By now, you've probably realized that digital transformation isn't just another buzzword - it's a necessity to stay competitive. The best and most obvious solution is software. But software has been used for companies for decades. CRM, ERP, HRIS - the alphabet soup of applications and solutions goes on forever. And while these systems are critical to keep organizations operating, you need to start thinking about software differently. Think about how YOU can build applications and solutions that will be the digital weapons that enable you to be more agile, more engaging, and provide customer experience (CX) that outshines your competition. You need to become a software company.
Any company can become a software company. You probably already have awesome developers creating new applications that solve some pretty big and complex challenges. The big question becomes, are you enabling that software with smart interactions that bring together data, processes, and next generation technologies? This confluence of technology and capabilities - process automation with BPM, robotic process automation, AI, and data and system integrations - enabling the future of CX is called Intelligent Automation and it's going to be the key for driving better customer experience.
Business Process Management (BPM)
BPM isn't new, but how you intelligently incorporate your core and new business processes into software you build and deploy can be the difference between success and failure. You have to think about your process not from your point of view, but really put yourself into your customer's shoes and ask, "how will this impact me"? Can multiple processes be automated to help reduce customer wait times? Will setting up triggers or alerts that notify you of impending problems help solve CX issues before they even arise? Intelligent process that are continuously optimized for greater success are just the first step to major impacts in driving the CX you're looking for.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
Ask yourself this: how many people have to be involved or manually touch a process for it to be completed? The answer is probably way more than you'd like. That's where RPA comes in. Every organization has a ton of manual process that can be automated to help free up resources and drive down costs. Companies like Aviva have had tremendous success transforming their organization using technology like RPA. By automating the mundane and letting people handle more complex issues, you are able to start delivering white glove, concierge-level CX that make you stand out from the crowd.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
When we talk AI, many have the misconception that AI is going to replace people. In fact, that couldn't be farther from the truth. AI enables people to be even better and more efficient - to provide knowledge, service, and experiences that deliver CX like never before. AI can be used in an almost unimaginable number of ways including sentiment analysis to understand the mood of a person based on context of an interaction or product or service recommendations based on customer history. The best part about AI is that it easy to start with pre-trained machine learning models and out-of-the-box services that integrate with your key CX process and solutions.
Don't think like this person - AI is here to help, not replace!
Data and Systems Integrations
A single, consistent view of a customer (or any other business object for that matter) - it's an almost mythical idea that many organizations want, but because of years of technology investments that don't sync or won't integrate, multiple systems are still in play. In most situations, replacing solutions isn't feasible because of how ingrained they are into the very fabric of the organization.
How many applications do you need to open to get a complete view a customer?
You need to build solutions that work in conjunction with and lay on top of current technology that brings together all of your data, so you can finally have that complete view. Think about how this would change a customer service reps day: faster interactions, better customer experiences, less turnover!
Intelligent Automation is the Future of Customer Experience, Now.
The requirements customers have for businesses are only getting more stringent. With the amount of knowledge and options at every one of our fingertips, only the best CX is going to help acquire and retain customers. Intelligent Automation helps drive CX by bringing together the latest technology with your data to help you better understand customer needs and provide them the experiences they want.
Want to learn more about CX and Intelligent Automation? Join Appian Vice President, Karen Astley, in Singapore September 26th at the Customer Experience Asia Summit 2018 where she'll be discussing the vital role Intelligent Automation plays in CX.
