Kamales Lardi is CEO of Lardi & Partner Consulting GmbH and a global award-winning expert in digital business transformation.
Last year, I came across a project pitch for an international lingerie brand. The brand’s objective was to grow its e-commerce business and develop omnichannel offerings to increase engagement with an older customer base—women in their 40s and 50s.
The pitch caught my attention, after all. I was a 45-year-old woman and had often dismissed the brand as mainly catering to teenagers and young adults.
But the project team, consisting of about a dozen men, was quick to dismiss my offer to help craft the pitch. It was amusing to hear them explain their approach—mostly based on desk research about the brand and target audience interest. I gave up trying to help, for they obviously believed they had a handle on the “inner psyche” of women and their lingerie needs.
However, when the project team presented the pitch to the client, the very “pale and male” team sorely stood out. The project team responded quickly by adding some women, but I doubt they truly understood the needs of the target customers. As a proactive advocate for diversity in tech, my tenure at that company was short-lived. I wondered if the team won the pitch and if they were able to deliver on the client’s business needs.
Overall, I believe this example highlights the importance of obtaining diverse viewpoints and finding ways to combine aspects like market research with the human touch.
The Power Of Personal Touch: A Tale Of Personalized Service
As another example, while at a mall with my daughter a few weeks ago, I came across a brand’s booth celebrating a new storefront. The booth showcased a new technology for a full body scan that provided the exact bust measurements, a common problem for women, particularly as sizes may change as we age and even fluctuate at various times of the month.
As a technologist, I was curious to try the 3-D body scan, but the line was too long. On a whim, I decided to enter the new store, which was located on the top floor of the mall, hidden from the general foot traffic. As I entered, a young woman approached me with a welcoming smile. Encouraged, I asked about the body scan and sizing approach, wanting to try the new technology. Instead, she offered me an alternative, which I have to confess played a role in converting me into a new loyal customer.
The young lady introduced me to an older colleague, an “expert” in sizing, who asked questions to understand my needs and style preferences. She then showed me to a changing room, and as I disrobed, she shared experiences on how her size changed as she grew older. It was normal; she shared, and a beautiful transition that the brand understood. I felt comfortable, relaxed and confident.
The expert proceeded to bring in a range of options, with varying sizes based on the styles and helped me find exactly what I was looking for. I was in the store for 45 minutes and walked out with new purchases not only from the physical store but also items ordered online to be delivered at home.
The key differentiator was the human element—people who understand the customer’s unique needs and how the brand can cater to these needs. This is the unique selling point and transformative difference for any company. The technology element may have brought me to the storefront, but it was the people element that kept me there and converted me into a customer.
Balancing Technology And the Human Touch In Digital Transformation
As an expert and thought leader in digital transformation, I often advise corporate leadership teams to think of technology as the enabler rather than the solution. Even in today’s modern age, where technology plays a significant role in customer engagement, the power of human touch cannot be overlooked.
The current digital business landscape is overcrowded and noisy, making it difficult for companies and brands to stand out. Technological solutions and digital touchpoints can help offer hyper-personalized and seamless interactions at scale to attract customers and simplify engagement.
Even as an advocate for digital transformation, I know it’s the people in the company who keep the customers engaged and help build loyalty. So in considering digital transformation strategies and initiatives, I advise companies to focus on developing cohesive technology solutions that align with the people element in the organization in order to truly stand out.
For example, companies can invest in tools that enable customer service agents to personalize interactions and remember prior experiences with customers. Personalization of interactions helps provide a feeling of familiarity and comfort to customers, which in turn can increase loyalty to a brand. By humanizing customer interactions, companies not only increase customer satisfaction but also build lasting relationships with customers.
The Synergy Of Tech And Empathy
Customers want to feel seen and heard, and using technology alone cannot always provide that. This is where the brand’s human touchpoints play a role in creating a positive and lasting impression that technology cannot replicate.
I believe that brands should focus on utilizing innovative technology solutions to enhance human capabilities. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) solutions show a lot of promise to aid in hyper-personalizing customer service for the masses, freeing up human representatives to handle more complex and sensitive customer issues that require a human touch.
Technology can also help companies track customer behavior and preferences, allowing them to personalize the customer experience by recommending relevant products or services. Combining the efficiency of emerging technologies with the empathy and understanding of human representatives can create a powerful customer experience.
Additionally, I believe that brands should consider building diverse teams that can break through blind spots to identify in-depth customer requirements and unique selling points—aspects that are sometimes only visible through personal experience. No amount of desk research will offer this level of insight.
By leveraging the strengths of technology and human expertise, companies can create personalized, intuitive and seamless customer journeys that build trust and loyalty.
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