Digitalisation in the real world
Peter Tetlow, client solutions director, Ventrica, asks if organisations are actually using digitalisation to provide a better service for their customers or simply jumping on the latest bandwagon?
Digital transformation is the latest trend that every organisation, in every sector, wants a piece of. You must have heard the phrases ‘digital innovation’, ‘digital transformation’ and ‘going digital’ at some point; with these expressions used commonly by organisations in the customer management industry who are keen to impress their customers by adopting the latest technology and ‘added extras’ to make their offering stand out from the crowd.
A customer will never casually mention to their friend that they wish their gaming provider was more digital, or that a really good piece of digital transformation is exactly what they’re looking for from an online platform. What they do say, however, is that they wish they didn’t need to contact their provider at all, or when they did, they were given the right answer quickly, or that the matter was resolved without the need for multiple levels of increasingly complex Interactive Voice Response or various call transfers.
Imagine a scenario where a customer is having trouble activating their gaming account: a simple query that should be easy to solve. However, now imagine this customer couldn’t find the answer they were looking for online, and then subsequently didn’t get a quick response from an online chat facility, or a customer service advisor on the phone. The customer will then be left frustrated; all they wanted was to start playing a game or place a bet. In an ideal world, a customer simply wants to be able to get the answer to their question in as few steps as possible, in a simple, easy to understand way. Really, they just want answers.
Meeting customer expectations
As an industry, the more we talk about ‘digital transformation’ or ‘going digital’, the more we fall into the age-old trap of looking internally and letting our team structure dictate our thinking, rather than putting ourselves in our customers’ shoes and seeing things from their point of view. What will really make a difference to the customer and the experience they receive from an organisation? Which new or existing initiatives – digital or not – can actually positively contribute to the business’ strategy and future plans, driving growth and increasing revenue?
That being said, the latest technology undoubtedly plays a critical role in improving the customer experience (CX) and numerous businesses have strong evidence of how it has positively contributed to their success. However, all improvements must start and end with the customer: understanding their experience, their individual journeys and touchpoints, and what they truly want from their interaction with the brand. If the organisation bypasses the wants and needs of their customers in a rush to ‘go digital’, they run the risk of misunderstanding, or worse, ignoring something really important to them, in favour of deploying the latest piece of technology to show competitors their digital credentials.
CX transformation
The industry’s thinking needs to change. Doesn’t a well thought through chatbot that enhances the CX fall into the bucket of ‘CX transformation’ rather than ‘digital transformation’? Again, the customer won’t be saying to their friends that they had a great digital experience; they will be saying they simply had a great experience – so isn’t that where the focus should be? If the customer doesn’t use the ‘D word’, should we?
Rather than concentrating on the latest trend or buzzword, many industries – including the egaming industry – need to focus on the customer and seek to enhance their experience. Those that operate, strategise and plan with the customer in mind will reap the rewards and go to the top of the league table.
