The essence of the customer-centric pledge lies in personalisation, yet the emergence of GenAI has given rise to a paradox.
By developing a brand identity, a company humanises itself and becomes more tangibly desirable and relatable. Prominent businesses have effectively demonstrated their identity through personalisation as technological breakthroughs, particularly machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), have gained greater significance in marketers’ arsenal. Brands that have embraced experimentation have led the pack in relevancy, timeliness, accuracy, and relatability at every engagement. Personalisation is the cornerstone of the customer-centric promise.
Today’s CMOs are rushing to adapt GenerativeAI (GenAI) to their customer-centric goal. According to Ipsos research, it holds great promise for bridging unresolved gaps in the user experience. At the same time, 68 percent of individuals have used an automated customer support chatbot, and 88 percent still prefer to speak with a human when they require customer service assistance. Why? Because the chatbot lacks the relatability of a human. GenAI may hold the key to more automated, human-like experiences.
No doubt, empathy shapes how individuals perceive and engage with a brand, particularly in sensitive or emotionally charged circumstances. While the acceptance and acknowledgement of this authentic experience aligned with company values are yet to be determined, some argue that GenAI has the potential to deliver empathy, even consistently surpassing that of a human.
As a result, the dilemma for marketers is to make the artificial authentic. In an uncharted territory, the only feasible road ahead is cautious experimentation. The FAST framework from Ipsos supports experimentation with fairness, accountability, security, and transparency as guiding principles. Leaders in this unknown territory must base their AI strategy on core company values and revive the spirit of their customer-centric goal, going beyond cautious experimentation. With GenAI, every organisation is on the verge of a brand identity crisis, and there will be victors and devastating losses.
It’s not simply about determining what works, whether customers or staff accept it, and how much money is saved. Success and ROI with GenAI include a deeper inquiry about what is right today in six months and five years. The moral responsibilities of brands that ESG commitments have enlightened are emphasised further by their choices in how GenAI is implemented. Being an empathetic leader in today’s time carries a much deeper, riskier, and stronger connotation.
GenAI enables companies to reconsider how they communicate with consumers. But planning and delivering great experiences need a thorough knowledge of people. This entails understanding and developing expectations via empathy and consideration for the setting in which consumers work. Experience is more than just a delivery technique. It provides a chance to articulate and show a brand’s mission while genuinely connecting with consumers. Every customer experience moment or engagement, whether physical, digital, or in-between, is a chance to deliver on the brand promise of building closer connections.
Successfully designing and delivering experiences relies on overarching principles in human or digital interactions. One key aspect involves managing expectations by expressing brand values and ensuring promises align with reality. Additionally, contextual optimisation plays a pivotal role, necessitating the design of experiences tailored to different points in the customer journey, acknowledging the varying significance of each moment. A fundamental element is placing empathy at the core of design and delivery, involving a deep understanding of customer needs and emotions. By utilising the Forces of Customer Experience, comprehensive insights can be gained, allowing for creating experiences that address functional, relational, and emotional needs, ultimately cultivating robust and mutually beneficial relationships.
Looking forward to future events, we may draw on useful lessons from the past. Machine learning and AI encountered hurdles in their early phases, with recurring issues such as irrelevant suggestions and unprepared customer service professionals. We also acknowledge that GenAI will not immediately overcome these gaps. However, a significant, if difficult, advancement is on the horizon. A significant transformation in organisational culture is required, in addition to aligning with a customer-centric goal, preserving brand values, leading with empathy, and cultivating an experimental culture. GenAI must embrace a test-and-learn approach and the capacity to fail quickly to define the future of customer centricity successfully.
Organisations must prioritise data use to effectively go through this ever-changing market while responding to changing client demands. Smarter action planning tools, capable of anticipating and influencing customer outcomes, can help organisations create more effective customer journeys. Brands must recognise the necessity to understand people and their roles in their lives across history, the present, and the future. Brands may create healthy, deep, mutually lucrative connections with customers and staff, resulting in excellent business outcomes.
Author: Anika Tasnim
