Author: Dennis E. Gilbert
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Is AI (artificial intelligence) going to change the customer journey? AI change is happening now. Nearly everything is being influenced and driven by data. Data means automation, and automation means AI.
It has been happening for years. In the past decade it has been accelerating. Are you moving towards AI? Probably, whether you recognize it or not.
Front runners in AI will change the definition and behaviors of the customer journey. Businesses who have not adapted will appear to be offering an inferior experience.
Data Driven
We once went to the bank on Friday to cash a paycheck. Then direct deposit became popular, first as an option, eventually as the norm. People are also using less cash and doing more debit or credit card purchases.
This isn’t news, but what does it mean? It means data. Data means automation, and automation means AI.
Now imagine interfacing this data capture with other data to enhance the customer experience. Imagine knowing when, how, and what your next move will likely be, or perhaps, should be.
Imagine every Friday I go to a local ATM and withdraw fifty dollars in cash. Next imagine that every holiday weekend in the summer I spend at a family home two hours from my residence.
What is the AI application here? Will AI change something?
AI Change
On the Friday of the holiday weekend the ATM asks me one additional question. “It is a holiday weekend, you’ll likely be out of town, would you like to withdraw additional cash?”
Of course, some would quickly identify that the ATM could be programmed to do this without knowing my usual travel plans.
What if I started out of town on Friday of a holiday weekend and my smart phone reminded me that I had not yet visited the ATM?
Imagine if I also normally visited the dry cleaner, stopped at a convenience store, and checked the weather through an on-line app.
Now imagine I’m running late and I get a (smart phone) reminder that the dry cleaner is about to close, the convenience store is nearly out of ice for my cooler, and a thunder storm is about to break out in the area.
Better yet, it reminds me that I’m now traveling away from my home and with the coming storm I’ve left two windows open.
Wouldn’t it be great? It is coming. In fact, most pieces of this are already emerging.
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Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
