Digital adoption is critical to the competitiveness, growth and development of companies
KUALA LUMPUR: In a time where Malaysian consumers are looking for personalisation, value as well as better customer service and experience, trust is a core issue.
To deliver excellent customer experience (CX) journeys, businesses – especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) – must remain customer-centric by leveraging technology to personalise and customise experiences for their customers to earn their trust and support.
As such, the adoption of digital technology including data analytics becomes critical to not only boost the competitiveness, but also the growth and development, of companies.
This was the core message that anchored the first session of the Inspired by Celcom Business free live webinar series, which also unveiled valuable insights on effective customer experience (CX) strategies from entrepreneurs and industry players like Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) business digital adoption director Muhundhan Kamarapullai, BloomThis co-founder and chief executive officer Giden Lim and Fave co-founder Yeoh Chen Chow.
Themed the Best CX Strategy in the New Normal is Data-Driven Human-Centricity, the session was moderated by Kantar North Asia, Southeast Asia, Pacific customer experience regional head Nithi Kumar.
In CX strategies, the important thing to look at is how data can remove the ambiguity around trust and help brands ‘to act in moments of truth that truly matter to consumers’, said Nithi.
To start with, BloomThis’ Lim said that the crux for companies to keep in mind is the fundamental principle of customer experience and the human element of the brand.
He shared, “Beyond data, CX is really important because it comes from the core essence, the values and the mission and vision of the brand. When we talk about data-driven CX, the first thing we need to recognise is, what is the mission and values of the brand?
“These translate into the people working there believing in the values and expressing that value among ourselves. That’s where the customers actually feel that value and that’s where the human-centricity comes in.”
Looking at it from the customer’s perspective will help in narrowing down the main aspects businesses should address when it comes to the data points they should collect and analyse.
Amongst his suggested areas for data collection is customer feedback and customer behaviours that can indicate confusion or intention, which can help improve the CX journey.
Yeoh agreed, adding that businesses like Fave have a guiding principle of seeing from the customer’s perspective.
“If you’re in doubt, just go the extra mile (for your customers). Customer service representatives, for example, need to be empowered to do their best to make customers happy. Let them understand why we do what we do, ” he said.
As for how data comes into play, he said that such technology enables increased personalisation and customisation when it comes to aspects such as targeted marketing based on data collected on individual-specific consumer behaviour, for instance.
He added, “Data is meaningless if people can’t make sense of it, or can’t do anything with it. The data needs to tell a story that enables businesses to take action on it. Without data, it’s just an opinion, as data gives an unbiased view.”
For MDEC’s Muhundhan, SMEs need to first look into the goals they want to achieve from a business standpoint before moving into transacting online and collecting data.
He shared, “Forget about all the tech jargons that are out there and just focus on your business in terms of how you can enable your business, by moving into improving productivity, market access or customer engagement. That’s the starting point. Secondly, the journey moves into the ability to transact online and to create that connection with customers.”
The Inspired by Celcom Business free live webinar series is organised by Celcom Business, in partnership with Star Media Group.
The Inspired by Celcom Business webinar series, which is aimed at enriching the knowledge and capacity of the business community, is part of Celcom and its parent company Axiata Group Bhd
’s (Axiata) digitalisation push to accelerate digital adoption across Malaysian SMEs.
Moreover, Celcom and Axiata have also launched an RM150mil financial assistance programme called Aspirasi, which delivers artificial intelligence-driven micro-financing and micro-insurance solutions to assist the SME community.
