Take a Phased Approach to Building Digital EngagementTake a Phased Approach to Building Digital Engagement

No matter how or where the conversation with a customer or prospect begins, it’s an opportunity. And today, those conversations are most often over digital channels.

Digital customer engagement offers many benefits. It builds loyalty because it lets customers choose the channel they prefer — throughout their journey with your brand. This means you can serve their needs at the right time in the most effective way possible.

And when these channels are deployed on a single platform, you’ll learn more about who your customers and prospects are, which digital channels they’re using — chat, messaging apps, SMS — and where they’re navigating on your website. An AI-enabled platform will include natural language understanding (NLU) capabilities, which comprehend customer intent for deeper insights, giving you a powerful advantage for proactive engagement.

Achieve your outcomes faster with a phased approach. Whether you’ve already implemented one or more channels or you’re just starting out, there are many opportunities to develop your digital ecosystem.

Phase 1: Fortify your digital self-service 

A common starting point is to introduce high-performing self-service solutions like a simple FAQ widget or chatbot. Make these available 24/7 across all digital channels and keep them accurate with up-to-date information. You’ll probably have plenty of obvious choices — frequent, straightforward questions a bot can understand and easily address. 

Phase 2: Amplify your digital support 

With basic self-service solutions in place, add escalation paths for better experiences. For example, use chatbots to triage — and offer a smooth transition to a live agent when needed. Give agents full context of the initial inquiry to spare your customers and employees the frustration of having to start the conversation over.

Phase 3: Empower your employees 

Make it easier for agents to get the support they need by centralizing information with an AI-powered knowledge base. This omnichannel approach gives your team a full view of available resources and enables them to interact with customers on many different digital channels. They’ll spend less time looking for information and more time solving problems. Your employees will be prepared to act at the right time — with the right information.

Phase 4: Optimize your support strategy 

With a better understanding of your customers and their objectives, you can proactively engage with customers and tailor their experiences. Data is captured automatically across channels and along every step of the journey. With the insights gained, you’ll spot opportunities to strategically enhance the customer experience. Let the data guide your choices.

Phase 5: Automate more routines

As your bot grows in complexity, it can move from answering common queries like completing a purchase or transferring money to actually managing transactions, such as credit card payments, and knowing when to direct to an agent. This leads to more intelligently orchestrated customer journeys based on data shared with all your systems.

Get Ready for Your Next Step in Digital Engagement

A phased approach on an AI-powered platform leads to richer digital experiences. From simple self-service FAQs to conversational AI and proactive support, investing in digital will strengthen your connections with customers now and for years to come.

Download the Five Phases of Digital Engagement eBook to determine which phase of your digital engagement journey you’re in now — and how to advance to the next.