A Shift in Trends
However, this does not mean that everything has remained stagnant. Business software providers are implementing newer technology like AI and virtual companions to turn the ordinary into something new. CRM software, for example, is more focused on improving predictability by using AI to automate much of the data it collects. Businesses are finding that the more they work with the customer, understanding what they want, making conscientious efforts to provide them with excellent customer support, and treating them as if they’re human tends to lead to more sales. Instead of focusing on technology to connect with customers, businesses are using technology to enhance the customer’s view of the company.Zendesk Relate’s Key Trends
We had the opportunity to attend Zendesk’s Relate Conference, where we learned what Zendesk sees as the biggest trends changing the way companies interact with their customers. Zendesk is emphasizing transparency with their new Zendesk Relate software. They, rightly, believe that emphasis on the customer will lead to improved customer support and generate higher revenue. These are four trends businesses in 2018 should pay attention to:
1. A-Commerce
What It Means:
When we add in automation with AI, this combination further enhances the automation process by predicting and analyzing human behaviors we aren’t even aware of. If the trends continue down this same path, businesses will be using AI for more than collecting data. Entire jobs can be learned by AI software saving time and money.
Maxwell Luthy, Director of Trends & Insights, TrendWatching said at the conference, “In 2018, shoppers will look to handover almost every element of the sourcing, bargaining, purchasing, tailoring and picking up of products and services.”
Real World Examples:- Customer’s decision making can be outsourced with AI. Connected devices can, for example, reorder supplies, like on Amazon with their dash buttons, or smart fridges to detect when we’re running low on milk. In 2018, be prepared for your fridge to answer you back when you question out loud where the milk is.
A-commerce is trending because its success depends entirely on understanding what the customer wants or needs. Instead of running to the store, or going online to order groceries, it will already be done for you. When applied to the business world, mundane tasks like data management, phone calls, and ordering office supplies. It shouldn't be looked at as something that takes away jobs, but enhances them, allowing you the freedom to do yours.
2. Adaptive By Design
What It Means:
Customers needs are always changing. It’s important for businesses to be aware of these changes, in order to adapt the way they do business and remain up to date with trends and customer values. Businesses now are using technology to connect with potential clients on a personal level in real-time to seamlessly integrate with our lives.
Real-World Examples:- During the recent Hurricane Irma, Tesla heard from owners in affected areas that their range limitations might not be enough to evacuate the area. Tesla responded by extending the range of all vehicles within the region to allow owners to reach safety. This was a clear example of a company adapting its products and services to the needs of its customers -- in this case, allowing them to reach safety.
- In another example, Curve is a credit card company that allows its customers to switch the card they used to purchase items with -- even up to a month after the purchase happened. If you bought a new computer for the office with your personal card instead of the company card, Curve can help.
- Another company, KLM, helps tourists get around whatever city they’re visiting by having the tourist attach a clip to their bag that gives them directions in real time. If users are stuck waiting on line for an attraction, KLM can offer insight on what other attractions are around, and can even direct users to their specific services, stealing away the competition.
Each of these companies adapt to the customer’s needs in different ways. The technology they use is not new by any means, but the way they use it is what needs to be focused on.
Your business needs to be able to adapt and change its services and products to meet the changing needs of your customers. This can be as big as Tesla’s range extension, or as small as KLM offering better insight into what tourist attractions to visit based on current conditions.
Think Siri and Alexa. Siri is good at making our phones easier to use, but there’s no significant impact on our lives that make the technology revolutionary. Siri can open apps on your iPhone, look up directions, and set reminders, but the technology is limited in how it can improve your everyday life outside your phone.
Alexa is a step in the right direction, but still relies on our phones or other hardware devices to work. With Alexa, users can set reminders, play music on Spotify, and look up information like the weather, just like Siri. The next step isn’t going to wow anyone, but virtual companions are going to continue to evolve.
Real World Examples:- Virtual assistants can become the best friends of support agents as well, providing them with insight or automating the process of looking up information in the organization’s database. This can speed up the process of solving consumer’s issues, as well as enabling agents to respond in the best way possible.
- Replika is a chatbox that acts like a friend throughout the day. This bot learns based on what users tell it, and the bot adapts to become your best friend, offering insight and suggestions. This form of companion will be much more interactive in 2018, superior to Siri and Alexa.
No one enjoys talking to a computer when it feels like they're talking to a computer. Here’s an interesting statistic to back me up: “72 percent of regular voice technology users say ‘brands should have unique voices and personalities for their apps/skills and not just use the assistant on my phone.’” This is important because customers are constantly looking for connections between themselves and the companies they do business with.
Having a personal assistant that works for business owners and even employees will help automate daily tasks in ways that CRM cannot. Combine these companions with Emotional Intelligence, and we will have actual, helpful bots that can tell agents the best way to respond to a customer that is frustrated, or look up a solution to the problem before an agent even has a chance to open up their database. People still need to plug that data in, but with a chatbox like Replika, we can have powerful assistants at our hands, like Iron Man’s Jarvis.
This essentially boils down to businesses realizing that people have their own unique values and standards of living their lives. Shocking right? Along with transparency, businesses are emphasizing giving customers options that coincide with their personal beliefs.
Real World Examples:- American Apparel realized there is a significant percentage of people only interested in purchasing American-made products. Having “America” in its name should imply their products are made in America, but that wasn’t the case. Now, they offer the same products that are made in America and globally made to please everyone.
- A billboard company has also acknowledged that many billboards come off as being sexist, and being sexist, thankfully, is looked down upon in business. People can call this company asking to change the billboards to more appropriate ads, which will help the original company stay in business.
This transparency allows clients and customers to abide by their social values and principles, or at least understand better what they are supporting with their purchases. The whole idea is giving customers the choices they want. By doing so, this company is providing customers moments of truth to stand by and share their values. Don’t be preachy about values, just give customers the choices they're looking for to support those values.
What It Means:
Businesses that have an active role on social media allow themselves to tap into endless leads. The reason social media is so useful is because it offers businesses the gift of transparency. The best businesses will use this “glass box,” this level of transparency, to share with their customers the values they hold dear. It can be used to create intimate relationships that might lead to more customers, and of course to higher revenue.
Real World Examples:- Zendesk outlined a truly unique example of how businesses can showcase their personal beliefs in a clear, professional way: Two female Taiwanese workers wanted to get married but their families didn’t approve of gay marriage and refused to walk the two down the aisle.The CEO of the company they worked for jumped in, and offered to walk them down the aisle. This was a monumental step in sharing the company’s values. This simple action told people the company is in support of gay marriage and at the same time that they care about the wellbeing of their employees entirely through their actions.
It’s already known that businesses use social media to connect with their customers, but this statistic needs to be emphasized: There has been a “394 percent increase in social media use” recently while “half the global population has access to a smartphone.”
We live in a society where we can see everything about a company’s values. Just look at how Google had its internal manifesto leaked out, which had a major hit to the level of trust consumers feel towards the search engine giant.
Businesses need to utilize this “glass box” theory to their advantage. Be proactive in sharing values, ideas, and culture: but again don’t be preachy. Businesses shouldn’t aim to ostracize groups, but explain the values they do hold in hopes to build a stronger level of trust with potential clients and customers.
