Here are practical ways to digitalize the customer experience

Teleopti’s Product Manager Jeremy Hamill-Keays explores the brave new world of digitalization and takes a look at three innovations worth watching

Digitalization is revolutionizing the way we work and interact with each other and is even influencing the type of goods and services organizations sell. We are in the grip of what some experts call a state of ‘digital disruption’, the all-consuming period of change that occurs when new digital technologies and business models affect everything we do. When it comes to customer experience, there are some great software solutions out there to help businesses manage all the minute aspects of dealing with the customers, giving them ultimate control over the situation. There are many customer experience management solutions out there for businesses to consider so it’s well worth doing the research.

Call them what you will, Digital Add-ons such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Chatbots, speech recognition, natural language understanding and machine learning are no longer science fiction and have a powerful role to play in this brave new world. Although we are some way off fully functional talking robots, the impact of AI, for example, on everyday tasks (via Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, Google Now and Microsoft’s Cortana) is clear and at work in the customer service sector and contact centers.

It is no secret that customer experience optimization can help businesses to improve their existing customer service facilities. Today, digital add-ons are used primarily in the back office to capture, analyze, cross-reference and share data to help enhance the customer service experience. Increased efficiencies and improved productivity are two other benefits enjoyed by contact centers which have invested in new digital technology. Automation is transforming manpower by performing simple, common tasks leaving highly skilled, experienced human agents to handle the more complex, sensitive or emotive issues. Starbucks is one example of how a company is integrating chatbots into its customer experience. Starbucks makes it ridiculously easy to place and order your favorite drink or snack, whether you prefer using voice commands or text messaging. The chatbot will tell you when your order will be ready and the total cost. Businesses looking to implement chatbots into their online experience should consider using botpress’s platform. Their website can guide you through how to make a chatbot so that you can leverage the latest technologies and use them to boost your customer’s experience.