If you think technology will solve all your company’s problems, your future may be very short in the market. Shifting responsibility to algorithms is a dangerous path in customer relationships.
Of course, artificial intelligence can work with information association and access to numerous databases quickly and efficiently. It solves problems that the human brain could not. Thus, it works well in data-dependent activities and efficiently replicates solutions to already observed behaviors.
In the cards sector, we always use data and tools to insert useful information to the consumer in order to streamline his day to day. In evaluating these data, we can anticipate demands. It is very common for people to forget the best day to use the card or even the credit limit available for purchases. This is very easy to resolve. The information can be made available through an app or through an automatic response in the Call Center. These features make everyday life easier for everyone, but they are not decisive for a long-term relationship. The “turning point” happens when the company makes a real difference in the customer’s life and the customer becomes sure that he can count on it.
Imagine this situation. A consumer is scheduled to travel to France, where his daughter will get married. On his way to the airport, he is robbed. So he calls very tense to ask for the card to be replaced. Boarding would be in a few hours.
At this moment, when complex problems arise, the employee and the organization need to have processes and autonomy that allow them to solve the situation in a creative way. Even if the alternative is to run to meet the customer at the airport or ask one of the branches to issue an emergency card and deliver it directly to the destination. But it is necessary to resolve the issue and never leave the customer in a loop of annoying and unresolved procedures.
The good news is that some companies have already realized the value of combining technology and segmentation with a differentiated experience. KLM is a very striking case. The Dutch airline was concerned with the smallest part of its audience: children traveling alone. So, a new travel experience started at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.
Let’s stop and think about the complexity of this situation. You leave your child at the boarding gate and he will, without your support, go through all the processes that involve a plane trip. He will be facing unknown adults at immigration, customs and on the plane. And, inside the aircraft, he has to stay for 10 or 12 hours in the same place. In addition, there is the entire disembarkation procedure, repeating these bureaucratic steps. Not to mention the return trip.
I have heard reports of people whose children traveled alone and who spent more than 20 hours without contact with them. Can you imagine what it’s like to be without news for almost an entire day? That feeling of agony and despair won’t leave your memory. Probably, the brand would also not and in a very negative way.
In the “Unaccompanied Minor Service KLM” service for children between 5 and 14 years old, the little ones receive an identification bracelet, which integrates the ticket and data with a “QR Code”, enjoy a relaxing travel experience, have a separate VIP room , an app in game format and receive greater attention from the team. Everything was linked and taken care of by the airline: immigration, customs, boarding, disembarkation. Each step of the child is followed by the parents remotely, who receive notifications.
When a company takes care of your most precious gift (your child), with all this attention and affection, you feel grateful, you will use the service again and recommend it to friends or family.
In this context of loyalty, it is worth highlighting the data from the Zendesk Trends Report, which analyzed indices from 45,000 companies in 140 countries. “Approximately half of consumers say they would switch to a competitor after a bad experience. In the case of more than one negative occurrence, this number reaches 80%”, points out the study. Brand loyalty is felt differently across generations. Younger people are more susceptible to the impact of service excellence, while the public over 55 is more neutral on this issue. This explains the strategic importance of KLM’s care for such young users.
From this panorama, it is evident that artificial intelligence will not reduce the role of people, but will rather empower them. Many areas will be modified and there will be no shortage of work. We will have a whole new range of opportunities emerging.
This new world is open to the human being. For him to do a “human” job.
Only you need to raise the bar. Not using the synthetic brain to save resources and promote predictable activity. The data show several photographs of reality and it is up to the professional to write the story together with the client, to assemble a much more complex and true film. For this, it is essential to unite attributes such as business vision, marketing, data, trends, services and understanding of human behavior. We need to know how to combine all of this with the available technology and a very sensitive look towards others. Thus, being able to “put the customer’s shoes on” and generate emotions that can be transformed into positive memories. This is the real journey that companies must take.
Andreia Mariano
