When asked how customer experience design differs between the two, Angeline explained that in the B2C space differences between customer segments , and levels of digital literacy are some considerations. Whether an experience is designed for a digital native or for someone who is not accustomed to using tech, there are nuances to manage, and the first step is to acknowledge that the customer journey may not be a one-size-fits-all approach.

“For B2B, what it means to have a fantastic customer experience, is not just about the end user’s experience, but also how the experience can value-add to the business users’ interaction with their end user client,” she said.

For both, the main challenge businesses face is around the seamless integration of all data points, drawing out critical user insights and continuously optimizing the customer journey to an ideal segment of one.

She mentioned that a number of Singaporean brands, particularly in the financial services industry, are delivering a good omni-channel customer experience.

“I would say many of our local financial services are doing well in this space – where you would go into mobile banking, and you would get a notification recommending specific products or services that may be relevant for you. Or when buying insurance online, related products are recommended,” Angeline added.

As a consumer however, Angeline observed that there is still immense opportunity for improvements around the customer service space. She recalled an incident where daily utilitarian interactions with the service provider had proved easy, but when an issue arose, getting a resolution sent her on a wild goose chase, both online and offline.

“The online FAQs weren’t addressing what I needed – the chatbot wasn’t helpful and it wasn’t easy finding the contact number to speak to somebody offline. Their working hours are from 8am – 6pm, and you’re put on hold but have no time to wait as you’re at work. The whole experience can be very frustrating especially if you want the issue resolved quickly.”

On the flip side, providing a great customer experience doesn’t mean a 24/7 fully-staffed human network. Angeline recalled her experience using a car rental service where the app itself was sufficient in addressing her needs, even when there are minor hiccups. She likened the experience to having a “personal concierge” within the app, where the wait time was reasonable, and she was able to get her questions answered immediately. “There’s a nice mix of digital-people interaction. The company successfully embedded the human touch and personality into the chat resolution experience. My problem was fixed and the experience was great.”

Avoid cookie-cutting your personalization

Photo by ROMAN ODINTSOV

McKinsey’s vision for personalization includes four key attributes for success – white-glove customer service for all, one company, one voice (omni-channel communication), the workstation for the future (digital enablement), and contact centers (the future talent factory).

As customers get more accustomed to personalization in the B2C space today, there are opportunities for B2B marketing to achieve the same. Modern B2B marketers develop personas to articulate value propositions to their target audiences, but targeting via personas can still be shallow.

“As direct consumers, we experience all sorts of hyper-personalization coming through the content we consume and products/recommendations we get served. B2B marketing is still coming across as having a cookie-cutter kind of approach.”

Pitch decks are high-level, with broad references to solutions, and products. ”In terms of having someone customize every single pitch deck, an AI engine can do this. It saves time for the account servicing team to focus on the value-added services for the client; for example getting a deeper understanding of the client’s problem statements and business objectives.”

Will human-led interactions be extinct?

With digital experiences becoming more seamless, Angeline believes that different demographics will have contrasting views on whether technology-driven or human-led experiences will come out on top.

“Personally there will be times where I would want to speak to somebody especially if there is an issue to be resolved. I know that my children would rather not.

As AI solutions become more efficient at problem resolution and are able to also deliver humanistic personalities through their interactions, is there still going to be a customer expectation for human-led interactions? This is where companies need to be hyper-focused on understanding their customers and their service expectations – present and future; in order to deliver experiences that “Wow!”. Marrying data insights with an in-depth understanding of consumer psychology are critical to delivering experiences that matter to the customer.

SUMMARY

With the advancement of Data and AI solutions, digital experiences are increasingly hyper-personalized and frictionless. Businesses need to actively understand consumer behavior changes and marry these with collected data insights to continuously surprise, delight and win-over customers.