In This Digital Age, Do Not Leave The Human Element Behind

People missed human connection during lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Interacting with each other, forming bonds, and having the ability to process the connection are some key basic needs of human beings. As we are moving from a world that was mainly run by manual labor to a world that is powered by modern technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence, it is important to retain the human element behind this magic.

Among all other areas, customer service is one of the fields which needs seamless integration of a human element into the processes of an organization. Though technology makes the journey more interesting and easy to map and measure, it is the human element that can ensure the long-term success of the organization.

Here is why organizations must retain a human element to build a superior customer experience:

What Is Digital Customer Experience?

Digital customer experience refers to the interactions and engagement that customers have with a brand through digital channels such as websites, mobile apps, and social media. It encompasses all aspects of the customer journey, from pre-purchase research to post-purchase feedback and support.

A digital experience platform is a technology solution that helps businesses create and manage their digital customer experiences. The key to a successful digital customer experience is understanding customers’ behavioral patterns and expectations and using that information to create personalized and seamless interactions.

This can be measured through metrics such as net promoter score (NPS), which is a customer feedback metric that measures the likelihood of customers recommending a brand to others. A higher NPS score indicates a better digital customer experience.

The process of building a digital transformation customer experience must retain enough human elements to make it a process that can build a positive customer experience for the brand, be it:

• an AI customer experience, or
• one that is built on manual processes
• one that is powered by a customer experience management company, or
• one that is managed by in-house activities

How To Use AI To Improve The Customer Experience?

AI can be used in a variety of ways to improve the customer experience without losing the human touch. Here are key ways in which you can use AI to improve the customer experience:

1. Offer personalized customer service

It is critical to use artificial intelligence efficiently to build a personalized customer service experience for the organization. Rather than using it to make the processes more mechanical, AI can be used effectively to provide personalized customer service to the end-user. The delivery can be via a human or a system. By including critical elements of personalization, you can provide a better customer experience. Technology can help you capture the required information at the right stage and provide a personalized experience to the consumer.

2. Generate data-driven consumer insights

As it is often said, you can only improve what you can measure. Companies must generate relevant data-driven insights using AI (Artificial Intelligence) to provide a better customer experience. These data-driven insights can be used to include the right integration of human touch in the customer service process. As AI can process a large volume of data quickly, you can include data like previous customer interactions, purchasing behavior, on-site interactions, and psychological factors to provide a personalized yet automated customer experience.

3. Customize the content

The email has become an important touchpoint and companies spend endless hours each week improving the performance of their email campaigns including content, design, and delivery. AI gives the power to customize the content as per the interests and past behavior of the customer. The customization can be done by analyzing previously read blog posts, website interactions, or any other parameter that can help in building a human-like customized experience for the customer.

4. Predict consumer behavior

AI helps a lot in understanding and predicting consumer behavior. Predictive personalization is a critical component, including a human element in the customer experience puzzle. This is because the customer feels that the experience was built just for them and in line with their expected next step. AI can provide a better digital customer experience that can help in improving brand reputation and providing a better customer experience.

What is the Impact of Customer Experience on Company Goals?

Customer experience has a deep impact on the goals of the organization. Here are some ways customer experience impacts company goals:

Improves retention:

A positive customer experience plays an integral role in improving retention for a business. As acquiring a new customer is five times more expensive than retaining an existing one, customer experience helps in improving profitability and keeping costs low for a business.

Drives referrals:

Customer experience helps in driving referrals for a business. A happy and satisfied customer is more likely to refer to new customers. As it helps in driving revenue and keeping costs low, a positive customer experience is critical to meeting the company goals.

Strengthens customer loyalty:

Another way a positive customer experience helps an organization is by building strong customer loyalty. In today’s modern, competitive business ecosystem, building customer loyalty is critical to achieving company goals.

Meets the right customer needs:

By building a positive customer experience, an organization can meet the right customer needs. This helps in improving the customer satisfaction scores and meeting company objectives.

Conclusion

It is critical to have a human element in the technological processes in any organization. As customer service is the front window for the customer to interact with a brand, an organization must keep a balance between automation and human interaction. The last thing a customer wants is a mechanical robot reading a script on the other end of a call. Therefore, an organization needs to build processes and systems in which the element of human interaction is integrated seamlessly.

One way to achieve this balance is by using the right customer service partner. You can opt for Maxicus as your go-to partner for providing a positive customer experience. Maxicus helps you retain human elements in your customer service processes and make use of technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning to create effective customer service processes.

As human beings, it is obvious that your customers would prefer a human-like experience. While technology can help you execute tasks at scale, the human element in this equation must be retained to improve the customer satisfaction score and overall profitability of the business.