Category: Strategy

Surprising Solutions to the 9 Business Challenges of a Customer-First Strategy

Posted on by Denyse Drummond-Dunn

Adopting a customer-first strategy is more than just an option these days. But did you know that, perhaps surprisingly, it can answer most business challenges? And it is, therefore, essential for the survival and growth of every single business.

Yet, I know this paradigm shift can present formidable challenges that many organisations struggle to overcome.

In 2023, I wrote a popular post covering the ten most common challenges businesses face when starting their journey to customer-centricity. It is called “Top 10 Challenges Facing Companies When They Adopt a Customer-First Strategy.”

However, a lot has changed in the past year, so I decided to update my suggested solutions to the latest obstacles businesses face when pivoting to a customer-centric approach.

As before, I provide supporting data and some inspiring case studies to get you going.

If I haven’t covered your challenges here or in the previous article, feel free to comment.

From reshaping ingrained company cultures to harnessing the power of big data, I’ll explore how industry leaders like Toyota, Salesforce, Target and Netflix have successfully navigated these challenges.

Whether you’re a startup looking to disrupt or an established enterprise aiming to evolve, this article will equip you with the knowledge and tools to transform challenges into opportunities.

Let’s take a look at nine key hurdles I have noted in working with my clients, and discover how to solve them, ensuring your business stays ahead in the race for customer loyalty and sustainable growth.

If you prefer to listen rather than read:

 

1. The Biggest Business Challenge – Revolutionising Company Culture

The transition from a product-centric to a customer-centric culture demands a complete overhaul of organizational mindset. This seismic shift often faces resistance from employees deeply rooted in traditional practices, who may struggle to see the immediate benefits of a customer-first approach. Companies grapple with ingrained behaviours, leadership communication gaps, and inadequate training programs.

Solution: The key lies in unwavering leadership commitment and consistent, clear communication. Take Zappos, for example – they’ve woven customer service into the very fabric of their core values, reinforcing this through ongoing training and aligning it with customer success metrics.

To facilitate this cultural metamorphosis:

  • Implement regular workshops that highlight the tangible benefits of customer-centricity
  • Develop a comprehensive internal communication strategy
  • Create a reward system that recognizes and celebrates customer-focused behaviours

The payoff is substantial: companies prioritizing customer experience see up to 1.7 times higher customer retention and 1.9 times higher average order value. This isn’t just a change in strategy; it’s a revolution in how business is done.

If you’d like to know the most effective way to overcome resistance to change in your company culture, please book some time for us to discuss your needs and identify three actions you can immediately take; click the link below.

LEARN MORE

2. Mastering the Art of Customer Data Analytics

In the age of big data, businesses are drowning in information but thirsting

… Click to continue reading

Unlocking the Huge Untapped Potential for SMEs through the Superior Use of Data

Posted on by Denyse Drummond-Dunn

All CEOs face many challenges, perhaps those of small and mid-sized companies more so than others. However, the current data-rich environment offers an enormous untapped potential for SMEs. Let me explain.

Today’s technically advanced and data-rich environment makes the strategic use of data a crucial element for success. While many companies recognise the importance of its leverage for marketing purposes, an often overlooked aspect holds immense potential: the comprehensive and superior use of customer-centric data. This is what I want to cover in this post.

If you would rather listen than read:

 

Understanding the Potential for SMEs to Use More Customer-Centric Data

Superior use of customer-centric data means going beyond basic data collection and analysis to integrate customer insights into every facet of a business. This holistic approach uses data to enhance product development, service enhancement, operational efficiency, and strategic planning.

Let’s look into each of these in more detail.

Why the Superior Use of Data Matters

1. Personalised Customer Experiences: Superior data utilisation helps all organisations, especially SMEs, create personalised experiences that resonate with individual customers.

Businesses can tailor their offerings, communications, and engagements to create meaningful connections by understanding customers’ preferences, behaviours, and needs. According to a report by Epsilon, 80% of customers are more likely to make a purchase from a brand that provides personalised experiences.

2. Predictive Insights for Proactive Strategies: Leveraging data allows SMEs to anticipate trends and predict future behaviours.

This foresight enables proactive strategies, such as developing new products or services that address emerging needs or adjusting marketing tactics to stay ahead of the competition. Gartner predicts that by 2025, AI-driven businesses will be able to capture up to $2.9 trillion in business value.

3. Enhanced Decision-Making: Data-driven decision-making eliminates guesswork and reduces the risk of costly mistakes. SMEs can make informed choices based on concrete evidence, leading to more effective resource allocation and improved outcomes. According to McKinsey, data-driven organisations are 23 times more likely to acquire customers, six times more likely to retain customers, and 19 times more likely to be profitable.

4. Operational Efficiency: Analysing customer data has huge potential for SMEs to identify inefficiencies and streamline processes. This enhances productivity, contributes to cost savings, and improves the overall customer experience. A Forrester study found that organisations leveraging data effectively see a 10% reduction in operational costs.

If you are an executive who believes you have untapped potential in your own organisation and would like to discuss your current challenges in data usage, innovation, or marketing, then why not CONTACT US? In a 30-minute CALL, you will walk away with at least three suggested actions immediately impacting your business.  

Transforming Marketing with Superior Data Utilization

The power of superior data use cannot be overstated for marketing heads. It revolutionises how marketing strategies are conceived, executed, and evaluated.

However, this means that they can no longer rely on creativity alone. They need to

… Click to continue reading

5 Key Trends to Business Success in 2024 using a Customer-First Strategy

Posted on by Denyse Drummond-Dunn

As we debut the second half of the year, the ever-evolving landscape of customer experience (CX) is making business success even more challenging than usual.

Are you finding this too? If so, then I have some ideas to help.

We already know that businesses that embrace a customer-first strategy successfully lead their markets by driving growth from increased loyalty. To continue benefiting from this customer-centric approach, it is important to understand what has changed in 2024 and how companies should react to their customers’ ever-changing demands.

If you prefer to listen rather than read:

 

Business Success in 2024: The Key Trends

Here are the key trends of 2024 and some questions you may already be asking yourself about them. If not, then perhaps you should.

As always, I share my ideas and examples to help you make any changes you decide are needed.

 

AI-Driven Personalization:

What is it? AI-driven personalization leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze vast customer data and deliver highly customized experiences.

It is important because it enables businesses to anticipate customer needs and offer tailored recommendations, enhancing the customer experience and driving business success.

Example: eBay’s new magical listing tool uses artificial intelligence to extrapolate details about listings from images. As a result, sellers can list items easily, and buyers can access more information about potential purchases. (Source)

 

Data Privacy and Trust:

What is it? Ensuring customer data is handled with transparency and robust security measures.

With increasing regulatory scrutiny and customer awareness, businesses must build and maintain trust by protecting their customers’ information, which is vital for ongoing business success.

Example: To sustain their customers’ trust, companies should communicate clearly about data usage and adopt stringent security protocols to prevent data breaches.

 

Omnichannel Experiences:

What is it? Providing a seamless and integrated customer experience across multiple online and offline channels.

Customers expect consistent interactions and a unified experience, regardless of the channel they are using. This can enhance both their satisfaction and loyalty.

Example: Airbnb offers 24/7 support through various channels, ensuring customers receive timely assistance regardless of the platform they use. (Source)

 

Ethical AI:

What is it? Using AI responsibly and transparently avoids perpetuating biases and helps to maintain customer trust.

Ethical AI practices are essential for building long-term, trust-based customer relationships and ongoing loyalty.

Example: Businesses must be open about how they use AI in customer interactions and take steps to mitigate any negative impacts.

 

Empathy at Scale:

What is it? Combining AI-driven automation with human empathy enables your customer service team to handle complex customer issues more effectively.

This approach ensures that customers feel valued and understood, even when interacting with automated systems, contributing to continued customer satisfaction.

Example: Using AI to address simpler queries frees human agents to provide empathetic support for more complicated issues. It is also usually speedier,

… Click to continue reading

A Comprehensive Guide to Overcoming the Most Common Data Integration Challenges

Posted on by Denyse Drummond-Dunn

Insight development is based on gathering information, then data integration and analysis. However, organisations often find this challenging due to multiple sources, formats and time scales. Do you?

Many companies struggle to benefit from all their data and information because they don’t know how to turn it into insight, or their insights remain interesting but not actionable. There are many reasons for this.

From data quality issues to technological limitations and resistance to change, organisations must navigate a complex landscape to unlock the full potential of their data.

This comprehensive guide delves into the ten most common challenges in insight development, offering detailed analysis and strategies to overcome each obstacle, ensuring your organization can harness data for strategic advantage.

If you prefer to listen rather than read:

 

What an Actionable Insight Really is

I get so frustrated when people refer to numbers, data, or the findings from research projects as insights. None of these are!

In addition, developing actionable insights from a single survey is rare.

The reason is that insight development, getting to that “aha” moment that everyone immediately understands and wonders why no one thought of before, needs a 360 perspective of the challenge or opportunity under investigation and uses information from multiple sources.

There are many definitions of insight, but the one that I use, and that resonates with my clients, is a statement that impacts the attitudes or behaviours of current or potential customers/shoppers of a brand or category based on a human truth that results in an emotional response.

At first glance, this may seem like quite a mouthful, so to simplify retention, I refer to it as ABCDE:

A = Attitudes and Actions

B = Brand or Category

C = Customer, consumer, client or shopper

D = Deep human truth

E = Emotional response

To fast-track your understanding, here are some great examples of the insights behind some of the best-known brands:

  • Heineken Jillz: I want to drink alcohol on a night out, but I don’t like beer and wine is too variable in quality.
  • Kraft Philadelphia: Food is delicious, but I don’t want to eat too much fat (butter versus cream cheese).
  • DTC Diamonds: I want to stand out (shine), but as a modern woman, I also want to be seen as gentle and feminine.
  • Unilever Dove: I want to be admired for my beauty on the inside, not for what I look like on the outside.
  • AXE (Lynx in UK): I (young men) want to attract as many beautiful and sexy women as possible.
  • Haribo Starmix: There’s a child inside every adult.
  • Dulux sample paint pots: I love to decorate my home, but I don’t want to look stupid by choosing the wrong colour.

You’ll notice that most are written in the first person as if the target audience is speaking. This makes it much easier to understand and resonate with the reader without much effort … Click to continue reading

The Essential Customer-Centric Mission Statement for Achieving Success

Posted on by Denyse Drummond-Dunn

A customer-centric mission statement is a fundamental component for driving success in any organisation wanting to grow more profitably.

It provides a clear direction and purpose, uniting the team towards shared objectives and fostering a sense of belonging. By guiding decision-making processes, it ensures that all actions align with the organization’s dedication to customer satisfaction, thereby setting expectations for employees and customers.

In a competitive business landscape, a mission statement serves as a strategic compass, ensuring that all efforts are focused on achieving customer success and building long-term relationships. A commitment to customer-centric values helps establish trust and loyalty, which are crucial for sustained growth and success.

Additionally, a well-crafted mission statement motivates employees to prioritize customer needs and deliver exceptional service consistently.

If you prefer to listen rather than read:

 

Essential Elements of a Customer-Centric Mission Statement

A mission statement is a strategic tool that defines a company’s approach to customer success. It sets the framework for the company’s actions and decisions, influencing the customer experience. Here, we outline the critical elements of an effective customer-centric mission statement, emphasizing its customer focus, clear and concise language, specific goals and objectives, and alignment with company values.

1. Emphasizing Customer-Centricity

A customer-centric mission statement must be deeply rooted in customer delight to resonate with and meet their expectations. This involves:

  • Understanding Customer Needs: While this is the heart of every successful business, it is essential when customers are mentioned in its mission statement. Therefore, conducting surveys, interviews, and data analyses is important to gain insights into customer pain points and priorities.
  • Crafting Customer-Focused Language: Use language that underscores the importance of customer value and satisfaction.
  • Aligning with Customer Success Metrics: Ensure the mission statement is in sync with key performance indicators related to customer success, driving positive outcomes.

By prioritizing customer-centricity, the organization consistently considers the customer perspective and strives to exceed their expectations.

2. Communicating with Clarity and Precision

A mission statement should be clear and concise, ensuring it is easily understood and memorable. Key considerations include:

  • Defining Purpose and Audience: Identify the mission statement’s target audience and intended purpose.
  • Using Plain Language: Avoid technical jargon and ambiguity to enhance accessibility.
  • Regular Refinement: Continuously review and refine the mission statement to maintain its brevity and clarity.

Clear communication ensures the mission statement effectively conveys the company’s commitment to customer success and resonates with all stakeholders.

3. Setting Specific Goals and Objectives

A mission statement should outline specific, measurable goals and objectives to provide clear direction and focus. This involves:

  • Tailoring Goals to Customer Needs: Define goals that directly address customer expectations and requirements.
  • Establishing Measurable Targets: Set quantifiable targets to track progress and success in customer-related initiatives.
  • Developing Strategic Plans: Formulate actionable strategies to achieve the defined goals and objectives.

Specific goals and objectives ensure the organization has a well-defined path to follow, facilitating measurable progress in customer success.

4. Aligning with Core Company

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The New Strategic Growth Blueprint for Successfully Reimagining Market Research

Posted on by Denyse Drummond-Dunn

It is a well-known fact that when budgets are tight, marketing is usually one of the first departments to suffer cuts, and market research in particular!

Why is this? I believe it is because their ROI is longer-term and often difficult to prove. They therefore make the perfect target for sweeping reductions. What they all need is a strategic growth blueprint.

A few years ago, I was asked to talk on this topic at the Planung&Analyse conference in Frankfurt. Despite rave reviews of the talk itself, many commented that they would have liked me to propose some sort of formula to help them to better defend themselves. So I decided to do just that with this post, but first a warning; customer understanding is being lost!

According to research by BurtchWorks, 20.7% of researchers changed jobs after an average of 3.1 years in their position. However, those with over ten years experience showed slightly lower levels of churn (17.8% and 3.4 years)

A study from Spencer Stuart among CMOs of Fortune 500 companies found that the average tenure is 4.2 years, roughly on par with the rest of the C-suite (4.4 years), with B2B companies (4.4 years) slightly better off than B2C (4.1 years).

These numbers made me realise that customer understanding risks being forgotten and then constantly reinvented by newly hired people in marketing and market research positions. What a waste of resources!

But there is something that you can do to increase the ROI of your spending, which is something the C-suite has long demanded of marketing departments.

And that is to develop a CMO Strategic Growth Blueprint that includes reimagining market research and how data and information are used.

Here’s how.

If you prefer to listen rather than read:

 

The ROI of Market Research

The challenge of proving the value of market research (MR) has also been a hot topic for more than a decade. And yet we didn’t seem to be any closer to solving it, at least until recently. I think that this is because all the studies I have seen on the topic concentrate on identifying what is wrong, but rarely offer help in what to change to provide more visible value to their companies. I want to put this right.

The CEB / Gartner Analysis: This analysis concludes that MR provides two types of value. Firstly from new projects and secondly from accumulated knowledge over time. By plotting these two, they came out with a three-phase progression of how MR can add value to an organisation. (see below)

CEB / Gartner MR Value

However, with both marketers and market researchers changing jobs (too) frequently, there is far less accumulated knowledge than previously. But don’t worry I have the solution in the form of a new model of CX, which I will explain in a moment.

 

The BCG Analysis: A few years after the CEB study, BCG (Boston Consulting Group) updated their own … Click to continue reading

The Power of Atomic Change to Unlock Quantum Growth in Any Business

Posted on by Denyse Drummond-Dunn

Organizations must be agile and adaptable to thrive in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape. This is why atomic change is more effective than quantum disruption.

The traditional approach to turbulent times has always been a monumental, top-down transformation. But this is no longer the only path to success and is certainly not the most effective.

Today, many companies are turning to a more nuanced strategy: atomic change. Atomic change is the father of agility and clarifies what is needed to meet our ever-changing world.

If you’d prefer to listen rather than read:

 

The Nature of Atomic Change

Atomic changes, also known as incremental or small-scale changes, involve making discrete adjustments to various aspects of a business. These changes are often gradual but collectively lead to significant transformation over time.

Let’s explore the key advantages of this approach:

1. Reduced Resistance: Atomic changes are met with less resistance from employees since they are usually less dramatic. A Gartner survey found that employees’ willingness to support enterprise change fell from 74% in 2016 to just 43% in 2022. So clearly atomic changes are the way to go.

Another survey, this time from Wharton, found that 70% of employees are more likely to embrace smaller, incremental changes compared to large-scale transformations. And McKinsey found that companies which failed their transformation programs identified employee resistance or management behaviour as the major barrier (72%) to success.

When Microsoft implemented its move from Windows 8 to Windows 10, they initially faced resistance from users who were accustomed to the older operating system. To address this, Microsoft introduced a series of atomic changes through regular updates and improvements to Windows 10. Over time, users began to appreciate the gradual enhancements, resulting in a higher acceptance rate and reduced resistance.

2. Faster Implementation: Another research study from McKinsey indicates that atomic changes can be implemented 30% faster, on average, than large-scale transformations. This seems obvious, but it is good to keep in mind in today’s dynamic business environment.

Amazon, known for its agile approach, continuously makes atomic changes to its e-commerce platform. They frequently implement small updates and new features, allowing them to respond swiftly to market demands. This rapid deployment strategy enables Amazon to maintain its competitive edge in the fast-paced online retail industry. It also allows them to identify winning concepts while highlighting and quickly removing those which don’t resonate with customers.

Join our Ultimate 60-mins CX Makeover to discover new ways to implement atomic change in your own organisation.

Statistics That Speak Volumes

The effectiveness of atomic change is not just anecdotal; it is backed by compelling statistics:


1. Employee Engagement: A Gallup poll revealed that organizations that frequently implement small, incremental changes report 25% higher employee engagement levels than those relying solely on large-scale transformations.

Google’s “20% Time” policy is a famous example of fostering employee engagement through atomic changes. Google encourages its employees to spend 20% … Click to continue reading

Feedback Fuelled Success: The Dynamic Duo of Continuous Improvement and Customer Insights

Posted on by Denyse Drummond-Dunn

Last week, I spoke about the importance of actioning customer feedback, so I would now like to focus on continuous improvement by using the information to optimise your brands and services.

If you prefer to listen rather than read:

 

The Customer’s Need for Continuous Improvement

The only constant in business today is change! And customers expect businesses to be constantly adapting and preparing for their future needs.

A survey by Salesforce reported that 76% of consumers expect companies to understand their needs and expectations.

Thriving in this dynamic environment requires a commitment to continuous improvement and a deep understanding of customer needs and preferences.

Businesses that embrace these practices enhance their products and services and craft exceptional customer experiences, setting themselves apart from the competition.

This blog looks at the critical role of continuous improvement and customer feedback, offering insights and strategies to help organizations stay ahead and resonate with their market.

 

The Value of Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is not just a strategy; it’s a mindset that drives business growth and success. In a world where customer expectations are continually evolving, companies that prioritize ongoing improvement can adapt, innovate, and remain competitive.

For instance, Toyota, through its Kaizen philosophy, has seen a significant reduction in production costs and an increase in vehicle quality.

1.1 The Concept of Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement, a philosophy embodied by concepts like Kaizen and lean management, is about making small, incremental changes that collectively lead to significant enhancements.

This approach is not just about streamlining processes; it’s about fostering a culture where every team member is empowered and encouraged to seek out ways to enhance performance and productivity.

A study by Bain & Company revealed that companies embracing lean management and continuous improvement techniques saw a 20% increase in customer satisfaction and a 35% growth in financial performance.

1.2 Benefits of Continuous Improvement

The benefits of continuous improvement extend beyond operational efficiency. It’s about nurturing a proactive culture that anticipates and responds to changes swiftly.

Organisations that adopt this approach witness improved productivity, heightened customer satisfaction, and a robust capacity for innovation. It’s not just about doing things right; it’s about doing the right things, continually.

For example, Motorola’s Six Sigma program has reportedly saved the company over $17 billion over the years.

 

Leveraging Customer Feedback for Improvement

Customer feedback is an invaluable resource, offering direct insights into what’s working and what’s not.

Microsoft’s decision to reintroduce the Start menu in Windows, following widespread customer feedback, significantly improved user satisfaction and acceptance.

2.1 Listening to Customer Voice

Customers interact with businesses through various channels, each offering unique insights. From surveys to social media interactions and direct customer service engagements, understanding how to collect and leverage these interactions is crucial.

Each channel provides a different perspective, collectively offering a comprehensive view of customer sentiment and experience.

Adobe’s Digital Trends Report highlighted that companies with strong omnichannel customer

… Click to continue reading

A New Breakthrough Model of Customer Experience – Quantum Customer Centricity (QC2™)

Posted on by Denyse Drummond-Dunn

The World Has Changed. Everyone is talking about the importance of customer centricity. But they should be actioning quantum customer centricity! Let me explain.

Many people think that customer centricity is the same as customer experience. They’re wrong! At least if they are thinking about the traditional CX model.

As we start a new year, I am celebrating the official launch of the New CX Model Quantum Customer Centricity (QC2™) … Beyond CX. After decades of learning and experimentation, I created QC2™ so that every business can successfully adopt a customer-first strategy, and become more agile, more resourceful, and experience increased market growth.

If you prefer to listen rather than read:

Adopting a Customer-First Strategy is Essential

The CX Index states that 90% of businesses, regardless of the vertical they are operating in, have made CX their primary focus. And research by Gartner concluded that 80% of organizations expect to compete mainly based on CX.

Therefore, you could already have been left behind, unless you’ve started on your journey to increased customer centricity! But there is a big difference between talking about putting the customer first and doing so.

The CEI Survey found that 86% of buyers will pay more for a better customer experience. However, only 1% of customers feel that vendors consistently meet their expectations.

That’s good news for you late adopters, as it means you may still have time to benefit from delivering a better CX experience for your customers, but you must act NOW!

And anyway, why wouldn’t you? The benefits are huge!

According to research, customer-centric companies grow their revenues 4% to 8% faster than their market competitors. Not only that, 79% reported significant cost savings, and 84% increased their revenue.

But how do you optimise your own customer-first strategy, and where do you begin?

 

Why Traditional CX is Letting You Down Without You Even Knowing It!

Most discussions about customer experience only consider the interaction between the customer and the company. As a result, most effort goes into improving customer service departments and call centres.

Since these departments tend to be either small or even outsourced, changes to them have little impact on how a business works. And unfortunately, they are also rarely of great interest to top management.

The customer journey is often seen as linear and only impacting the different departments at distinct points in time. Even if customer emotions are considered at each touchpoint, which is already an improvement on the usual journey map, it remains limited and static.

In addition, information about the customer may be gathered, but it is rarely shared across departments, let alone integrated for deeper knowledge and understanding of the customer.

All of this has resulted in individual actions being taken without a holistic view of the customer or their experience. That is why so few organisations succeed in delighting the customer with their customer-first strategy adoption.

It’s time for a … Click to continue reading

7 Secrets to Business Growth from Leading Global Brands

Posted on by Denyse Drummond-Dunn

Whenever several people ask me to share my strategies for achieving business growth, it indicates that something significant is happening in the marketplace.

This is precisely what happened to me a few months ago. No less than two of my current clients and four new companies have asked me for support in growing their businesses in just the past month! In particular, they have all said that one or more of their brands is stable (to be polite) and that they want to reverse their (negative) trend.

Is this your situation, too? Did you also struggle to achieve growth this year? If so, I have a useful 7-step process that will bring you rapid change in 2024. (although if I were one of the self-proclaimed “gurus” we all see on social media these days, I probably would guarantee you results in days or weeks, shouldn’t I?!!)

I believe that one of the major issues in marketing these days is that companies are following an incomplete, outdated CX (customer experience) model.

If you’d prefer to listen rather than read:

 

The Need for a New CX Model

The CX Index states that 90% of businesses, regardless of the vertical they are operating in, have made CX their primary focus. And research by Gartner concluded that 80% of organizations expect to compete mainly based on CX.

This should be good news for customers, but there’s a problem.

Most discussions about customer experience only consider the interaction between the customer and the company. As a result, most effort goes into improving customer service departments and call centres.

Since these departments tend to be either smaller or even outsourced, their changes have little impact on how a business works. They are also of little interest to top management.

The customer journey is seen as linear and only impacts different departments at distinct points in time. Even if their emotions are considered at each touchpoint, which is already an improvement, it remains static.

In addition, information about the customer may be gathered, but it is rarely shared, let alone integrated, for deeper knowledge and understanding.

This has resulted in individual actions being taken without a holistic view of the customer or their experience. That is why so few succeed.

 

Quantum Customer CentricityQuantum Customer Centricity (QC2) takes a multi-dimensional view of the four moving parts of a customer-first strategy. It boosts business by leveraging your strengths while identifying the biggest opportunities for growth. It finds the small, key changes that will maximise your company’s benefit.

And these smaller atomic transformations are far more likely to succeed than larger ones.

QC2 is a breakthrough approach that integrates rather than replaces what you are already doing well, so progress is made faster and usually also considerably cheaper.

It creates greater agility, delivering more targeted and accelerated results than most of the traditional models typical to larger organizations.

If you’d like to learn more about … Click to continue reading

Using AI to Delight Your Customers With More AI (Authentic Interactions)

Posted on by Denyse Drummond-Dunn

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of our daily lives and has revolutionized how we interact with technology and businesses. This post discusses how to use AI to enhance customer experience with another AI, authentic interactions.

Over the past year, the AI landscape has witnessed a significant shift from AI versus AI competitions to AI working in collaboration with AI. Although AI-driven interactions have made significant progress, it is time to take them to the next level by integrating authentic interactions with AI to deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Let’s examine how AI has evolved in customer relations and explore ten ways businesses can integrate authentic interactions with AI to enhance customer experiences.

Get ready to delve into a world where technology meets humanity, where the future of customer engagement is not AI versus AI, but AI working in tandem with AI.

If you’d prefer to listen rather than read:

 

The Evolution of AI in Authentic Interactions with Customers

Over the years, AI has greatly evolved in customer interactions. Initially, AI was used to automate monotonous tasks and to provide quick and efficient responses to customer inquiries. However, the early AI systems were often inflexible and could not understand and adapt to the subtleties of human communication.

With the advances in AI technology, we have seen the emergence of chatbots and virtual assistants that can engage in more natural and context-aware conversations.

This development has led to a shift from the traditional AI versus AI approach, where AI tries to outsmart or outperform other AIs, to a more collaborative approach known as AI + AI.

 

AI + AI: The Future of Customer Engagements

The combination of AI and AI marks a significant change in how businesses utilize AI technologies for authentic customer interactions. Instead of setting one AI system against another, businesses are now concentrating on integrating multiple AI components to function together fluidly, ultimately improving customer experiences.

Here are ten methods to integrate authentic interactions with AI to achieve this goal:

1. Embracing Emotional Intelligence (EI) is crucial for AI. It involves training algorithms to recognize and respond to human emotions by understanding cues such as tone of voice, choice of words, and facial expressions.

This helps AI gauge a customer’s emotional state and respond appropriately with empathy and support. When AI acknowledges customers’ feelings, they feel heard and valued and can offer personalized solutions.

Pre-programmed responses should be banned as they are easily recognized and do more harm than good. Call centre representatives should be given the autonomy to do what’s best for the customer within certain guidelines. If you’d like to read more about delivering best-in-class customer service, read the post: “7 Ways to Deliver Awesome Customer Service & Build Loyal Advocates”

2. Human-AI hybrid teams combine the best of both worlds by utilizing the strengths of humans and AI systems. AI is highly efficient in handling routine tasks and queries, allowing

… Click to continue reading

Navigate a Challenging Business Environment and Stay Ahead of Your Competition

Posted on by Denyse Drummond-Dunn

When facing a challenging business environment, which these days is true for almost every industry, companies don’t always have the time to make considered decisions. Agility has become a much-needed skill.

So, how can companies be better prepared for whatever the future holds? 

Agility needs preparation and with this in mind, most major organisations conduct some sort of societal trend following in the hope that they will correctly “guess” what might happen. You may be one of them. So it might surprise you that I believe this is a huge mistake, especially if you think that trends alone will better prepare your organisation!

Think about it. Most companies follow the same trends, attend the same trend “shows” & conferences, and get the same or at least very similar reports.

This results in them all working on the same ideas and concepts, and eventually launching very similar products and services or campaigns, that struggle to compete effectively.

Have you never wondered why suddenly everyone is talking about a certain topic, using similar slogans, or launching equivalent offers? Now you know why!

Here’s how to avoid this and develop a powerful competitive advantage.

If you’d prefer to listen rather than read:

 

Market Evidence

I want to start by sharing just one example of the problem I just mentioned. A few years ago, we started seeing many companies using the idea of “YES” and “NO” in their advertising. In Europe, these included:

  • The Swiss Migros Bank: see the videos here – only in French & German, I’m afraid but still easy to understand whatever language you speak.
  • Coke’s “Say Yes to Love” campaign.
  • Coke say yes to love

 

  • BMW 320i  Campaign YES YOU CAN

 

These are just three examples from very different industries, but I’m sure there are many others in your own country. (If so, please share the example in the comments below.)

Clearly, the trend for more independence and freedom has been emphasised in all three organisations mentioned above. Perhaps they are working with the same trend or advertising agency? Or maybe they are buying the same external trends report. It certainly looks like it, doesn’t it?

Companies that develop concepts based upon this type of external resource alone can find themselves in a race to be the first to market when using the ideas these reports suggest.

Incidentally, it is not always best to be the first when introducing new concepts to consumers, especially when they require learning new ways of thinking or working.

So what can you do about it? The vital step that many – dare I say most – organisations don’t take, is to turn the trends they are following into plausible future scenarios.

Scenario planning ensures original thinking from which proprietary ideas are conceived, and takes the development of new concepts in-house, where it belongs.

Then, the new product and service concepts, the new advertising campaigns, and the new promotions that are designed are unlikely to be … Click to continue reading

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