Digital technology is changing the way companies communicate with their customers. Big data, hyper-personalization, data analytics, artificial intelligence – are all the new buzzwords associated with digital customer communication. And while these digital tools are being used to sculpt enhanced customer experiences, not all customers are happy with the way brands are communicating with them… which begs the question – do you know how your customers want to communicate?
This week’s article selection provides insight into customer expectations of brand communications in this digital era. We’ve rounded it off with great input from one of our digital customer experience experts.
Study shows consumers value human-like communication from brands
This article highlights the need for brands to be sincere and relatable in the way they communicate with their customers. This is substantiated in a recent report by Braze and Forrester, “57% of consumers say that human communication would increase their brand loyalty and 58% say human communication would increase their likelihood of spending money with a given brand.” It is noted that communication from a brand should ideally reflect its personality, to prove its authenticity in the eye of the consumer.
Read further to understand the value of first party data, and the vital role it plays in driving the personalized, human-like experiences consumers expect from brand communications.
- Publisher: The Drum
- Access: Public
- Download: None
Why Brands Must Move From Communication With Consumers to Conversation
While hyper-personalization drives customer engagement and ultimately enhances the customer experience, this article warns that it could also overwhelm customers with too much choice. “45% of customers have abandoned a site because it was too overwhelming, up from 40% last year,” – research from the 2018 Accenture Interactive Personalization Pulse Report. The author suggests brands work on creating a “two-way digital dialogue, along with attributes and capabilities across all customer interactions.” This will enable a ‘living profile,’ which will capture the unique characteristics and evolving needs of each customer in real-time.
Read on to learn more about what the author refers to as a customer ‘style profile’ and how it enables a shift to more interactive communications.
- Publisher: Adweek
- Access: Public
- Download: None
What Consumers Expect from Brand Communications
Consumers are no longer wanting to approach brands for goods and services, instead they expect these to be delivered to them, often digitally. These expectations are driving the need for a smarter approach to customer experience (CX), and so, brand communications also need to evolve accordingly. A recent study by West UC, indicates that “the modern customer experience (CX) places a higher weight on the quality of each interaction” So, to deliver effective communications, brands need to consider factors such as customer preferences, knowledge, age and experience.
Read this post to learn more about what aspects of brand management companies should consider, to help identify and meet consumer expectations of brand communications.
- Publisher: West UC
- Access: Public
- Download: None
Input from our digital customer experience expert
“Communicating with customers has always been vital to businesses surviving and thriving. In the past, documents such as bank statements, accounts, and invoices, were printed and delivered by mail. Today, however, the focus is more on providing customers with dynamic, personalized communications, based on their preferences rather than those of the business.
Understanding that customers want information on demand that is hyper relevant, contextual and in the channel of their choice, forms the basis of a strategic vision for your customer experience”
