Digital Engagement Blog

Industry analysts (Gartner, Forrester, et al) sometimes look over the horizon and alert us to new things we don't yet see.

We recently spoke with several industry analysts who had surprising observations and forecasts that, if true, are creating problems and risks for us right now.

Here are a few highlights about where analysts think customer engagement is headed and why our problem may be about to get worse.

A recent report from BI Intelligence suggests that significant savings can be achieved in customer service when Chatbots (and other tech) are deployed.

“Chatbots also have the potential to help businesses significantly cut labor costs. While complete automation of the customer service workforce is not feasible, automating customer management and sales positions in the US where possible through Chatbots and other automation technologies would result in considerable savings.”  (The Chatbot Explainer, BI Intelligence, July 2016)

In this post we're going to take a closer look at this POV and see if we can peel back a layer or two of that onion.

It looks like “everyone” is getting on the Chatbot boat.  They are hyped and hot and… I’ve gotta have one.  Or maybe not.

Motivations to get on the Chatbot boat vary.  Some will use this technology to automate simple tasks not critical to the business. These simple bots might have a WOW factor but don’t provide much business value.  For example, here is a list of 51 corporate chatbots across industries.

But others, like many readers of this blog, might have higher standards stemming from the demands of running large scale contact centers and customer engagement programs.

So is it time for you to invest in Chatbots?

Here are four recommended Chatbot investment criteria to consider before you jump on the Chatbot boat:

What are your communication options when you need to engage mobile prospects and customers?  Given that a good old fashioned phone call doesn't even crack the top five most used apps on a smartphone, it's a safe bet to consider that your best engagement options are going to involve tapping instead of talking.  

In this blog post we compare three options:  Texting (SMS), Mobile Messaging and Online Chat. While these terms often get used interchangeably, they are in fact three very different options, each with their own characteristics to consider. 

 “We need to be where our customers are.”

We hear this statement frequently as we talk to digital and customer care execs.  Execs want to be close to customers and at the same digital watering hole so they have a fighting chance to engage them.  Let's take a look a some recent market data to see if we can figure out "where customers are."

As the customer service function shifts into the digital age, we often take a step back to ask where servicing is headed.  Not only is it fascinating to watch and be a part of, but it’s really interesting to observe the shift separately through the lens of the mobile-digital exec vs. the contact center ops exec.  We’ve found these two lenses give you a different view of the same challenge.

So how do we define digital customer servicing through the lens of the mobile-digital exec?

A question we frequently are asked is “how does age effect mobile phone use?”  Or will my older customer use whatever mobile strategy I develop?

Below is a look at current demographic data for smartphones based on Pew Research and Forrester Research data.  While your customer base may behave differently, these data show that across the population at large, millennials are hardly alone in their avvid use of smarphones.

• For every 100 young people that own a smartphone, 66 boomers have one
• For every 100 young people that use apps, 74 boomers use apps
• For every 100 young people that text, 93 boomers text (and we don't drive while we do it!)

Check out this roundup of perspectives and insights that cover digital, mobile, chatbots, AI, and similar topics with a focus on customer service and customer engagement.  This is what I am reading, and I thought you might find it useful too!

Chatbots vs Humans in the Contact Center

 “Two of the biggest trends in business today are heading on a collision course….On one hand, every major technology company is investing heavily in artificial intelligence (A.I.), promising a better, cheaper, and faster way to “engage” with consumers. "

Traditional chat solutions create a CX that’s essentially a phone call with typing instead of talking.  It’s a strictly linear experience tied to a single session that begins and ends on a single device.  That may be a good fit for a customer journey that follows a nice straight line, but that’s not how consumers buy anymore.

Consumers jump between a mesh of digital devices

Today’s digital consumers live their lives differently, and they expect to engage differently. 

Your Customers Are Digital

By 2020, mobile commerce will make up 45 percent of total e-commerce (BI Intelligence) and require a different strategy than today’s online web strategy.  On the service side, Gartner says 35% of all support will take place on a mobile device by the end of next year.

The velocity of technological change is accelerating. New technologies are emerging that will reshape customer service as we know it today.  Many of these technologies are being tested and even deployed as part of the contact center stack by leading companies.  And these technologies are already driving significant benefits for early adopters.

Forrester Report

To help us understand these changes, Forrester Research recently released a report entitled “Plan Now For Customer Service In 2021. “  This report (on our recommended reading list) explores five technologies that are expected to transform customer care over the next five years.