Artificial Intelligence
How does customer engagement look like in 2023?
As we move further into the digital age, customer engagement is becoming an integral part of every business’s success. With the increasing competition and evolving customer demands, it has become imperative for companies to prioritize customer engagement strategies to build a loyal customer base.
Customer engagement is evolving to encompass a wider range of channels and technologies, and companies must adapt to meet these new demands as we look into 2023 and beyond. Let’s explore the current state of customer engagement in 2023 and how businesses are leveraging technology to improve their customer engagement strategies.
- The Rise of Personalization
In recent years, personalization has become the cornerstone of customer engagement strategies. Businesses are increasingly using customer data to provide personalized experiences to their customers.
According to a recent study by Epsilon, 80% of customers are more likely to do business with a company that offers personalized experiences. To achieve this, businesses will need to leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to collect and analyze customer data, providing personalized recommendations, and targeted promotions.
Hence, marketers can promote positive engagement, enhanced retention, and greater conversion rates by prioritizing personalization and delivering targeted communications through the customer’s preferred channel, at the right time and day.
- Chatbots: Utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to anticipate customer behavior.
Look at ChatGPT, a bot that came to life, literally. It is undeniable that there is quite the hype on its performance and ability to predict and relay information as prompted. Well, it is true.
Locally, we have companies like Safaricom that have gone a step ahead with the introduction of Zuri, an interactive customer care chatbot designed to help customers perform a varied number of tasks. These tools are providing fast, accurate, and personalized support to customers, reducing wait times and improving the overall customer experience.
It is evident that these chatbots will significantly influence marketing strategies. Therefore, by analyzing multiple touchpoints, brands can utilize chatbots to forecast customers’ next actions and enhance their experience.
- Enhanced Customer Service
Enhanced customer service is a vital component of any successful business strategy. In today’s competitive marketplace, businesses that prioritize customer service are more likely to stand out from the crowd and retain loyal customers.
In 2023, we can expect to see a significant improvement in customer service. Businesses are using technology to enhance their customer support capabilities, providing faster and more efficient support to their customers.
According to a study by Salesforce, 80% of customers place equivalent significance on the experience offered by a company alongside its products and services. In response, businesses are using chatbots, virtual assistants, and other AI-powered tools to provide faster and more efficient customer support.
In addition, businesses are investing in omnichannel support, allowing customers to reach out to them through a variety of channels, including social media, email, and messaging apps.
- Omnichannel Engagement
Omnichannel engagement will continue to be important in 2023 as customers expect to be able to interact with businesses from whichever touch point they find themselves in.
This means that businesses will need to have a strong presence on social media, email, chatbots, websites, and other channels. They will also need to ensure that the customer experience is consistent across all channels.
Businesses however must be careful to fight mediocrity in their channel deployment. A study done by moengage, a customer engagement platform, emphasizes that the omnichannel approach is not employable to all medium therefore brands must choose wisely.
To capitalize on the return on investment, brands must determine the channels that are most effective for them and scale appropriately.
- Virtual and Augmented Reality
Imagine the experience of trying on a new outfit before purchasing it. Well, virtual reality is what you might need to stand out as a brand. Virtual and augmented reality is and will become more prevalent in 2023 as businesses seek to create immersive experiences for customers.
This technology can be used in a variety of ways, such as providing virtual product demos or allowing customers to try on clothes virtually. But isn’t virtual reality for tech junkies? Now, that is just a stereotype. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, virtual reality is expected to achieve a compound annual growth rate of 15% by 2030. Gamers for example have utilized this technology wholesomely, giving their customers a unique and fulfilling experience.
Customers will even get the chance to go shopping online, but most importantly, have a 3D view of their favorite items, and even try them on virtually. Brands will therefore need to acquire creative ways to leverage opportunities to create personalized experiences for their customers, and to stand out from their competition.
In conclusion, customer engagement in 2023 and beyond looks vastly different from just a few years ago. With the increasing use of AI, automation, social media, messaging apps, immersive experiences, and personalization, businesses must adapt and embrace new strategies to engage their customers effectively. By doing so, they can build strong relationships with their customers and be well-positioned in an increasingly crowded market.
