The Power of In-the-Moment Engagement
Browsing the latest deals on their app, searching the web for the perfect gift, or stopping by the store to pick up an online order—for today’s on-the-go consumers, these diverse buying journeys might all take place in a single day. In order to successfully drive loyalty and revenue, enterprises need to deploy customer engagement that responds uniquely to each one.
That’s because every time a customer picks up their phone, logs onto their computer, or steps into a store, their needs have shifted since their last brand interaction; sometimes only slightly, sometimes significantly. But with a real-time, personalized customer engagement solution, enterprises can respond to customers’ ever-changing needs in a way that is timely, relevant, and above all, truly helpful. This real-time engagement takes customers’ in-the-moment context into consideration, rising above the noise of superficially-personalized messages to encourage real brand affinity and in turn, advocacy.
In fact, real-time personalized customer engagement affords enterprises the power to:
Offer Real-Time Assistance
Peter is on vacation with his family at a resort when clouds begin to roll in. He would love to take his wife to see the theater production he read about on the resort’s site, but he’s wary about keeping his kids occupied during the performance. Looking for ideas, Peter checks the resort’s app—that’s when he receives a notification. “Peter: Rain is in the forecast! Buy two matinee tickets and receive 10% discount on admission to our children’s theater production.” ‘Problem solved’, Peter thinks as he clicks the link to reserve seats.
When an enterprise is able to put a customer’s long-term browsing history, current online activity, and local environmental context in conversation with one another, the result is intelligent customer engagement that understands and addresses needs in real-time. By offering relevant assistance in-the-moment, enterprises can create value for their customers that won’t soon be forgotten.
Respond to Current Cross-Channel Need
Emily spent last evening browsing prom dresses on her laptop in anticipation of today’s shopping trip, even adding gowns to a few virtual carts. After visiting a number of stores whose in-store inventories don’t measure up to their online offerings, Emily arrives at the final shop on her list, still empty handed. When she enters the boutique, her phone suddenly buzzes: “Emily, we’re glad you stopped by! Click here to find the Pink Lace Chiffon dress in your online cart.” Relieved, Emily uses the link to navigate her way to her dream dress.
While customer needs shift during every journey, journeys themselves often extend across multiple channels. By leveraging data from online shopping activity, combined with in-store triggers like Wi-Fi barriers and geo-fenced zones, enterprises can seamlessly engage customers across channels in real-time, even physically guiding them to the products and services they seek.
Intervene Before It’s Too Late
A few weeks ago, Robert began a business loan application while working at his newly-formed small business. Another task interrupted him, leaving the application unfinished—and the two-week window in which to complete the form is quickly running out. Today, when Robert logs into his account on his smartphone to transfer funds, he is greeted with a pop-up notification: “Robert, only 2 days left to complete your business loan application! Click here to continue.” Robert clicks to quickly finish up and submit the application from his phone.
When activity or orders are time-sensitive, real-time customer engagement allows enterprises to successfully intervene and keep customers on-track, even across channels. By reminding customers of the need to take action—even if it’s not the need or action that inspired the customers’ current journey—enterprises can demonstrate to customers that they have their best interests in mind.
Harness the Power of In-the-Moment Customer Engagement
Deploying the sort of relevant, real-time engagement described in the above use cases requires a Customer Engagement Hub (CEH) that intelligently aggregates and analyzes both long- and short-term customer data. The AI-powered ZineOne CEH is just such a solution.
Representing the next generation in AI-driven, real-time customer engagement, the ZineOne CEH is an intelligent decision engine that makes ML-driven predictions about customers’ current needs, then takes action to incentivize visitors with the right information in real-time. Learn more about ZineOne’s next-gen solution and schedule a free demo today.
