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Technology to bring a human touch to business
By Steve Raher, Business Development Director, Empathica
Increasingly as I read analyst and pundit comments on the technology trends ahead, one common theme appears to be emerging. The theme is the ability for technology to bring a human touch back to our day to day activities.
Nowhere is this trend more relevant than in the world of business. With the advent of social media and mobile phone technologies, businesses are now able to communicate with customers in more ways than ever. These conversations can both empower consumers and also enhance the experiences brands are able to deliver.
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Technology was once associated with removing the human aspect from elements of business (automated assembly lines, computers performing ongoing calculations). In today’s information age, communication is king and technology has had a profound influence on how we interact with each other and with businesses alike. Innovations in technology have created a turning point and the age of faceless big business is coming to an end. Technology is now a tool allowing business owners to rebuild customer relationships and maintain them at a global scale. It’s a combination of the personalised relationships consumers used to have with local businesses and the pricing and product variety that comes with the scale of businesses with a global reach.
The challenge now is how to convert this sentiment to an actionable model.
One area that businesses can start with is the existing programmes for soliciting feedback from consumers, already adopted by many retailers and restaurants. Here, advances in technology allow us to maximise their value more than ever.
Customer experience management (CEM), as it’s come to be known, is all about engaging with customers to understand their needs at a deeper level. The programmes layer back that human experience in three major phases:
1.
Understanding the science behind loyalty. When it comes to understanding what truly drives customer sentiment it’s important to have a level of curiosity that begins where most others’ ends.
Understanding the science behind loyalty. When it comes to understanding what truly drives customer sentiment it’s important to have a level of curiosity that begins where most others’ ends.2.Delivering a consistent branded experience at the ground level. Operational efficiency that tells the story of a brand not only allows for consistency across all locations of multi-unit enterprises but by doing so can relieve some of the anxiety that often hangs over consumers in the new world of retail.
Delivering a consistent branded experience at the ground level. Operational efficiency that tells the story of a brand not only allows for consistency across all locations of multi-unit enterprises but by doing so can relieve some of the anxiety that often hangs over consumers in the new world of retail.3.Finally, technology today can help personalise the shopping experience. Social media and mobile phone innovations aside, it’s interesting that, for example, one of the competitive advantages online retailers have developed over the last few years is a much deeper personal relationship with many consumers. Recommendations, complimentary products, remembering history and preferences… in many ways technology has effectively allowed online retailers to personalise a highly impersonal experience.
Finally, technology today can help personalise the shopping experience. Social media and mobile phone innovations aside, it’s interesting that, for example, one of the competitive advantages online retailers have developed over the last few years is a much deeper personal relationship with many consumers. Recommendations, complimentary products, remembering history and preferences… in many ways technology has effectively allowed online retailers to personalise a highly impersonal experience. Technology today gives businesses, whatever the size, a tremendous opportunity to connect with their customers and form relationships almost as personal as our grandparents used to have with the local places they shopped and dined at. Also, as a consumer, I find it empowering to be able to help shape my favourite brands. If they do listen and improve on the back of what I say – what are the chances I’ll leave for the competition? Rather low. And not only that – I’ll tell my friends and followers about my great experiences, too.
