Tips for humanising CX while prioritising automation

Consumers today expect more from every brand they interact with, thanks to the innovations of companies such as Amazon, Netflix and Uber. In a phenomenon called ‘expectation transfer’² the last best experience continues to raise the bar for CX with consumers expecting fast, convenient and personalised services. It’s sobering to think that whilst 69% of customers³ try to resolve issues on their own, 80% of digital contacts⁴ are still assisted at most brands.

With automation transforming how businesses operate and rapid advances in digital technologies, the rush to do things faster and cheaper can come at a cost to customer experience (CX) and brand loyalty. With the rapid advances in digital technologies and multitude of vendor offerings it’s easy to be taken down a technology led path resulting in impersonal and rigid technology that alienates customers. All too often this is imposed on them without considering their needs, preferences and emotions.

In recent times, ‘digital empathy’ has entered boardroom conversations as companies realise the importance of approaching technology through the lens of human experiences. Digital empathy is not a new concept, but it has become more relevant and urgent in the wake of the pandemic, which has accelerated the adoption of automation and digital transformation. With customers expecting businesses to understand them and their needs⁴, businesses need to approach technology through the lens of human experiences, and design solutions that are not only efficient and effective, but also empathetic and emotional.

Businesses need to embrace intelligent automation, which is automation that is designed with empathy and humanisation in mind. Intelligent automation is not just about doing things faster and cheaper, it is about creating solutions that balance efficiency and effectiveness with empathy and emotion. Technology needs to augment human capabilities, not replace them. Think of it like having a smart and friendly assistant that knows your preferences, anticipates your needs, and adapts to your feedback.

Customers today want more than just fast and convenient services, they want to feel connected and cared for by the brands they interact with.

To stand out in today’s market, businesses need to deliver an experience that makes customers feel valued and understood. This requires intelligent automation, which combines efficiency and effectiveness with empathy and emotion. By designing technology with human experiences in mind, businesses can deliver solutions that augment human capabilities, not replace them, and build lasting customer loyalty.

We recommend a systematic approach, which we will cover in our next blog, that starts with the customer value proposition, design and delivery of the experience and finishes with a clear line of sight to business value realisation.