Tag: Customer Engagement

Singapore – 80% of APAC customers are likely to take their business elsewhere as a result of poor experiences, and 61% of consumers will not tolerate bad experiences and will walk away after just one or two bad encounters, according to the data cloud communications agency Vonage in their ‘Global Customer Engagement Report’ for 2024.

In connection to this, the report stated that APAC consumers claim that their poor experiences are mostly consisted of long wait times when speaking with an agent (63%), no way to speak to customer service via voice/phone (59%), lack of 24/7 support availability (48%) and lack of self-service support (46%).

These findings are especially important, given that the global data revealed that APAC consumers continue to prefer a range of channel options when communicating with businesses, with mobile phone calls (36%), messaging/non-SMS apps (31%) and phone calls via apps (29%) ranking high in preference. However, less than half (42%) indicated they are “very satisfied” when communicating with businesses.

As such, these findings underscore opportunities to leverage AI. With tools like AI-based virtual assistants, businesses are equipped to provide quick resolution, reduce frustrations and ultimately provide a more targeted and personalised experience for the user. 

With AI, businesses can specifically address urgent customer inquiries, provide smarter self-service at scale, and deliver smart interactive voice responses and skills-based routing to connect customers with an agent best suited to handle their query, preventing and mitigating a bad customer experience. 

Lastly, report findings demonstrate that consumers are embracing AI to make their experiences better. In fact, responses show a likelihood that chatbot and video chat usage will more than double within the next year, with 10% using chatbots today and 23% expected usage in the next six to 12 months. Additionally, 13% indicate they’re using video chat today, with 26% expected usage in the next six to 12 months.

Talking about the findings, Joy Corso, chief marketing officer at Vonage, said, “This data underscores that, to differentiate on customer engagement, businesses need an omnichannel communications strategy that allows customers to contact them seamlessly across their preferred channels.”

“Those that do will also benefit from the ability to leverage the powerful capabilities of AI across communication channels, such as voice, video, messaging, and chat, enabling them to augment live customer support. This goes a long way to ensuring personal and real-time customer engagement at every touchpoint,” she added.

Singapore – In today’s competitive business landscape, brands are embracing artificial intelligence (AI) as a potent instrument to elevate customer engagement. The transformative impact of AI technology has reshaped the dynamics of customer-company interactions, delivering personalised and streamlined experiences that significantly contribute to customer satisfaction and loyalty. Given the prevalence of AI in the industry, how can brands and marketers ensure that AI technologies actively promote and enhance meaningful customer interactions?

To explore the impactful role of cutting-edge technology in reshaping strategies for engaging customers, MARKETECH APAC returns with an exclusive webinar this January 24. Titled “What’s NEXT 2024: Customer Engagement in Asia”, the webinar aims to impart valuable insights to marketers to utilise technology to enrich customer interactions, interpret evolving trends and consumer behaviours, and create personalised experiences that deeply resonate with their consumer base.

The webinar will host a panel discussion, featuring some of Asia’s leading industry leaders to impart their thoughts on how brands should take the next step in implementing AI-powered customer engagement strategies for the future. The panel is composed of:

  • Jia Ling Lim, assistant head of marketing and partnerships at BeLive Technology
  • Rolly Pane, managing director, Indonesia at Clozette
  • Saniya Dhingra Agarwal, head of customer experience at foodpanda Singapore
  • Chris Martin Alarcon, head of content and community management at Home Credit Philippines. 

The group will also be sharing their insights on how AI can be leveraged for following customer behaviour and personalisation as well as how to overcome obstacles in the process of utilising AI for customer engagement.

Moreover, the webinar will also feature a keynote presentation by Ranya Arora, senior strategic business consultant at Braze, where she will discuss how the use of AI technology could lead brands towards meaningful customer interactions.

“In any evolving industry, we are seeing that innovation and success are composed by the harmonious collaboration of human insight and AI innovation. This webinar is a timely event focused on insights of customer engagement with the enhancement of AI, to assist in forging meaningful interactions. Don’t miss this exciting webinar, and hear from expert leaders of top brands in the industry,” said Katherine Sy, regional head of content at MARKETECH APAC.

What’s NEXT 2024: Customer Engagement in Asia is made in partnership with customer engagement platform Braze. Catch this webinar on January 24, 11 AM (SGT) by registering HERE. See you there!

“Data is the new oil”, so goes a cliché take on how data is the key differentiator between a successful and failed digital engagement strategy. But more often than not, marketers and business leaders are overwhelmed with what to do with their data, specifically how they can use specific data to their specific needs to improve customer retention and increase the lifetime value of their customers over time.

In this case, customer lifetime value (CLV) has emerged as a pivotal metric for enterprises, encapsulating the long-term economic contribution of a customer to a business. Beyond the conventional focus on acquiring new customers, recognising the importance of customer retention and loyalty has become a cornerstone in establishing a robust and thriving enterprise. This metric transcends mere transactional interactions, delving into the intricacies of customer relationships and their cumulative impact on a company’s bottom line. 

In a sea of seemingly endless data, the challenge for the industry is: what and how personalisation strategies could truly help businesses get better engagement from their customers, retain for much longer, and build greater relationships.

This was the key point of discussion for the keynote presentation of the all-in-one customer engagement platform CleverTap during the recently concluded What’s NEXT 2023: Marketing in Malaysia hybrid conference, held on December 5, 2023, at the Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur.

The presentation, spearheaded by Jezreel Teng, Enterprise Account Executive at CleverTap, provided attendees with a comprehensive look into how brands should conceptualise and launch successful digital engagement strategies through the power of personalisation across their users.

Why context matters over content in improving CX

In the presentation, Teng simplifies the explanation of the importance of understanding the context in digital engagements by using an example of how understanding the predicament of a coffee shop patron allows the barista to make ideal choices and recommendations for the customer. He goes on to say that it is important that brands should be able to make a memorable customer engagement strategy through its plethora of data.

While content undoubtedly forms the backbone of any marketing effort, it is within the dynamic realm of context that content finds its true resonance. Contextual relevance tailors the customer experience, aligning it with individual needs, preferences, and the specific stage of the customer journey.

To achieve successful personalised engagement strategies, he stressed the importance of context; where a brand should be able to use all information given to them, understand its context, optimise the appropriate response, and then engage the customer in a way they would prefer.

This is especially important, as understanding context extends beyond demographic data; it delves into the intricacies of a customer’s interaction history, behavioural patterns, and real-time situational factors. By grasping the nuances of context, businesses can deliver messages that are not only timely but also deeply meaningful, fostering a sense of personalisation and connection.

Moreover, it is also worth mentioning that a key facet of prioritising context over content is recognising that customer engagement is a journey, not a singular transaction. Mapping the customer journey allows businesses to anticipate needs, address pain points, and deliver content that seamlessly aligns with the evolving dynamics of the relationship.

From the initial awareness stage to post-purchase interactions, each touchpoint represents an opportunity to enhance the customer experience. By tailoring content to fit the specific context of each interaction, businesses can cultivate a sense of continuity and relevance that transcends individual transactions, thereby solidifying customer loyalty and increasing CLV.

How CleverTap aims to help businesses navigate the complexities of customer engagement

With these in mind, Teng lays out in detail how CleverTap can create personalised experiences to retain valuable customers. This is summed through its four value propositions: understanding customers for life, faster and smarter decisions using advanced analytic capabilities, true personalisation for customer delight, and being purpose-built for your business.

As businesses navigate the intricate landscape of customer engagement, the paradigm of context over content emerges as a guiding principle. Recognising the multifaceted nature of context empowers businesses to forge deeper connections with their audience, enhance the customer journey, and, ultimately, elevate their customer lifetime value.

Moreover, in a world where personalised experiences are increasingly sought after, mastering context becomes the cornerstone of customer-centric strategies. By weaving a narrative that is compelling and contextually relevant, businesses can navigate the complexities of the modern market, leaving a lasting imprint on their customers and ensuring a sustainable path to success.

Teng also explained in detail how TesseractDB™, its database built specifically for engagement and retention, can serve its various clients with diverse customer analytics across the entire customer lifecycle, for every customer. For them, it features an array of services beneficial in overcoming the limitations of martech, including mapping lifecycle stages to industry frameworks, answering queries (funnels, cohorts, and others) spanning millions of data points in a single pass, featuring complex combinations of user properties and multi-rules, and having native AI models for predictions or recommendations with discovery/exploratory data-science features.

Teng’s presentation is part of a series of presentations and discussions under the What’s NEXT 2023: Marketing in Malaysia hybrid conference, where CleverTap is a proud gold sponsor.

The company offers an all-in-one customer engagement platform that helps brands personalise and optimise all consumer touch points to improve user engagement, retention, and lifetime value. Moreover, it is built to address the needs of retention and growth teams, with audience analytics, deep segmentation, multi-channel engagement, product recommendations, and automation in one unified product.

What’s NEXT 2023: Marketing in Malaysia is part of the trilogy of conferences from MARKETECH APAC’s “What’s NEXT 2023-2024” series. The conference featured a diverse lineup of marketing leaders across Malaysia, representing local and international brands including AEON, Astro, Atome, Boost, CelcomDigi, EDOTCO Group, Gentari, IHH Healthcare, MR. D.I.Y., PropertyGuru, Secret Recipe Cakes & Cafe, Sunway Malls, and Touch ‘n Go Group.

To learn more about CleverTap’s marketing services, you can contact them directly through their contact form or keep in touch with Jezreel Teng, enterprise account executive at CleverTap.

Mumbai, India – All-in-one engagement platform CleverTap has recently announced the launch of ‘Signed Call’, an industry-first, VoIP-enabled, in-app voice capability for trusted and contextual customer engagement.

Through Signed Call, CleverTap customers will be equipped with an effective way to engage with end-users, leveraging VoIP-enabled in-app calling for real-time, secure, and contextual customer experiences.

Moreover, brands are not required to disclose end-user PII data (Personally Identifiable Information) to unauthorised individuals or agents while using Signed Call, thus mitigating privacy concerns. This no-code solution also comes with pre-built use cases and call screens for easy implementation.

The introduction of Signed Call is poised to revolutionise how brands connect with users through voice as a channel; especially within the ride hailing, BFSI, and food delivery app-categories, as well as in other industries looking to create more personalised customer experiences. It aims to transform customer engagement and elevate trust to a whole new level.

Talking about the new feature, Anand Jain, co-founder and chief product officer of CleverTap, said, “Users often choose not to pick up calls if the caller isn’t a known contact. This can lead to dropped calls and missed opportunities for a business. When extrapolated to the scale of a user-base, it can lead to a significant loss in revenue, and erosion of trust.

“However, with Signed Call, CleverTap customers can offer a personalised and secure experience, maximising the chances of conversions and ultimately increasing revenue,” he added.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Klook, Asia’s leading platform for experiences and travel services, has recently announced a collaboration with Google Cloud to harness the company’s content production and generation capabilities through an automated language translation and AI chatbot.

In this collaborative endeavour, Klook seeks to understand the intricacies of the local market as well as its distinct brand voice, using Google Cloud’s PaLM 2 to translate its activity content in ten languages. It then extends its capabilities, encompassing content creation and K.AI chatbot.

Said project focused on ensuring that Google Cloud’s generative AI translation activity is accurate, facilitating language proficiency on the materials including Bahasa Melayu and simplified Chinese that were increasingly tailored to the team’s desired outputs.

As a result, the local nuance and efficiency of translations improve with every iteration, giving Klook the confidence to scale its efforts across all activity-related content. It also excelled in preserving the nuanced tones and voices specific to each local market, a success recognised and scored by Klook’s team of linguists and brand marketers specialising in localization. 

Talking about the collaboration, Bernie Xiong, CTO and co-founder at Klook, shared his insights about the collaboration, stating, “We take great pride in being in-destination experts, from the moment our travellers begin their discovery of their dream holiday to the moment they book with Klook and ultimately throughout their in-destination experience. We are committed to make this entire journey seamless, effortless, and in the language that best suits our travellers’ preferences.”

“Our pilot proved that with Google Cloud’s generative AI capabilities, we can deliver this complete brand experience at scale without any compromise on content quality or accuracy. We will continue to innovate, bring new advancements for a more engaging platform, and solidify our standing as the brand of choice for travellers in Asia and beyond,” he added.

Furthermore, Klook aims to extend its use of Google Cloud’s generative AI beyond translation, incorporating the K.AI chatbot to enhance data security and interaction accuracy in diverse customer services.

This is in line with the company’s goal to implement PaLM 2 for content generation, streamlining vendor onboarding by automatically generating concise descriptions and details about activities. These advancements aim to improve overall internal employee productivity and contribute to a more efficient operational workflow at Klook. 

Meanwhile, Kathy Lee, managing director at Google Cloud in North Asia, said, “Klook’s use of generative AI has the potential to significantly boost both internal productivity and customer engagement, enhancing the uniqueness of their brand and value proposition while also strengthening trust and security for their customers.”

“They’ve already gained a crucial first-mover advantage in personalising and localising travel experiences with generative AI, and we look forward to our continued collaboration to further strengthen their digital leadership with cloud and AI across their business,” she concluded.

Singapore – In pursuit of bringing a hyper-personalised digital experience in the market, the Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI) has announced its recent affiliation with Personetics, a global leader in financial data-driven personalisation and customer engagement. With this joint effort, the two are set to improve the customer’s financial well-being including financial literacy using the latest introduction of BPI’s AI-powered track and plan app. 

This new app utilises self-services options for depositing funds, paying bills and other transactions. It also generates personalised recommendations for active digital users based on their unique financial transactional data. 

Furthermore, the collaboration with Personetics plays an essential role in enriching personal savings and debit card data for BPI customers. It categorises them and offers value-added advisory services and 20 out-of-the-box hyper-personalised insights, aiding customers in managing cash flows, making informed financial decisions, and saving.

Following this endeavour, Fitzgerald Chee, head of consumer platforms at BPI said, “As the first bank in the Philippines, BPI has a long history of industry leadership, and today, it provides the most advanced digital capabilities of any bank in the country. We are proud to be the first to empower our customers with rich, personalised recommendations and insights.” 

“Personetics is an ideal partner in providing our customers with the tools and direction they need to become more involved and active in shaping their own financial future,” he added.

Meanwhile, David Sosna, CEO and co-founder at Personetics remarked “We are delighted that BPI, the pioneer in providing advanced PFM for banking customers in the Philippine market, has chosen Personetics as its partner in this exciting endeavour. As a bank with a long and illustrious history of providing innovative services for both consumers and businesses, BPI is an ideal partner in ensuring that Personetics is spot on in addressing consumers’ unique banking issues and financial concerns. 

“We are fully committed to supporting the bank in its effort to advance financial literacy and well-being and welcome the opportunity to work closely with BPI to create even more value for the customers it serves,” he added. 

Future plans including integration of credit card data will also allow BPI to provide clients with more tools to improve personal financial management and wellbeing. By incorporating ACT auto-savings and sustainability analytics, the company looks forward to assisting more clients in creating and reaching savings goals, as well as connecting the back-office to Salesforce.

Manila, Philippines – As customer engagement continues to evolve significantly with technological advancements, changing consumer expectations, and shifts in marketing strategies, knowing how to utilise it to its maximum potential plays a central role in attaining success in businesses across all industries. 

But with the state of customer engagement being dynamically complex, how can companies obtain a deep understanding of customer behaviour to position themselves to thrive in the competitive business landscape?

To explore the latest trends, technologies, and tactics in the field of customer engagement, MARKETECH APAC presents its latest half-day conference this November 21, 2023, from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM, at Seda BGC in the Philippines. Titled “What’s NEXT 2024: Customer Engagement in the Philippines”, the conference aims to equip attendees with the knowledge and tools needed to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to customer engagement.

The conference will be showcasing a keynote address which will be followed by a panel discussion. The conference will also feature fireside chats, a case study presentation, and networking gatherings–creating a valuable event for participants to acquire knowledge, collaborate, and share thoughts with both industry experts and fellow professionals.

Alex Crouch, strategic enterprise lead at Braze, will then be starting with a keynote presentation on trends in customer engagement such as using data analytics and AI to enhance interactions and services. 

Meanwhile, composed of marketing leaders from renowned brands, the panel discussion that follows features:

  • Gino Riola, chief marketing and communications officer at Allianz PNB Life
  • Lorenzo Canaria, head of growth marketing for FUSE at Gcash
  • Albet Buddahim, chief marketing officer at PRIMER Group of Companies
  • Raenald Renz De Jesus, head of marketing for Philippines at ShopBack
  • Katrina Navarro, growth director at UnionDigital Bank
  • Sarah Chan, regional account director at Braze

Specifically, the panel discussion will be delving into the following topics:

  • The Role of Personalisation in Conversational Marketing
  • Unlocking Technological Potential for Elevated Customer Experience and Engagement
  • Creating Authentic Conversations

Additionally, Sheila Paul, chief marketing officer at Home Credit Philippines, will be hosting a fireside chat tackling how Home Credit will adapt for 2024 and beyond in terms of customer engagement, and how it has evolved in the financial service industry.

Lastly, Lincoln Choo, solutions consultant at Braze, will be presenting a case study showcasing real-world insights from leading brands on successfully engaging Philippine consumers, the best practices for creating personalised and impactful campaigns, and how technology and data-driven strategies are leveraged for effective consumer interactions.

“We are delighted to host the first ‘What’s NEXT 2024: Customer Engagement in the Philippines.’ This groundbreaking event will not only shape the future of customer interaction but also ignite a transformative journey for businesses and consumers alike. Join us in this pivotal moment, where innovation meets connection, and together, let’s redefine the landscape of customer engagement in the Philippines,” said Joven Barceñas, founder and CEO of MARKETECH APAC.

What’s NEXT 2024: Customer Engagement in the Philippines is made in partnership with customer engagement platform Braze. This conference is also a free-to-attend event for select brand marketers. Catch this conference on November 21, 2023, at Seda BGC by registering HERE. See you there!

Singapore – Over nine in ten Singaporean business leaders say they are currently facing challenges or have experienced challenges in the last 12 months, with 47% of those saying it say they are challenged regarding their strategies in establishing connections with their customers. This was according to the latest study from global software company HubSpot.

According to the data, only around 41% feel that their sales and marketing teams and 38% of customer service teams can effectively connect with prospects. On top of that, close to half (43%) say that growth is slowing and the strategies that have worked in the past are becoming less effective. 

In addition, 28% of Singapore business leaders say that they are experiencing challenges related to data and systems. Some reasons cited are cobbled systems and data that doesn’t flow, too much data that are of poor quality and is inaccessible and finally, not having enough data.

Meanwhile, around 85% of Singaporean consumers have had a negative experience with brands they engaged with or purchased from since the start of 2023. From the research, the biggest pain points for consumer buyers are being inundated with irrelevant marketing materials (40%) and feeling like brands lack interest in improving their service (34%). 

B2B buyers are no different, with 30% also citing issues that brands show a lack of interest in improving services. Another issue B2B buyers are feeling is the fact that brands have poor expertise or low competency among staff (31%).

Kat Warboys, director for APAC at HubSpot, said, “Getting ghosted is never a good sign — it’s a symptom of a deeper misalignment between your GTM strategy and your current and prospective audience. And if it isn’t addressed, companies end up wasting time and money on campaigns that are falling on deaf ears.”

She also added that disconnection shows up in a brand’s ability to reach their audience — both prospective and existing customers alike in a meaningful and valuable way. For her Companies will not win by focusing on customer management, but by focusing on customer connection, and that businesses need a connected customer growth strategy to succeed.

“Consumers in Singapore have some of the highest expectations in the world. Superior customer service, communication channels that meet you where you are, and brands with seamless digital experiences are becoming the new differentiator. This is a business problem because the future, as determined by your customers, is connected experiences. The pendulum is swinging back. And like those societal shifts that came before, businesses must adapt and respond”, she concluded.

Singapore – Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Twilio have announced an extension of their strategic partnership, aiming to empower Twilio customers with advanced artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. 

This collaboration, unveiled at the AWS Summit in New York, marks a significant step in the evolution of Twilio’s Customer AI roadmap, which seeks to provide personalized and real-time experiences for leading brands.

Moreover, the key focus of this partnership centers around predictive AI technology, which will merge Amazon SageMaker’s AI capabilities with Twilio Segment’s Customer Data Platform. The forthcoming features will enable businesses to gain deeper insights into their customers, allowing them to deliver more relevant and personalized experiences promptly.

Shawn Nandi, director of technology, industries at AWS, expressed excitement about Twilio’s AI innovation and its potential to revolutionize customer engagement. He emphasized that AWS is committed to supporting businesses in enhancing customer experiences through AI and machine learning.

In a statement, Alex Millet, senior director of product at Twilio, outlined their vision for Twilio CustomerAI, which aims to enable businesses to foster trusted relationships with customers at a digital scale. He highlighted that the ultimate goal is transforming how marketers, contact centers, developers, and data teams deliver world-class customer experiences.

Previous AWS and Twilio partnerships include Twilio Segment’s status as an AWS Marketplace partner and deep product alignment, featuring partnerships that leverage Twilio’s Programmable APIs and integrations with more than six AWS products.

Singapore – Twilio, the customer engagement platform, has unveiled its new technology ‘CustomerAI’ ahead of SIGNAL, its upcoming user and developer conference. 

Twilio’s CustomerAI couples the power of large language models (LLMs) with the rich customer data that flows through Twilio’s Customer Engagement Platform, to help companies unlock the potential of their customers. With CustomerAI, Twilio aims to empower businesses to organize and pair signals coming from various channels such as text messages and calls to web and mobile activity, contact center conversations, and email correspondence, with generative and predictive artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, to help them to better understand and provide deeper value to their customers. 

“In this next great era of computing, shaped by advancements in artificial intelligence, brands have a massive opportunity to deepen their customer relationships. To help make that a reality, Twilio is infusing CustomerAI into customer touchpoints across marketing, sales, and service,” said Jeff Lawson, CEO of Twilio. “With generative and predictive intelligence, Twilio’s high quality interaction data, and Segment profiles working together, every experience can be highly personalized and tuned with a level of sophistication that was previously only attainable by the tech giants. With Twilio CustomerAI, brands can transform their customer relationships and unlock their full potential.”

At SIGNAL 2023, attendees can expect a deep dive into the application of AI and its seismic impact on CX and technology today. Twilio will convene dozens of world-leading experts including special guest Sam Altman of OpenAI, and thought leaders from brands such as Autodesk, Plentiful, and Workday. Live from the keynote stage, and across 20+ breakout sessions and product deep dives, Twilio will showcase the ways that CustomerAI can unlock ‘digital greatness.’

“We are thrilled to start showcasing the impact of CustomerAI across the Twilio Customer Engagement Platform. CustomerAI is all about making it faster and easier for companies to deliver truly personalized experiences to customers,” said Kathryn Murphy, SVP of product management at Twilio. “Customers are real-time. And they interact with companies in lots of different ways. A customer might be having a tough experience and engaged with the call center, but does marketing know about that? And is marketing suppressing a message or sending something with the right tone? This is one example and traditionally it’s been super hard to pull off. But that’s exactly what CustomerAI is helping companies to do: make customer engagement real-time and personalized.”

Twilio said that as the company develops these new AI-powered capabilities and enhancements to push the envelope of what’s possible for customers, it is leveraging its own proprietary technology as well as working with a close group of trusted, world-class partners that meet its privacy and data protection standards. 

“Critically, Twilio is committed to building CustomerAI safely and responsibly. As a part of this commitment, Twilio builds privacy and security by design into our product development lifecycle and will ensure companies have full transparency and control of the data that informs AI-powered interactions with their customers,” said Twilio.