Tiffani Bova on How to improve customer experience through data?

by Peter Jason Content Enthusiast

Customer Experience is fast becoming the key differentiator for brands looking to stand out in an increasingly demanding market. That's why brands are focusing on improving the experience through customer data.

Forbes recently conducted a survey of 5,000 global consumers about privacy, brand trust, customer experience expectation, and emerging channels. According to the results, 71% agree that personalized digital experiences are important to them, but the majority (74%) also value privacy over experience.

What is clear from the data is that consumers are willing to provide personal data, but they are not lenient with a brand that misuses or abuses trust. Brands are under pressure to deliver value and expertise while streamlining data practices, staying transparent with customers about how their data is tracked and used, and eliminating the need to ask for the information they have no intention of using. The balance this requires for sellers can be daunting.

There is also good news, as the data shows that consumers are generally accepting the exchange of data values: 64% know that their online activity is being tracked. Half of the respondents (51%) do not mind sharing personal data for a personalized experience.

There are many opportunities for brands to deepen their relationships and better understand their customers through the data they provide. We are joined by Tiffani Bova, a keynote speaker and a leading authority on the subject of customer behavior.

She is a highly esteemed and top-rated keynote speaker with a broad sales and marketing experience, having led major ventures and been at the heart of Fortune 500 corporations' leading brand campaigns. Tiffani Bova is also invited to appear on a panel of leading media outlets around the nation for her expert analysis of industry and markets.

Purely digital experiences

Millennials and Centennials prefer purely digital experiences - doing both research and shopping for high-value items, primarily online - so brands that emphasize creating seamless online experiences for this segment will reap long-term benefits by not promoting face-to-face engagement.

Efficient customer service

Effective customer service can also have a huge impact on consumers: 54% of people will only endure two or three bad experiences before completely abandoning a brand; 1 in 5 people (22%) will do so after a single negative experience. Customer service response and resolution times are also getting shorter: 96% of people expect a brand to respond within 24 hours of reporting a problem. The aggravation of customer service encounters drives customers away en masse. Hence, brands are responsible for doing three things right: properly educate their human channel, use data to boost customer intelligence, and understand customer intelligence—the importance of universal customer profiles.

Emerging technologies

Emerging technologies like voice-activated marketing through devices like Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home / Nest are not only growing in popularity with consumers (nearly half of those surveyed use voice-enabled assistants), but Brand marketing professionals are fine. They are taking advantage of new opportunities to meet consumers where they are. Voice ad targeting is useful for 47% of surveyed consumers when ads are related to questions they have asked their digital assistants.

Social networks

Social media is not a dead end. While the market is yet to comment on social media influencers' impact, people are spending money through social content and ads. About a third (34%) of people cannot tell if a message is a paid ad; an almost equal number of people (36%) hate promotional messages on social media; 7% don't even know what a social media influencer is. However, brands are investing in social media in other ways, including promoted content and ads, which is paying off: For 41% of people, at least one purchase decision was influenced by social media ads in the last six months.

Every facet of a customer experience is either driving loyalty or driving it away. No brand can afford amazing products or services without consequent excellence in customer service, omnichannel approaches, or brand communication. Brands that can prioritize delivering consistent and driven experiences by data-driven personal preferences will be the brands that will stand out most successfully.