Great Custom
BusinessMirro
A6 Friday, May 17, 2019 |
ELEVATING CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE IN THE DIGITAL AGE N one of the most notable works of Kenneth Blanchard, he emphasized how just having satisfied customers isn’t enough to make it big in any industry. Instead, businessmen need to create raving fans to ensure success. The question is, how do you make your customers rhapsodize over your products or services? It all boils down to customer experience, or how your clients perceive your brand. While many businesses may seem to have mastered the art of managing customer perception, some struggle to maintain a good image. Indeed, it’s sometimes difficult to juggle all ingredients that contribute to great customer experience but, with proper planning, you may be able to pull all pieces together.
Think of customer experience as the end result of everything you do to make your company prosper—from the products you sell to the sale process and other internal factors. People, most often than not, want to be cared for by the brands they trust. If a customer doesn’t feel satisfied with the products or services they receive, they tend to have a negative perception of the brand. Fortunately, there are a lot of innovative ways that businesses can improve customer experience, especially in the digital era. It’s only a matter of realizing which technology will work best for you and your client’s advantage.
Customer-experience technology
THERE was a time in history when customer-experience technology and customer-relationship management were almost interchangeable. Technology in recent decades was used to connect customers through basic data, like e-mails, names, phone numbers and addresses. The emergence and explosion of customer technology, however, has redefined what customer experience is all about. With the continuous development of artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality, businesses can put their employees
somewhere else to make real connections and improve efficiency. They can also transform an everyday chore into a total sensory experience for their clients. Yet, companies need to find a perfect balance between face-to-face and technologyfocused transactions.
Trends that can help improve customer experience
CONVERSATIONAL bots may change the playing field, especially when it comes to answering marketing- and salesrelated questions. The classic “Waiting Loop” principle used in many contact centers is slowly becoming obsolete since customers are now looking for more convenient ways to address their concerns. This is how using AI chatbots has become an essential tool to enhance customer service. Unlike their predecessors, new conversational bots can behave like human agents, which can easily respond to a specific concern by using emotional intelligence. One of the pioneers in this arena is Google. It has created a new system called Google Duplex, wherein users can make restaurant reservation by phone, with the help of an AI-based, human-
PHOTO FROM FREEPIK.COM
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By Trisha Jean V. De Leon
sounding voice. Google, however, is still working on this feature since it’s still exclusive to their Pixel phones. On the other hand, people can use their phones to make financial transactions via mobile-banking apps. It’s a convenient way to deposit a check, pay for merchandise and transfer money without actually going to a physical bank. It’s a major leap in the banking industry since it has made the services available round the clock. Nonetheless, it still has
a fair share of controversy, most special when it comes to security. Some mobile-bank users don’t feel at ease when sharing information online. All banks, however, have security features to ensure information safety. Banco De Oro, for instance, provides a one-time password that is sent via text when logging in to your account. Robots are also one of the many innovations that may alter customer experience in the near future. In fact,
some businesses are already utilizing this technology. Botlr, Aloft Hotel’s robotic butler, is a fine example of the attempt to integrate robots into providing services. It has been in the roster of staff since 2014 in the said California-based hotel. Amazingly, Botlr works 24/7 delivering extra towels, snacks and drinks to different rooms. It can also take the elevator on its own. Apart from Botlr, Pepper is also a wellloved robot that is used to sell Nescafé Dolce Gusto and Gold Blend Barista coffee machines in selected home appliance stores in Japan. Note that Pepper is said to be the first robot to be able to read and respond to human emotion.
Customer-experience technology in the Philippines
ALTHOUGH Filipinos are considered techie, the country still needs to work on the integration of technology to improve customer experience. Businesses have to learn the ropes in building a brand that people could trust. They also have to get know what their customers really need and not focus solely on what they can gain. After all, happy customers can help bring a company to the top.
Excellent InLife movers awarded for going above and beyond for 2018 By Leony R. Garcia
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ORE than creating wealth and money for the future, financial planning makes you prepare for untimely expenses brought about by accident, disability or death of a loved one. It is for this reason that financial planning is very important in providing coverage against any sudden loss. The awardees of the recent awards night by Insular Life Assurance Co. Ltd. (InLife) couldn’t agree more. For Pedro Arela of Cebu City, and husband and wife Antonio and Lina Abrantes of Davao City, the assurance of providing money and services of trusted company, like InLife, makes the untimely loss somehow bearable. Antonio Abrantes of Davao Mega DSO is one of the awardees on the Non-Rookie Unit Manager category of the President’s Circle of Producers, while Arela is honored as the Master Agency Builder and Consistent Agency Builder Honor Roll. “For 108 years now InLife has been delivering continuous service for the Filipinos. As you know, insurance is a very challenging industry and InLife has stayed this long. That makes it a very strong and trusted company. Even during the [Second] World War up to the Typhoon Yolanda mishap, InLife continued its service, paid the beneficiaries whatever is due them. That’s the quality of life-insurance company that we really need, not those who will leave us or disappear, especially in times we needed them most,” Lina Abrantes said. The awardees said that success is sweet, but they truly have to work hard for it. “We have our various clients to take care for in this industry. We have to gain their trust as we build our integrity. Without integrity, we will never be successful in selling something that’s intangible and taking care of their hard-earned money, at the same time. Commitment, integrity and efficient after sales service—those are very important. Without these, it’s hard to prosper in this kind of business,” said the Abrantes couple whose children have benefited from their insurance business and are now highly successful in their chosen careers. For Arela, it’s his passion—and the company’s, as well—in helping others prepare for their future that has made him stick it out with the company for over four decades. “You know by having this kind of career, I have had the opportunity to help many others prepare for their future—income protection for the family and for almost everything. The best feeling is when you deliver the check that was promised by the company to the beneficiaries themselves,” he said. Meanwhile, InLife is an all-in-the-family business for him whose wife and three children are working together in his agency in Cebu. He said the kids have witnessed in how the business has grown for 43 years. They have graduated and practiced their professions, and are now assisting him in the agency. “Because, you know, what else
is there for them to pursue? In this business, they can create wealth here and, at the same time, help others, as well. Success is not a destiny, it’s a choice. My family started from nothing then, now, we have almost everything we need in life. That’s why we are also extremely happy and proud seeing our agents enjoying their success in life, especially now with the digitization of InLife. It has made our business a lot easier and enjoyable,” he added. Suffice it to say, it is for their dedication and passion that these agency leaders are among the cream of the cream awarded in the yearly InLife agency awards night. The spectacular night at Shangri-La The Fort displays in all its glory the company’s refreshed brand name and logo. The new corporate logo uses vibrant colors but retains the eagle as the icon. “The Philippine Eagle continues to be our icon because it is our connection to our Filipino heritage—as well as to our corporate heritage—as the very first symbol used when the company was established in 1910. We took the creative license to make a vector image of the eagle to make it look younger and friendlier. The eagle with its keen eyes symbolizes courage, strength, and immortality,” InLife Executive Chairman Nina D. Aguas said. “This is how we will project ourselves to the world out there—as a dependable and trusted brand [that] has been consistently evolving to be in step with the changing needs of our market and bold enough to take the lead in digital transformation, yet retaining the warmth and care that only a truly Filipino company can give,” she added. Together with the new logo is the tagline “A Lifetime for Good”, which is “not a marketing
spiel, but a way to communicate the clarity of who we are and our purpose as an institution, affirming our mission, our commitment, and vision in bringing the good today and in the future...for life.” Hundreds of InLife agents and agency leaders nationwide gathered for the muchawaited night themed “Astra per Aspera” (to the stars through hardship), in recognition of the group’s achievements in the past year. At the event over a hundred million-dollar round-table qualifiers were honored, as well as other top agents and agencies were recognized in various categories. InLife President Mona Lisa B. de la Cruz likened the top agents’ achievements to that of a star, noting that stars undergo extreme pressure before they are formed. “You are here tonight because you battled many obstacles along the way and emerged victoriously after. You are stars in your own right, formed as a result of the hardships you had to conquer,” she said. She also challenged the company’s top financial advisors and agency leaders to continue to shine through at the service of their clients and InLife policyholders; and announced some company initiatives that will enable them to focus on women customers through InLife Sheroes program. This women-focus initiative was earlier launched by InLife in an effort to help 1 million Filipinas in three years obtain products and services that’s specifically catered for them. “For the first time in the history of our country, there will be insurance products created specifically for women wherever they may be in their life stage,” Aguas added.