Editorial
The Gist
- AI in customer experience. AI's growing role in CX focuses on predictive and responsive services, enhancing customer satisfaction and efficiency.
- Personalization at scale. 2024 sees businesses mastering personalization at scale, using AI for ultra-tailored experiences, boosting customer engagement.
- AI-driven CX trends 2024. AI-driven CX trends in 2024 emphasize ethical AI use, omnichannel integration, and proactive service, reshaping business strategies.
Just as the seasons are changing, so is the world of customer experience. It's a landscape in constant flux, especially now, shaped by the twin forces of advancing technology and the ever-evolving expectations of customers.
Let's take a look at the impact of AI in customer experience.
So as we stand at the beginning of 2024, there are several trends that major companies should be tracking. Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are accelerating many of these changes, and it's become crucial to understand how they can be leveraged.
AI in Customer Experience: Personalization at Scale
The power of personalization is only going to become more important as we move into 2024. But here's the kicker — businesses will now need to achieve this on a grand scale.
In fact, according to Adobe, 89% of marketers are now reporting a positive ROI when they use ultra-tailored personalization techniques versus when they don’t.
Imagine a retail clothing store using AI tools to analyze customer data, identifying individual fashion preferences and sizes. This could allow them to tailor email marketing campaigns to each customer (not just each segment), recommending items that align with their unique style and fit.
This level of personalization at scale isn't just going to be a nice-to-have for much longer; it's quickly becoming an expectation.
Omnichannel Experience
We all know the vast majority of customers don't just interact with businesses through one channel. They're tweeting, emailing, calling and visiting physical locations. They expect a seamless experience across all these touchpoints, more so than they ever have before. The omnichannel customer experience approach has been preached as a best practice for a while now — yet, so many businesses continue to struggle with its practical application.
This lack of seamless experience won’t stand up to the test much longer.
Imagine this: A customer is browsing shoes on a company's website, adding a pair to their cart but not purchasing. Later, they walk into the physical store, and the sales associate is immediately able to pull up their online cart and assist them in finding the shoes.
AI tools are making this level of integration possible, and customers are ready for it.
Related Article: 6 AI Automation Trends in Omnichannel CX
Proactive Customer Service
The days of responding to problems only when customers report issues are fading into the past. In 2024, the most successful businesses will be those that anticipate and resolve issues before customers even know the issues exist.
This trend is further supported by a study from MyCustomer, which reveals that 73% of customers who are contacted proactively report a positive experience that changes their perception of the company for the better.
Consider an AI tool that monitors software usage, detecting when a user is repeatedly encountering the same error. Instead of waiting for the user to contact support, the company proactively reaches out with a solution. This is the level of proactive customer service that will only continue to evolve and transform the customer experience.
Learning Opportunities
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Related Article: Redefining Personalization in Marketing: How AI Is Changing the Game
Voice Technology
Voice technology is set to revolutionize customer interactions. As voice assistants become more prevalent, businesses need to adapt. This will allow them to tap into several historically overlooked markets — the hard-of-seeing, the differently-abled, the way-too-busy businesswoman/soccer mom who doesn’t have time to sit down and manually type out her order information, and many others.
Or take even the historically overserved populations. Imagine college students ordering their favorite pizza just by talking to their smart speaker or asking for product recommendations from their voice assistant.
These interactions are becoming increasingly possible.
Related Article: 5 AI Trends in Voice of the Customer Practices
Ethical AI
As we integrate AI into our customer experience strategies, we must also consider the ethical implications. In 2024, businesses that use AI transparently and responsibly will stand out. Because the fact of the matter is most businesses still aren’t open and transparent about it.
As reported by ZDNet, while 73% of business leaders acknowledge the indispensability of AI guidelines, only a meager 6% have established such guidelines in their companies.
Furthermore, a survey by Cisco reveals that customers are supportive of AI but harbor concerns about its usage by businesses. This same study found that 65% of consumers have lost trust due to lack of transparency in how businesses handle their data.
Do you see the opportunity to stand out here?
Businesses everywhere need to start being transparent about how they're using customer data and how they ensure that their algorithms aren’t perpetuating biases.
In truth, this isn't just about complying with regulations — it's about earning the trust of customers with ethical AI in business.
Empathy at Scale
While AI is certainly bringing a new level of efficiency to the world of CX, there's something it hasn’t yet replaced: human empathy. In 2024, businesses will strive to deliver empathy and AI in CX at scale, combining the best of AI and humans.
Here’s an example.
Imagine a customer service chatbot that handles simple queries, freeing up human agents to deal with more complex issues. More customers have their issues resolved, with the customers that have the most complex issues (requiring the highest amount of empathy) receive the time and attention they’re looking for from a real agent.
This is empathy at scale.
The future of AI in customer experience is truly thrilling at this moment in time. With the integration of AI, businesses can deliver personalized, seamless, and empathetic experiences at scale. But it's also crucial to navigate the ethical implications and maintain human connections.
By keeping an eye on these trends, we as CX professionals can adequately prepare for the future while continuing to delight.
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