Not everyone has to deal with personalization all the time. Drift co-founder and CEO David Cancel shares how AI can help add a human touch to the customer experience.
As the world has gone fully digital over the past few years, more and more brands have mastered the art of converting prospects into customers and customers into loyal fans. One of the keys to this success is providing a customized, personalized experience for each person who visits your digital store. Treat them as individuals, with individual needs, and they will be more likely to let you meet those needs.
This level of personalization goes beyond a company’s products and brands. It’s all about the right customer experience.
B2B brands are largely in this game. In recent years, we’ve seen more B2B CMOs getting serious about their digital sales channels. But this transition has been slow, especially compared to the B2C world. When COVID-19 hit, B2B marketers realized they needed to completely rethink their repertoire for a digital-first world.
Even as real-world connections wane, can digital connections provide more personalized customer experiences?
For B2B marketers looking to build more meaningful customer experiences, AI-powered interactions—and increasingly chatbots—represent a new paradigm. And they continue to gain steam.
According to Drift and Heinz Marketing’s 2021 State of Conversational Marketing Report, more than half of B2B professionals surveyed said they adopted a conversational marketing solution, like chatbots, in response to the pandemic. And, even before the pandemic, many industry CMOs were already using the technology to rewrite their marketing playbooks.
AI Empowers CMOs to Solve Digital Problems
Think of it this way: A brand’s website is like a store that never closes. Buyers around the world visit B2B brands’ websites over and over again, and they expect a fast, consistent experience every time. B2B brands need to deliver.
Business buyers aren’t always in love. Frustration with website navigation and repetitive online forms has increased, according to our report, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Customers are especially frustrated with how long it takes to get their questions answered. The demand for instant answers has increased 64% across most two-way communication channels, such as phone, social media, chatbots, or web forms.
Our digital-first world is ushering in increased expectations that humans alone can’t meet. No one can be available 24/7 – and even if they could, CMOs can’t hire enough team members to serve all their buyers. AI-powered tools allow B2B brands to keep up with the pace that buyers expect. Our data shows that marketers using conversational marketing solutions see increased engagement thanks to faster response times.
AI paves the way for more authentic interactions
Some B2B CMOs say they worry that AI-powered experiences will seem robotic and ineffective. That’s understandable, but the truth is, old-school B2B marketing staples like cold calling and emailing are much more annoying and frustrating than any chatbot.
Unlike humans, AI solutions engage each website visitor with a tailored message. If someone is a first-time buyer, an AI-powered site can direct them to special introductory offers. If they are a returning customer, AI tools can make customized recommendations based on past purchases. And because AI can have faster, real-time conversations with customers at scale, it can understand them faster than humans ever could.
Not only can AI tools help brands create and deliver personalized experiences to more shoppers, they can also free up team members to do more heavy lifting. That means people can engage in deeper conversations with shoppers who need more attention while AI handles smaller tasks like explaining product details. Technology doesn’t dehumanize brands, it enhances them.
AI-driven experiences are changing from nice-to-have to must-have
I can’t imagine the future of marketing without AI, and I see new applications emerging every day. From qualifying customers and attracting global buyers to streamlining ticketing support with AI solutions, businesses are discovering new ways to use AI to drive their business.
Embracing new technology always takes time. And for many brands, it requires a leap of faith. But B2B CMOs who get a head start on AI will be the ones to fully embrace its potential – and reap the benefits for both their buyers and their businesses.
Original post: CMOs Are Betting You'll Talk To More Chatbots In 2022 | The Drum
Translated by: Phan Cong Duy
