Consumers today are not just digitally active, they are digitally aware. With the omnipresence of the internet, the decision power, and the readily-available information, today’s customers get what they want, when they want it. This has resulted in a self-aware end users who are perpetually connected and expect seamless solutions, streamlined services and functionalities.
Intelligent enterprises are adopting a customer-centric approach wherein they are marking processes work for the customer instead of the other way round. Industry leaders recognize that improving customer experience yields tangible long-term benefits; the most promising of which is loyalty.
Here is an action plan to build a customer-centric enterprise in the age of the customer:
Have a single view of customers
Businesses must understand their customers better because their growth hinges on how the customer feels after the shopping experience — be it at the store, website, call, or app. Customer experience isn’t a thing; it’s a feeling.
To instill a feeling of delight and trust, a personalized, universal experience is indispensable, especially for repeat customers. With access to the demographic, their behaviour patterns, and needs; data mining and extrapolation can enable more targeted campaigns which address customers’ particular needs. Real-time updates to the customer profile allow insight into their preferences and lifestyle choices, and this knowledge expands with every interaction.
A survey of 500 client-side marketers revealed that only 42% of respondents felt they had a consolidated view of first-party data across the enterprise, despite 82% thinking it was ‘critical’ or ‘important.’
A strategic approach to using customer data could be the difference between losing a customer or retaining one. However, this is impossible to provide if the consumer data is scattered in different silos in your enterprise. To create a seamless CX, unified figures are required, from both offline and online platforms.
Integrating the front and back office
Unless all functions are coordinated and working in harmony, operations will not be optimized for productivity. Managing data in isolated silos leads to visibility issues. Customer data is often spread across disparate platforms, and it’s very labour intensive and time consuming to compile all of it. Additionally, unique metrics, data structures, and processes for each system makes interpretation tough.
Using a single platform will enable employees to make better decisions regarding customers and fine-tune recommendations to offer customized service. Inconsistencies such as multiple entries and transferring data from one to system to the other can also be avoided.
Leveraging AI and machine learning
According to a survey conducted by Narrative Science, AI adoption grew 60% in the last year owing to its ability to learn continuously, connect with customers to leverage and use relevant information.
Evolving capabilities allow prediction of customer needs and choices based on their order history, while augmenting the role your employees play. It also helps in analyzing specific scenarios (e.g. authentication, payments) to focus on key outcomes.
The data generated along with insight from other applications, will build a bird’s eye view allowing tailoring of personalized experiences. Technology isn’t meant to reproduce everything a person does when it comes to resolving conflicts, but it can help make experience seamless and empower your employees to better serve your customers. Learn more about how enterprise AI is transforming businesses today in our expert insights blog.
Keeping up with supply and demand
The tight knit symbiosis between planning and execution allows for process control to be fed directly by the live environment, leading to reduction in error picks, shore up returns, real-time optimization of warehouse resources, and provision of better process control while streamlining operations.
The data gleaned through real-time optimization of the supply chain processing will help in putting together a system that can evolve and agilely respond to market expectations: This means that customers aren’t left wanting as enterprises maintain cost efficiency and seamless processing.
Unifying cloud systems
Customers have come a long way from walking into a grocery store for cereal and making a decision solely based on the choices displayed. Today, with a smartphone in hand, they can figure out their metabolism, which is healthier, what works, what doesn’t and where to get it. As a result, the success of a business depends on the experience the customer walks out with.
Having all the data on a single platform allows everyone to have a consistent user experience across domains. Going digital means less operational costs and easier maintenance. Upgrading and innovation are based on data obtained in real-time.
Get Started
There can be no insights into the customer behavior unless the technology is capable of absorbing, interpreting and communicating data robustly. SAP C/4HANA brings together all the above points, putting the customer first and offers cloud solutions for a range of operations from marketing, to service – and uses intelligent technologies like machine learning to power real-time engagements.
At Savantis, we work closely with industry leaders from hospitality, retail, and manufacturing, to implement the fourth-generation CRM: SAP C/4HANA. Understanding the nuances specific to your enterprise, we integrate SAP S/4HANA and SAP C/4HANA with your back-office and front-office processes.
With our unique approach to transformation, we ensure a smooth implementation with reduced time-to-value. ArcLight Cinemas, an upscale movie theater chain with over 1400 employees, goes live with SAP S/4HANA in just 12 weeks following Savantis’ Rapid Implementation Methodology. Savantis is now helping them implement SAP C/4HANA.
We are here to accompany you in your adoption journey to SAP C/4HANA. Get in touch with our experts today.
