From text and chat to social media and AI-powered bots, digital channels are buzzing with customers demanding fast, convenient service. More so during stressful lockdowns when patience and forgiveness is sometimes ultra-thin. Growing digital adoption is welcome news too for contact centres seeking cost savings and real-time insight into customer journeys and buying behaviors. Moreover, by introducing digital channels, contact centres are better placed to become revenue generators. For example, by using AI and analytics to uncover fresh upsell opportunities and create more satisfied customers.

The challenge for CX leaders now is to make those experiences better and stay ahead of rivals. We’re talking here about digital differentiation ― making interactions more personal and immersive, serving not just the customer’s physical needs but their emotional ones as well. The end goal is superior brand loyalty and customer retention.

So, what does that personalised, immersive digital strategy look like? And how can we harness it to improve sales and CX metrics?

The power of feelings

We like to think buying decisions result from rational thought. Yet, studies show that positive emotions toward a brand have far greater influence on consumer loyalty than other judgements. According to Professor Gerald Zaltman of Harvard, 95% of purchases are driven subconsciously by our moods. Similarly, the Forrester CX Index Survey found emotion to be the most profound influence on CX perception.

 Customers want to feel an emotional connection with a brand, not just sterile automated transactions. One way digital strategy meets those needs is by using face-to-face video communications to build deeper and closer relationships.

Get under the skin of digital conversations

Many contact centres are well down the path of deploying omnichannel solutions to increase service efficiency and reduce customer effort. At Orange Business Services, we’re seeing more customers leverage the full potential of Unified Engagement Suite – Genesys to tap into human feelings.

The trick is to target emotional touch points within your digital processes where agents can have the most impact. Survey responses will point the way. Use screen recordings and other quality management tools to dig deeper into digital conversations. Look for long pauses or delayed messaging responses, possible signs of customer frustration.

 Unified Engagement Suite can help with the heavy-lifting using analytics and AI natively or through tight third-party software integration, greatly simplified by Genesys Cloud APIs.

 Capture best practice, learn and fine-tune

Analytics and AI can also be used to uncover learning from historic contacts, addressing actions that result in negative or positive emotions. Unified Engagement Suite can help pinpoint emotional CX areas that require fine tuning ― improving understanding of why one agent handles a video call or chat conversation better than another and sharing that specific best practice. You can then use that data to create routing policies playing to your agents’ personalities as well as their skills and expertise.

 Face-to-face video communications

We can’t talk about digital channels and changes in customer behavior without mentioning video. Throughout 2020 we all saw the value of video conferencing solutions in making human connections easy for everyone, everywhere. Bringing home workers, supply chains and customers together through high-definition video, audio, collaboration, and chat ― fully secure with end-to-end encryption ― has become second nature.

If you want to personalise digital service and create a more immersive experience, then video’s the way to go. For agents it provides the opportunity to observe body language and build rapport in ways they simply can’t if using other tools. Developing and experimenting with video use cases will take on even greater importance for CX leaders in 2021.

To learn more about creating unified customer engagement, head over to the Genesys and Orange Business Services page.