Customer Service

Enabling connected shopper journeys through AI

Supporting the connected journeys now essential for retailers requires overhauling outdated digital workflows struggling to uphold continuity standards. Adopting an AI solution enables automation, personalization and analytics to facilitate consistent messaging and experiences.

Photo: Adobe Stock (AI Generated)

January 23, 2024 by Chris Todd — Sr. Manager of Demand Generation, CallTrackingMetrics

Today's shoppers seamlessly traverse digital touchpoints, moving from Instagram inspiration to mobile web browser comparison shopping to buying through the app and picking up in-store. To succeed in the overall retail landscape, retailers must meet soaring consumer expectations for unified experiences across their decision-making journeys or face abandoned carts, unhappy shoppers and, ultimately, customer attrition.

Supporting the connected journeys that are now essential for retailers requires overhauling outdated digital workflows struggling to uphold continuity standards. Adopting an artificial intelligence solution enables automation, personalization and analytics to facilitate consistent messaging and experiences wherever consumers browse and buy.

Promoting loyalty with unified omnichannel experiences

The current hyper-competitive retail climate has made it necessary for retailers to not only capture shoppers' attention in the short run but also maintain it long-term. Smooth omnichannel experiences with unified branding and messaging can cultivate the customer trust needed to drive loyalty and organic endorsements. In fact, up to 62% of customers who trust a brand stay loyal, and 86% of loyal customers will recommend the brand to others.

AI can funnel cross-channel data to retail teams to inform coordinated omnichannel strategies, synchronizing recommendations across email, apps, sites and all other touch points powered by insight into individuals' preferences. Future success will hinge on retailers' abilities to leverage AI-driven data to orchestrate seamless, convenient, delightful shopper experiences.

AI for CX: A win-win

According to recent research, 60% of customer experience executives believe artificial intelligence will substantially enhance omnichannel capabilities in the coming years. Central benefits for improving the omnichannel experience include:

Personalized suggestions. AI can curate customized content and recommendations by analyzing customer data across channels. This tailored messaging boosts conversions and customer satisfaction, especially since over 70% of consumers expect personalized experiences when interacting with brands.
Customer behavior predictions. By forecasting customer needs or flagging risky behavior based on feedback and activity analysis, AI facilitates proactive, preemptive service. For example, if the data shows a risk of churn, the organization can reach out with bespoke offers or discounts to prevent the loss.
Constant availability. AI chatbots and assistants don't ever need a break, so they can offer instant, perpetual support on websites and apps. This frontline technology is capable of answering a wide variety of inquiries and FAQs but escalates more complex calls requiring empathy to human agents.
Omnichannel unity. AI can aggregate data points captured across multiple channels to construct a holistic customer profile. This information can facilitate smooth cross-channel transitions, preventing repetition and enabling users to resume activities wherever it's most convenient.

With its sophisticated capabilities, AI promises to enhance consistency, convenience and individualization across channels. These improved customer experiences make for stickier relationships that ultimately bolster a business's bottom line.

AI evolution

Ongoing innovation is integral to keeping up with customer expectations, especially since 31% of people already have higher customer service expectations than they did last year. Additionally, 80% of consumers already believe that AI tools will improve their customer service experiences, especially when it comes to solving routine issues quickly. Moving forward, balancing human talent with carefully designed automation will provide a path to sustainably meeting ever-elevating service quality standards.

By blending empathy-focused agents with AI handling high-volume queries behind the scenes, institutions will consistently exceed today's demands through efficient issue escalation, 24/7 self-service access and proactive personalization. With individual needs and technology evolving rapidly, embracing a symbiotic human-machine strategy keeps pace with user expectations and forges enduring connections powered by care and convenience.

About Chris Todd

Chris Todd, senior manager of demand generation, CallTrackingMetrics, is a professional digital marketer with more than a decade of experience in building and promoting brands. A digital marketing and social media expert, Chris earned his MBA from Univ. of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

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