How Automation is Influencing Customer Experience

By Mary Matton on August 5, 2020

These are boom times for customer experience professionals.

Thanks to new technology, we now have more data than ever on our customers, and the ability to access that data at the drop of a hat. 

Phone systems now connect directly with CRMs, showing you who is calling you at a given moment and how their last experience went. Data enrichment tools give you the contact and demographic information of your customers on-demand. Account-based marketing tools give you the ability to know and understand your customers’ personal interests, and appeal to them at scale.

In this blog post, we will explore how automation is influencing customer experience for the better: using data around customer activity, demographics and firmographics, and personal interests.

Using Customer Activity Data in the Customer Experience

Customer activity data shows you how your prospects and customers are engaging with your company – and can give you important signals that show their proclivity to buy, renew, or cancel your product or service.

For example, platforms like Nextiva provide you with detailed call analytics and information that integrate directly into your CRM, showing you how frequently a customer has called into your company, the types of conversations they have been having, and so forth.

Using this data, plus additional activity data such as website page visits, emails, and so forth, companies can get a sense of customer satisfaction signals and intent data that drives buyer behavior.

The goal of acquiring this activity data should be to create a solid composite of each prospect and customer so that their information is at your prospect and customers’ fingertips. 

Using this data, you can manage the customer experience more effectively – by knowing exactly where they are in their buyer’s journey, understanding their most recent interactions, and tailoring your subsequent conversations with them based on what’s happening with their experience.

Using Demographic Data in the Customer Experience

Getting in contact with your customers and understanding the role within their company is huge, especially when it comes to B2B sales and marketing, where there might be multiple decision-makers within your prospective company.

Using tools like ZoomInfo and Clearbit, modern companies can rapidly pull basic demographic and firmographic data directly into their CRM and enrich contacts with data points such as:

• First Name
• Last Name
• Email Address
• Phone Number
• LinkedIn URL
• Job Title
• Company Name
• Company HQ City
• Company HQ State

You can use these data points to determine the right ways to contact people via multiple channels such as social media, email, or phone.

In addition, these tools show other helpful information about the company you are prospecting into, such as recent news about the company, the current technology they are using, organizational charts, and so forth.

This data collectively gives you a good feel for the person and organization you are selling into. You can discover their interests and role within the company – and tailor their customer journey appropriately.

For example, using data about their industry, you can send them industry-specific case studies and testimonials about how companies like them are using your solution.

Using Personal Interest Data in the Customer Experience

Proving that you know, remember, understand, and value your customer is critical. Thanks to tools like Alyce, you can immediately understand who your buyers are as people.

Alyce pulls data from social media networks to show you people’s interests outside of work – what sports teams they love, what hobbies they enjoy, and so forth.

This is critical in today’s day and age where buyers expect businesses to cater to them more than ever before. Gaining an advantage in the relationship you have with your customers is key.

Platforms like Alyce go the extra mile by giving you on-demand insights about what your buyers like and then teeing up recommended gifts for you to send to them. The platform also integrates with your CRM and marketing tools so you can track the impact of your campaigns on pipeline, retention, and renewals.

Whether you use a platform like Alyce or not, you should aim to impact the customer experience on a deeper level that goes beyond how well you deliver on your product or service. You should seek to build relationships that create real value. Automation can save you valuable time in this pursuit, so look for opportunities to use it.

Own Your Customer Experience with Data + Automation

Data and automation work hand-in-hand in modern customer experience. Companies should look for opportunities to enhance the customer experience at every part of the funnel in a way that’s scalable and impactful.

Check out the tools listed in this blog post as great starting points, then build your customer experience from there.