• by Todd Hedberg , August 26, 2024

As digital strategies continue to evolve, you might wonder if you should add artificial intelligence (AI) to your customer engagement and loyalty efforts. The short answer is yes. AI isn’t a trend; it’s now a requirement.

AI’s predictive analytics, personalized content, and automated customer interactions are transforming customer engagement.

Still, many brands are reluctant to harness the power of AI. Maybe they’re intimidated by the dizzying pace of technological improvements or perhaps they’re experiencing anxiety because they don’t yet know what’s possible with AI.

Now’s the moment to step past those stumbling blocks and begin exploring. AI helps organizations discover innovation and growth, build more meaningful connections with clients, and deliver more relevant and robust experiences.

Walk Before You Run
AI helps make strategies more effective. But it’s important to carefully consider the best ways to use it in your strategy. For example, AI won’t replace your own intelligence, but it can augment it. Consider AI a team partner that can generate headlines, images, and audiences—letting your team devote more energy to strategy and loyalty.

Help your team get comfortable with AI, demystify it and make it feel accessible and practical. Training, workshops, simulations, and testing build confidence and expertise. Challenge your team to keep up with the latest AI applications and standards so they’re prepared to use it to its full potential.

Meet Customers Where They Are
Consumers want personal experiences and value. AI perpetually processes large chunks of data to learn customers’ individual preferences and behaviors to provide a more personalized experience based on actionable parameters, like browsing history, engagement patterns and purchases. Using AI, your team can create ultra-targeted messaging and offers to individuals, boosting and earning higher engagement.

Typically, when a customer interacts with a brand, it triggers more offers, even if the customer has since moved on to a new chapter of life. But AI assesses various engagement signals and changes the frequency and tone of communications. This boosts customer satisfaction and return on investment.

Think Big, Start Small
Before going all in on AI, design a few pilot projects to experiment with different applications. This will help identify what works and provide valuable data to guide larger-scale projects. Then measure their impact to help you activate the best solutions for larger-scale applications.

Finally, be sure to keep your stakeholders in the loop and involve them in early projects. Cultivate buy-in for AI through regular updates and demonstrations. Also, remember to highlight early wins and lessons learned.

Be Responsible
It’s vital to prioritize responsible use of consumer data. When choosing AI tools and vendors, ensure they follow stringent data protection standards. Remind your team of the ethical requirements in AI. Also, maintain human elements in your marketing strategy. AI is a work enhancer, but it can’t replace human directions and oversight.

We’re in a pivotal moment in which the potential of AI is developing at a dizzying speed. Finding ways to harness that potential creatively and responsibly could open a host of profitable possibilities.