This post is part of a series based on content from my recent keynote presentation at Quadient Inspire Days 2023 titled “Connecting the dots: megatrends in global customer experience”. It examines what it takes to deliver trusted communications, how to bring together data to power the customer journey effectively, and how AI might be integrated into the process to drive efficiency. If you prefer, you can access the video recording of the webinar here instead.
What does it take to deliver trusted communications?
People want emotional communications that are meaningful. At the core, this is what it takes to build trusted communications. When you receive communications from your bank, insurance company, doctor, or legal service, you want to know as a customer that the communication can be trusted.
Per my example in the intro regarding my daughter’s college application experience, the communication must be meaningful and emotional. We are highly tuned to understand when something is artificial – because it doesn’t resonate. This is why we are seeing investments made in virtual technologies, particularly for companies in the medical industry, being reduced.
Bringing existing data together and making it available to read, export, and analyze
In terms of bringing data together, we must take the existing data that we have available and make it much easier to interpret, read, export, and analyze. This includes data from AB tests – to understand how changes made in communications impact response rates. Also, looking at data from the call center. If you have a new communication that goes out, you may want to see if there's a spike in your call center asking questions about the communication.
Analytics for better predictability
Closely analyzing data helps you make better decisions and drive predictability. It helps you to define what you should change next and what the impact of that change might be – whether it be replacing a phone number with a chatbot.
Leverage past communication to enable more intelligent decisions/recommendations
Use the details from each interaction to analyze and determine what will truly make a communication better. Is the communication addressing the needs of the audience? Genuinely leveraging the long history of existing communications and experiences that you've rolled out to deliver stronger communications.
Why does artificial intelligence matter to customer communications?
It’s hard to open the Wall Street Journal or New York Times without hearing about ChatGPT. A lot of our customers use Inspire to create insurance claim rejection notices. For example – when customers put in a claim, whether for a car accident or healthcare expense, companies must process those claims. If it's rejected, you are legally obligated to notify the policyholder. To create an example, I used ChatGPT and asked it to write a short, serious email telling a person their insurance claim was rejected. And here you can see the results, created in less than seven seconds:
Subject: Rejection of Insurance Claim
Dear [Recipient’s Name],
I regret to inform you that your insurance claim has been rejected. After a thorough review of your claim, our team has determined that it does not meet the criteria for the coverage as outlined in your policy.
We understand that this news may be disappointing, and we want to ensure that we take our responsibility to evaluate claims seriously. We are committed to providing fair and consistent decisions based on the terms and conditions of our policies.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this decision, please do not hesitate to contact our customer service team. They will be able to provide you with additional information and guidance.
Thank you for choosing our company for your insurance needs. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you in the future.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
So pretty serious email, but you can also ask ChatGPT to create the same email with a friendlier tone. Or quickly recast it in the style of Yoda, Chris Rock, or any other character – though, of course, this may not be advisable for your business communications!
The point here is that we should not see AI as a threat – quite the opposite. We should look at ways to best leverage these quickly evolving AI tools. How do we integrate them into the process of creating our communications?
In a recent report by Craig LeClair of Forrester, he examines how autonomous workplace assistants will usher in new ways of working. His report focused on seven key areas, including:
- Accounts receivable
- Maintenance organizer
- Health agent
- IT help desk
- Financial assistant
- Loan origination
- Sales agent
Here are specific examples of embedding AI into the internal process. For example, with accounts receivable, you can detect the status of your accounts receivable and generate custom letters from core systems. Then, the assistant can follow up with the appropriate customers or partners to accelerate processes.
Customer communications management (CCM) is an integral part of the infrastructure businesses must implement to deliver trusted and emotionally resonant communications for their customers. A structured approach to communication design and delivery is required to ensure you have the ability to bring together and analyze data effectively to drive predictability and make better decisions. Setting a future-focused foundation is mandatory, as the ability to integrate quickly evolving artificial intelligence tools, like ChatGPT, into the communication process will enhance efficiency and personalization and drive competitive differentiation in the medium-term.
