Business Transformation Through Personalisation

One of the main themes I saw when I was at dmexco earlier this year was digital transformation. The discussions on the show floor echoed those that we have been having here at Salesforce, both internally and with our customers.  

Technology has empowered a new digital relationship for brand and consumer.  However, companies need to avoid overly robotic, automated communications that can make a brand feel impersonal. It’s all about striking the right balance and using technology in a way that can enable an authentic and personalised experience.

Backing this up, our State of the Connected Customer report found 72% of consumers and 89% of business buyers say they expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations, and what’s more, by 2020, 75% of business buyers expect companies to anticipate their needs and make relevant suggestions before they initiate contact.

As a result, predictive technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping how we engage with customers and how customers engage with brands. As more use cases for AI become more accessible to businesses, marketers can use these tools to find more ways to understand their customer and build emotional connections that will, in turn, drive loyalty. As the technology develops, so will the opportunities for customer-centric marketing.

AI is also shaping our role as marketers, helping us to become more productive and efficient. Chatbots and virtual assistants can do repetitive tasks (such as analyse data), while marketers focus their time and energy on other relevant duties that involve creativity and judgment. As actionable insights are easily generated, marketers can focus on understanding customers even more, and create more powerful engagements based on what customers prefer.

By using technology to create personalised journeys for every customer, marketers can deliver the brand loyalty and “stickiness” that every company craves.  The message to CMOs is clear: it’s time to get your business transformation game on.

To find out more about striking the right balance between human and machine marketing check out this article I wrote for Exchange Wire.

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