Automation or Not: That is the Question

If we are being honest, all of us at one time have yelled into our phones “AGENT” or “PERSON” or hit the key over and over because it said, “press 5 to speak to an agent”. But then it says, “before I transfer you, let me ask you a few questions in order to get you to the right person”. Frustration ensues. Raise your hand if you have ever been in that situation.

?I assume all hands are raised or heads are nodding in agreement.?

Automation or forms of AI (artificial intelligence) are presenting themselves in many aspects of our communication with businesses today. Some work well. Some do not as in the previous example. My dentist texts me a week ahead to confirm or reschedule my appointment. Then another text arrives the day before with a “looking forward to seeing you” message. All allowing me to handle my interaction in a manner that fits my schedule or timing.

We are moving towards a point where consumers are looking to be more in control of the transaction, appointment, or interaction with your business. Yet have you looked at your business, and how you are using automation in marketing or communication to your customer base?

We see this in the use of chat where customer support is automated with a few generic questions for you to select. But if the answers they provide do not fit these questions, the customer is offered to be sent to another page or sent articles to help. For many, the option to speak to a live person is less and less. It seems more and more of customer service is self-service. Find the answer online. We are not present for our customers.?

?I recently encountered a company who told me if I was not at a certain level of their service with my business, assistance with my issue was automated, self-service or through email. I could not speak to anyone to help set up their service. To say I was stunned is an understatement. I could never respond to a customer, “Sorry you did not purchase enough from me to speak with my staff.”?

?“Sorry you did not purchase enough from me to speak with my staff.”?

For many years marketing automation has been used. Moving your customers through a sales funnel. If this-then-that, has been a strategy for many, especially in the email marketing field. The challenge presents itself if this format has not been reviewed or adjusted. It may have worked in the past, but with success comes competition. We are bombarded with sales funnel strategies or marketing automation yet if everyone is doing it how are you standing out?

We see automation ingrained in CRM tools (Customer Relationship Management) where with a little bit of set up, we no longer need salespeople to communicate, they now move into a reactive role, waiting for those who interact or raise their hands for help. While this has its benefits as well, is there a step to review results or have we moved into a set it and forget it mode of execution.?

?In a previous article on communication, I mentioned the three “P” s for connecting with your consumers.?

Present: are you where your customers are? This could be phones, chats, emails, social media. The list is growing constantly.?

Prepared: Do your employees have a well thought out process to interact? From scripting, to moving customers to the next phase of the process to technical skills to utilize the platform.

Performance: this is the key. Is there someone assigned to monitor performance to see if the strategy is generating the expected results? Is this individual tasked with helping the employees improve performance or given the authority to adjust the strategy to increase productivity??

?Too often one or more of these three key steps are missing or not inspected. Automation is a wonderful tool, but it cannot be left to itself. Even if the claims of machine learning or adaptability, many of the tools presented to most businesses do not fall into this category. They need attention and involvement from management. Two areas to inspect.?

?Marketing automation. If you are creating a campaign to generate interest in a product or event, what is the cadence of communication? This first step is usually thought through. If an individual opens your campaign, what is the next step? Do they get a different message but what is the timeframe? Have you tested different option or picked one and then moved on to the next?

?Is there a system in place to remove the individual from the cadence if they purchase the product? Often this step is missed so the individual still received messaging as if they were still in the funnel. Depending on the individual they could ignore this or potentially get frustrated they are still being targeted. The key here is testing, monitoring and never putting processes on autopilot.?

CRM or Sales Communications This is an area where potential customers are confused by the process. This type of automation has been referred to a backstop for sales teams who may not be able to handle the number of prospects correctly. What could be happening is multiple email or phone communications are being sent out at the same time, creating doubt in the consumer’s mind as to who they should interact with.?

Another strategy is having the automation begin the process but if the automation cannot answer the questions correctly or they provide a generic response, this may not align with the experience you are hoping to deliver to your customers. Whatever the strategy, human interaction and monitoring still needs to be at the forefront of your process.

?Automation is here to stay and will continue to evolve. The important this is to work backwards from the experience you want to deliver to customers. Then choose the technology that can assist both employees and customers in the interaction. Don’t make the mistake of forcing technology into the process without understanding how it impacts strategies currently being utilized by your company.

If you have any questions or I can be of any help with this, please feel free to reach out.?

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This will one of the main themes we will be discussing at the upcoming Digital Marketing Strategies Conference May 22-24th in Napa Valley. I will be leading a panel with marketing experts from automotive dealerships and technology providers. Please join me. Tickets are on sale here. https://bit.ly/3rMU6pO