With inputs from Vikrant Deshmukh, Senior Solution Engineer
Even if a first impression is not always the last one, there is no denying that it creates an impact. Personalisation, from the get-go, can be a differentiator between winning a loyal customer and losing a lead.
However, a lot goes behind delivering personalised experiences – like connecting different touchpoints and functions or building a comprehensive and complete customer view. From marketing to service, leaders the world over are constantly coming up with new innovations and strategies to improve multi-channel engagement, customer profiling, and personalised service.
The question asked most often is – what can we do to personalise interactions that then help move customers ahead in their journey with the brand?
Streamlining and personalising customer experience using AI-powered recommendations
When it comes to nurturing customers, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered tools can help any business function or team know what the next best actions are to deliver personalised, contextual experiences.
AI has the power to ingest tons of data – like a customer’s interaction history, location, preferences, case history, etc. – in a fraction of a second and help draw accurate, actionable insights from it. With this information, you can determine what your customer may prefer to do next or the logical next step for them.
Imagine having the aid of a virtual task force that can simplify processes, improve access to information, and suggest the ideal next steps. It can help everyone – marketers, salespeople, service agents, and management teams – make well-informed decisions that wow customers.
Salesforce Einstein is our in-built AI engine that can help any team be more productive and perceptive, helping them smoothen experiences at every step of the customer journey. Einstein Next Best Action helps with
- Discovering hidden insights
- Predicting future outcomes
- Recommending the next logical step
This feature assists users by delivering the right information at the right time based on a predictive model. Imagine seeing a pop-up on your dashboard that suggests products a customer may like; and with the click of a button, you can compile them into a personalised message and send it on their preferred channel. Tailored recommendations can be sent to the customer at impactful moments without delay or errors.
Or, when resolving a case that involves on-premises services, you will know exactly what actions you can ask the customer to take while they wait for the field agent to arrive.
Here’s how Einstein and Einstein Next Best Action can simplify the decision-making process and help you take the right actions:
Einstein for marketing
You ask marketers what the most important aspect of a successful campaign is, and you’ll get various answers. What goes behind a successful campaign, however, is knowing the right time and channels to reach customers with the right messaging. While you are designing a marketing campaign or customer journey, Einstein can suggest which channels and instances would be ideal for interacting with customers at different stages of their journey.
Recommendations based on customer preferences or intent can help you create personalised messages and content.
Einstein Next Best Action for sales
Once the customer is convinced they want to engage with your brand, closing the deal comes with a whole new set of challenges. A salesperson must know what offers or products have caught the customer’s eye. For instance, customers are unlikely to be interested in products they have bought previously. Instead, to upsell, a recommendation based on supporting products can help.
Salesforce Einstein allows users to fetch information regarding purchase history from the customer profile with just a click. This makes upselling and cross-selling much easier.
Or imagine this scenario – a customer has seen a certain product and added it to their cart. However, they don’t checkout and the cart is abandoned. An AI-enabled recommendation pops up on the salesperson’s dashboard. These recommendations could look like
- Send a custom offer that bundles the product in a cart with another ideal product for their customer segment.
- Send them a reminder that their cart is waiting.
- Send them more information regarding the product and the support you can promise if they complete the purchase.
Einstein Next Best Action for service
Once a customer has purchased from a business, the best way to ensure loyalty is by providing services that stand out. This can be done by letting the customer know you care. Instilling a feeling of familiarity by using their name, not making them repeat grievances they have shared already, and following up on feedback they’ve given can indicate that you value their association with the brand. All of this can be greatly improved with a 360-degree view of the customer.
AI recommendations with a holistic view of the customer can enable service agents to:
- Send informational content that solves customer issues with ease
- Send quick replies that keep the customer engaged while a solution is being fetched
- Conduct relevant surveys to ensure satisfaction
- Remind customers to renew subscriptions or contracts to build long-standing relationships with your brand
- Send loyalty rewards or offers to customers close to attrition
- Upsell and cross-sell relevant products
Salesforce Einstein for customer-centric businesses
Now, if we revisit the question posed earlier – What action will be most effective in moving a customer ahead in their journey with the brand?
Einstein can tell you exactly that. It can tell users if
- Campaigns are effective
- Sales goals are achieved
- Customers are enjoying their interactions with the brand
Then, it makes recommendations that can help any team take the next best steps to deliver more relevant and consistent customer experiences across channels.
