To smarter emails & efficient service, presenting the AI case
By: Andrea Virrey
Tags: Customer Service, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Chatbots, Digital Marketing

I am sure you’ve all been hearing about artificial intelligence. You see it on new devices, the cool Alexa that you can speak with, a phone support system that’s instantly capable of listening & responding to your voice, and of course the media and investment community has been crazy looking for the next big thing. Us being us, we thought we’d try and make some sense of it in the marketing and sales function.

I went about looking for the latest innovations in some of the most established tacts of digital marketing and here’s what I found:

· Email marketing

Email marketing has been an ongoing topic for a while, but we haven’t seen the true value it can provide until the rise of AI in the email marketing analytics space. A notable service we found was Nova. By utilising AI to scrape through a person’s online identity, it generates a personalised paragraph that sales representatives can add to their sales proposition. How does it work? Dump a batch of email addresses in, as well as the text of your pitch. Nova then screens the contacts and pulls information from sources published publically online and on social media accounts to create a personalised pitch. That’s great right?

· Customer service

Now, when you think of customer service, do you picture a bot serving you? Or the real question these days is, do you prefer it? A study of 5,000 consumers worldwide, conducted by LivePerson, showed that more than 50% of consumers preferred a human representative, and found only 38% of those surveyed had positive perceptions of this technology. They also found that some factors such as country and industry, had an effect on the receptiveness of consumers to these technologies.

Additionally, the nature of customer conversations for industries are inherently different. The fast food industry only really need to engage in simple conversations with their customers. Dominos for example, implemented a chatbot feature, “DRU” for their customers to easily choose their pizza base, toppings, dressing and sides, then order it. This was objectively efficient, and even impressive. Was it a success? YES. Chief executive Don Meij even stated, after realising the benefits of AI, that they are beginning to shift the philosophy of the company from “mobile first” to “AI first”. New initiatives are expected to come out such as drone deliveries, a Facebook chat that helps consumers find vouchers and coupons, and soon enough- DRU manager which helps Domino store owners automate rosters and order stock.

However, chatbots won’t be so easily implemented for customers asking about, say, life insurance. Again, the nature of the questions and conversations are important. In saying this, it’s also important to ensure that the tone and intonation of the chatbot is reflective of the brand. Amazon’s Alexa is a good example of this. She was friendly the majority of times, but there were few times the chatbot was perceived as judgemental. Another tribute to DRU’s success was that it conveyed the Domino brand well, and built a closer connection with the customer than the point-and-click interface.

As I continue on my journey to explore the applications of Artificial intelligence and how it can help make a real difference, I will be coming back soon with more interesting technologies we’ve tested and enjoyed.