you know where they come from, it becomes easy to personalize their website experiences. Similarly, you can follow them online to understand their shopping behavior and preferences and provide tailored offers and product recommendations accordingly.
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
Nothing matches the power of visuals when it comes to creating impressive customer experiences. AR and VR can take the visual interactions to the next level and drive buying decisions to a significant extent. Imagine the impact that a VR-based try room can have on the audience while buying online. They can literally “see and try” products rather than make purchases on the basis of intuition and guesswork. The immersive experience is bound to bring them back and reduce the return rates as well. AR and VR are also being used for ramping up in-store experiences.
Embracing these technologies doesn’t remain a choice if you want to win on the CX front. They make a worthwhile investment that can help your business stand apart and build a base of loyal customers who would stay with your brand.