The Internet radically changed the way consumers acquire new products, ushering in an era of home shopping that required little more than a computer and a credit card. With so many online sites to choose from, and so many physical stores vying for every shopper’s dollar, the real differentiator between brands that succeed and those that don’t lies within the personalization of touch points across the retail experience.
It’s more than a colorful site, a simple user interface, ambient lighting in-store or attractive displays — consumers are searching for truly remarkable and reliable shops that can serve their every need. Whether making an exchange, returning an item or voicing a concern, consumers want — and expect — great service that remains consistent.
Make Every Touch Point Count
Every retail encounter — from a web site visit to a glance through the window of a physical location – is a touch point. When consumers search online for product reviews or social media commentary, that too should be considered a touch point. And in this highly competitive marketplace, every encounter is vital to a business’ success.
As the consumer experience escalates, rising from mere curiosity to purchasing decision and finally a sale, consumers will be led to arguably the most important touch point of all: customer service. Whether coming via email, messaging or a traditional phone call, consumers rarely approach customer service with accolades. For better or worse, satisfaction tends to yield a surprisingly quiet reaction. Thus, it should be assumed that consumers are only coming forward during their most vulnerable moments, which typically involve problems and/or complaints.
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In order to meet consumer needs, retailers should focus on delivering a personalized experience that can lead to satisfactory results today and inspire customer loyalty tomorrow. Artificial intelligence (AI) is an essential technology for achieving that.
A Key Aspect Of Any Retail Strategy
Offering the benefits of both data retrieval and analysis, AI has quickly become a key aspect of any retail strategy. It gives retailers an advantage by enabling them to optimize, polish and eventually perfect their customer service offering. The technology provides retailers with an outstanding way to better serve their customers while remaining competitive against the deluge of both physical and dot-com outlets.
With AI, retailers can automatically receive an analysis of customer calls. The technology can also pick out the most integral data points, providing invaluable information that can be relied upon when consumers return. In fact, AI can identify returning customers and retrieve past purchase information, as well as details regarding previous calls. All of that info can be passed on to a customer service agent or other retail representative, who will be better equipped to tackle the inquiry.
Encourage Customers To Return
Retail touch points are more important than ever, especially all touch points related to customer service, which can have a direct impact on repeat business. AI can greatly assist in this regard. The technology is extremely useful for revealing customers’ feelings and sentiments toward a particular retailer and the products being sold. It offers numerous ways to better enhance the service consumers receive. Most of all, it can help retailers find ways to go above and beyond expectations, encouraging consumers to come back for additional purchases — and, when necessary, more customer service.
Tim Beeson is the President of Natterbox North America, based in Chicago. He joined Natterbox in 2010 and has played an instrumental role in forging alliances for Natterbox with Salesforce. Previously, Beeson led the Natterbox UK sales division and global alliances segment, securing large accounts like Groupon.
