Generative AI, or Gen AI, is more than a buzzword. It is revolutionizing how businesses engage and interact with customers. The technology’s ability to generate new content along with its ability to analyze and decipher large quantities of data makes it an instrumental tool for nearly every industry and department.
Marketing teams can lean on Gen AI to deliver hyper-targeted campaign messaging efficiently and effectively. Social media creators can leverage its power to generate copy and visuals. CEOs can look at Gen AI’s data analysis to make data-driven decisions rather than relying on gut instinct alone. One of the most significant ways Gen AI is making an impact is through its customer service capabilities.
If your business is primarily conducted online, forming genuine connections with customers can be tricky. Unlike brick-and-mortar stores where customers have face-to-face interactions with employees, digital sites must rely on technology for support. Even more so, customers expect e-commerce brands to deliver high-quality service immediately. They want to still feel like a unique shopper with distinct needs and wants. Addressing these concerns can be difficult, but not with the help of Gen AI. Here are some ways Gen AI makes communication with customers more personalized.
Gen AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can respond to customer inquiries 24/7. No matter when a consumer has a question, they can get it answered even outside of your team’s standard working hours. This real-time engagement provides a customized experience and puts the customer’s needs first.
Real-time engagement is essential to building stronger relationships with customers. The more responsive you are, the more it shows that you truly care about their needs. It can improve overall satisfaction, leading to more referrals. Also, real-time engagement webchat or online assistant can give your business a competitive edge. If someone can get a speedy response from you, they won’t be tempted to find a similar product or service elsewhere.
And don’t just think that a webchat will take users to a FAQ page! These advanced Gen AI-powered webchats can understand complex queries and offer personalized solutions. For car dealerships, an automotive AI platform can help a customer evaluate the trade-in rate for their current vehicle. Over time, the platform has learned industry-specific data and can evaluate and provide answers to the most complex queries.
One of Gen AI’s strong suits is its ability to generate new content. Whether it is text for an email newsletter, imagery for a social post, or even custom audio for an Instagram Reel, Gen AI can enhance your current content production processes. Through machine learning, Gen AI can create new models based on various data sources. It will begin to recognize patterns through this data and create similar, but new content that aligns with your brand values and positioning.
Better yet, this content can be generated instantaneously. After observing and learning a browser’s behaviors, Gen AI can generate new content tailored to the specific individual. As an example, beauty and cosmetic retail sites powered by Gen AI could recommend a suite of products based on the individual’s skin concerns or needs. Before the customer checks out, it may suggest adding another product to their cart to maximize the benefits of the current one. This one suggestion can increase a buyer’s shopping cart value, leading to larger conversion rates.
Alongside this, Gen AI also ensures that customers find what they’re looking for faster. Instead of scrolling through page after page, the technology can drive users to products that align with their prior shopping behaviors. Every time the user comes to your site, the experience will be personalized based on their most recent search patterns.
3. Consistent Customer Journey
How your customers get to your site can vary based on their individual preferences. Some may find you through a search engine search. Others may Google your brand name directly after seeing an advertisement or hearing about your brand from a colleague. Others may go to social media first to find your brand before going to your site. No matter how the user gets to you, you want the experience to be consistent and personalized.
Gen AI can help ensure a customer-first approach by creating a roadmap for each touchpoint. During each step of their journey, Gen AI can browse users to get where they want to go and provide tailored content along the way. Every interaction can be customized based on their experience with your brand and their current needs. For someone looking for a specific product based on an Instagram ad, Gen AI can take users directly to a shopping cart with that item already added.
This type of efficiency can lead to a higher conversion rate as more customers are taken directly to what they’re looking for. It also helps boost your brand presence and awareness. Consistent messaging — from search to social to site —, can increase brand recognition, foster trust, and boost brand loyalty.
According to Gartner, more than 80% of businesses will have used Gen AI by 2026. The power of Gen AI is truly unmatched. For business leaders, incorporating this innovative technology into your systems and processes now will set you up for future success. Your customer experience will improve as shoppers gain a more personalized experience.
