“The next 10 years will generate an order of magnitude more change than we have seen in the last 10 years.” – Brian Hopkins, Ted Schadler and James McCormick. Authors of Forrester’s Report, “The Insights-Driven Business”
A few decades ago, the world of customer engagement was very different. A brand would just broadcast a message at its customers via a television advertisement, magazine or billboard. The idea back then was to proclaim a brand’s greatness in the assumption that prospective customers would also find the brand great. These days, though, the world of customer engagement has changed. The digital age, new channels for communication and an influx in the sheer quantity of advertising has revolutionized how customers are engaged with. Many businesses are turning to customer engagement software to keep the conversation going, spreading the word about new products and simply inspiring customers. So what is spearing on the trend?
1. The Need for Better Engagement Strategies
A customer’s attention span can be very limited if another brand comes along with more attractive offers. When customers are constantly being bombarded by lucrative offers, a brand can get its message across only when innovative engagement strategies are used. Customer engagement software makes implementing these strategies simpler and provides a more personalized experience that customers love.
2. Delivering Creative Brand and Product Experiences
Customers want to buy not just products, but good experiences. Just as they want a marketing strategy to do more than just sell to them, customers want a brand to go beyond just a product.
“The medium is the message.” – Marshal McLuhan, Media Theorist, 1964
This statement has never been truer than in our age where the digital world has evolved to change the way that products are delivered – by means of creative marketing. Customer engagement software that is fine-tuned to meet the growing needs of customers provides updates, offers and notifications on the go, keeping customers engaged with the brand. Additionally, brand preference is increased when software has a visually appealing interface or a loyalty program.
3. Convenience for Businesses and Users
Creating a great experience is no substitute for a bad product. However, a good experience can help customers stay loyal to a brand for the long haul. This is the third reason that customer engagement software is trending right – because it offers convenience for businesses and users. When multi-platform engagement is brought under a single umbrella, and when teams can interact with users from a single platform, support and engagement are no longer a challenge. Happy users – either internal or external – are more likely to build future opportunities for brand growth.
4. Artificial Intelligence
The emergence of artificial intelligence has made customer engagement software all the more crucial in the business world. The shift towards AI-powered, predictive personalization has taken regular software, added a brain to it, and taught it to interact with customers as well or even better than a person would. AI algorithms that are integrated into customer engagement software manage workflows, handle predictive tasks and make user experience seamless. Chat bots, on the other hand, live true to their hype by ensuring that users get a smart experience. With artificial intelligence boosting data analysis efforts and enhancing customer preferences, businesses and customers benefit.