Manish Shah, VP of Verint Southeast Asia, shares some of his top CX insights ahead of Singapore’s Verint Engage on Wednesday this week;

What is the one key trend that will change the way we view Customer Experience for the years to come?

In 2018, we released a large-scale study of more than 36,000 consumers across 18 countries that challenges all of us to think about how we can deliver a customer experience that will truly engage customers from today into 2030 and beyond. Our partner was Opinium Research LLP, titled “Defining the Human Age: A Reflection on Customer Service in 2030.”

It explores how technology, societal trends, the workplace and customer preferences will shape customer engagement in the years to come. We’ve collected three of the latest surprising, revealing insights on customer engagement here.

• Customer service in 2030 will certainly rely greatly on machine learning, deep learning and deep reinforcement learning.
• Almost seven out of every 10 consumers (68%) want their service experience to be personalised to them and their interests.
• Customer service will continue to play a vital role—66% of consumers are more likely to switch to organisations that provide what they deem to be a better customer experience.

The message for organisations based on input from more than 36,000 consumers globally is clear. To succeed in the future, companies must be honest and transparent – both are key qualities that must come through in every element of the customer experience.

AI and chatbots have been touted the next big thing in Customer Experience management. Do you feel that AI will eventually replace the human touch in CS?

Artificial Intelligence has the potential to redefine what’s possible in self-service. Intelligent Virtual Assistants (IVAs) and Chatbots are garnering a lot of attention these days because they live at the intersection of AI and self-service. They’re interesting because they create a self-service experience that feels much more intelligent than traditional menu-driven self-service.

In the same survey, nearly two-thirds (63%) stated that they are happy to be served by a chatbot if they have the option to escalate the conversation to a human when needed.

Human interaction has always, and is going to play a vital role in customer engagement well into the future, as will automation. Organisations need to ensure they have the right mix of digital and human engagement options to offer speed and convenience.

This topic and much more will be discussed on Wednesday in Singapore at Engage 18. Find out more here.