When consumers buy home security cameras from Wyze, they probably want to keep a close watch for any intruders or other dangers. As a brand, however, Wyze is being equally vigilant as it looks for opportunities to enhance its customer experience through social media and artificial intelligence (AI). Speaking on a panel about digital shopping trends at Zendesk’s Relate 2024 conference, for example, Wyze director of support Bruce Wagner said live-streaming on TikTok in particular had proven dramatically effective in selling the Seattle-based brand’s products. “Even I doubted (it would work),” Wa ..read more

Three out of four U.S. consumers will make purchases by combining activities like researching online and then buying in-store, according to research published by ShipStation. Based in Austin, Tex, the provider of fulfillment software commissioned a survey of more than 8,000 people across eight different countries to produce its Ecommerce Delivery Benchmark Report 2024. ShipStation found the customer journey becoming so complex it developed what it described as an “Omnichannel Behavior Flow Analysis.” This included looking at purchases that started in-store, online, those that led to home deliv ..read more

Georgina Nelson wants retailers everywhere to start prying open the black box of customer feedback they’re hiding behind. The CEO of TruRating has a background in psychology, but you don’t need one to know that much of the data brands use to shape their customer experience (CX) strategies doesn’t truly represent how consumers feel. Surveys may only capture a fraction of the total customer base, for example, and primarily the voices of those with an axe to grind. Worse, the data gets walled off in silos and not shared with others who should be providing input on CX programs. This has led Nelson ..read more

While artificial intelligence offers considerable potential to tailor the customer experience brands provide, less than half of consumers feels companies are being transparent in how they use the technology, according to research published by Twilio. The San Francisco-based provider of communications APIs surveyed more than 6,300 consumers across 18 countries and some 4,700 business-to-consumer professionals to produce its fifth annual State of Customer Engagement report. Twilio found many consumers are no longer willing to be treated like one of the masses when they engage with a brand. For i ..read more

Hopefully Shakespeare would forgive me, but “to prank, or not to prank” is not really the question. Over the past several years, though, it feels like the debate over brands’ participation in April Fool’s Day has started to reach a fever pitch. Some people seem to love the unexpected humor brands inject into their normally staid marketing campaigns. Others (usually those of us in the media), see every other attempt at a prank as cringe. This year’s branded April Fool’s Day pranks included an announcement from Tinder that it had appointed a vice-president of ghosting, an “emotional baggage ..read more

When he looks back at the last few years in the contact center space and how his firm has helped it, Kevin Sheehan immediately thinks in cinematic turns. “Our story for much of the last 10 years was like a Scorcese movie,” the co-founder of CloudLinx explains. “Then 2020 came and it was as though Tarantino took over filming for a couple of weeks.” As a consultant to contact center leaders that assists with everything from software purchases to researching outsourcing providers, CloudLinx has a unique view of how service and support strategies pivoted amid the COVID-19 pandemic. And by now mean ..read more

While chat apps have become effective conversational channels that span the entire customer journey, service and support messages account for the sharpest increase in use among brands, according to research from Infobip. The Vodnjan,  Croatia-based cloud communications provider analyzed more than 473 billion digital communications interactions on its platform in 2023 between businesses and consumers to produce its report, Messaging Trends 2024. Meta-owned WhatsApp may continue to dominate in terms of messaging apps, but Infobip’s data showed others are slowly gaining traction among brands ..read more

As baseball season gets underway, it’s only natural to focus your attention to what’s happening on the field as players pitch, take a swing and run towards home plate. Behind the scenes at Major League Baseball (MLB), however, generative artificial intelligence (AI) is creating a new kind of team dynamic – one that could help improve operations and enhance the fan experience. Speaking on a panel at Enterprise Connect this week in Orlando this week, MLB’s CISO and senior vice-president of technology Neil Boland said generative AI is already proving effective in helping employees organize and ma ..read more

Brands who are still on the fence about whether or not to deploy generative artificial intelligence (AI) as part of their customer experience may find some reassurance based on data published by Adobe. The company surveyed approximately 3,000 consumers and about 400 marketers to produce its report, the findings of which were shared in advance with 360 Magazine. Adobe found 81 per cent of consumers have already used generative AI in their personal lives, whether to help them create content or to conduct research. That may make them more open to the technology in other customer experience (CX) s ..read more

Sure, you may need to invest in AI and other expensive software to deliver an outstanding customer service. Or you might just need a pair of scissors, a comb and a cape. When people talk about great customer experiences, they often talk about a highly immersive environment. They extol the power of a personalized approach, and efforts to continuously learn more about their customers every time they engage. What they are really talking about – whether they realize it or not – is a hair salon. Why salons offer a lesson in CX I’ll admit my trips to the barber shop are pretty same-same, but fo ..read more