Your digital transformation strategy works best when you anchor it on providing real value to the customer. Using automation, data and tools in customer operations that enhance experience.
Often the action I’m most compelled to do on a website these days is to close things down or turn things off. Before I even start consuming the content.
The cookies prompt. The chat bots in the corner. Some things are useful. And like the cookies banner, necessary in some regions.
But is this really the CTA you want your customers to be focused on?
Or are youjust annoying them. Did we not learn anything from the Microsoft Paper Clip Guy. Created with Windows 97 and retired in 2007/2008.
With all the assistants out there today, maybe Clippy was just before it’s time. Though the real problem with it wasn’t that it popped up when you didn’t want it. The biggest issue was that what it had to say was often not really useful. It was more annoying then helpful.
It was a customer experience issue, not a technology issue. And at least they listened and made a change. Even if it took almost a decade.
Does your digital transformation strategy help you better serve customers?
When you have a digital first approach to customer operations, it doesn’t mean digital only. It means that you consider how best to use digital to enhance how you serve customers.
What if the strategy that underpinned your digital transformation focused on supporting your people to serve your customers better?
Would that change what initiatives you prioritize to get done first?
Does it mean that you automate all processes. Likely not. Key workflows might be a blended version of automation and human touch?
Would you strive for data to be perfect? Or prefer it to be trustworthy and timely?
What technology tools and platforms help streamline operations, rather than get in the way?
Focus on what makes it faster and easier for customers to get what they need.
Digital is there to make things faster and easier. To streamline.
The goal is to help customers to get what they need. And do it in a way that it’s easy for them and for you. Seamless.
Your customer operations showcases what you do best for the customer. Not gets in the way.
Select tools and platforms based on how they can help you serve our customers.
Sure, the purpose of a digital transformation can be to create efficiencies. When that’s aligned with understanding how that helps provide value to the customer, then it’s building a resilient business, not just cost cutting.
The best use of digital technologies supports human interactions with your customer, not replace them.
The best use of digital technologies supports human interactions with your customer, not replace them.
The customer journey is a series of touchpoints. Some of these benefit from automation. Some require a human touch.
The strategic part is in deciding which.
Using automation for repeatable processes or low-level activities, can have real benefits. Plus, It frees your customer teams up to engage with customers at those points in the workflow where a person can do what people do best. Provide empathy and build a relationship.
Consider this example. Perhaps you use data and automation to initially qualify a prospect. Or have a tool that might help qualify a service problem.
This can help to set the stage for the team player’s interaction with the customer. At this point, the conversation becomes a relevant more interaction. It’s focused on what the person needs or the problem to be solved.
When you are focused on using digital technology to enhance or augment customer operation flows you aren’t doing technology just for technology’s sake.
Data needs to be relevant, trustworthy and timely.
Gone are the days when people were concerned with data being perfect.
You know there is a cost to time and energy to make it that way. Are you prepared to spend it?
It can be a burden on staff to get it to that time. An ever-ending war in pushing tool adoption.
Still, you need a level of trust in the data you have. As well, the data must be timely.
Decide what data you need and why. Use technology and automation to gather data. And tools to analyze it.
If you do that it will be clean and support your people. Not the other way around.
Finally,
Your digital transformation strategy works best when you anchor it on providing real value to the customer.
- Blend digital technologies into the customer journey, augmenting and supporting the experience as an overall experience flow.
- You get the most out of data that is relevant, trustworthy and timely.
- Focus on efficiencies that make it faster and easier for customers to get what they need.
Take a holistic view when you set out a digital transformation strategy. Think of the people it supports. Your customers and the people that serve your customers.
In that way, the digital first mantra becomes equivalent to a customer first mantra.
