Challenges and opportunities of digitizing customer relationships

22/11/2021

Digital technology has quickly made a place in our daily lives, driven by ever more innovative technologies that are profoundly changing our requirements and behaviors. More than businesses, hyper-connected consumers set the tone thanks to the web and social networks. The multiplication of communication tools has changed the concept of customer relationship, which is increasingly digitized. This observation pushes companies to integrate the management of these contact points in order to offer a qualitative, instant and fluid customer experience. As the challenges are numerous, businesses are deploying adapted digital strategies in order to develop a customer journey aimed at offering an unparalleled level of satisfaction, increasing sales and retaining their customers. Discover the challenges and opportunities of digitalization of customer relationships.

What is the digitalization of customer relationships?

The digital revolution has led to the creation of various tools to stay connected while on the move (smartphone, tablets, etc.), but also the multiplication of communication channels (social networks, e-mailing, etc.). The consumer is constantly informed and his level of requirement is increasing, accustomed to consulting and sharing opinions, but also to obtaining information in record time. La digitalization of customer relationships means that a consumer can use several points of contact to enter into a relationship with a company, establishing new consumption habits, expectations and requirements induced by the democratization of digital tools.

At present, businesses must take into account the challenges of digitalization of customer relationships, in order to ensure a qualitative service throughout the customer journey. This new situation requires a structural reorganization promoting cooperation between all services in order to offer a digital customer experience optimal.

 

The influence of digital technology in customer relationships

While digital technology has changed consumer behavior, it has also brought new ways of working and thinking about customer relationships in businesses. Today, the customer relationship encompasses all the interactions of a prospect/customer with a brand, before, during and after the sale. Businesses then focus their strategy on the benefit of the consumer, whose experience is placed at the center of their concerns. The consumer actor can benefit from an in-depth knowledge of a company using the opinions of other Internet users, while having the power to influence with his own opinion, and this on multiple channels.

It is therefore essential to offer a sufficient level of service in order to guarantee satisfaction at each stage of the sales process. Businesses now have the opportunity to remain permanently connected with their customers thanks to all available contact points (mobile, email, telephone, internet, social networks); the challenge is therefore to establish a close relationship favorable to their image and their development. A good customer relationship is primarily intended to be personalized, so companies have an interest in collecting customer data in order to offer a tailor-made service to satisfy and retain them. Because what the customer wants is a humanized relationship that makes them feel unique.

 

What are the advantages of digitizing customer relationships?

The evolution of consumer habits and expectations has changed their relationships with businesses; businesses have no choice but to adapt to these new challenges in order to stand out from the competition and remain competitive. The buying journey has been profoundly changed by the possibility for consumers to form an opinion long before their first interaction with a physical store seller, thanks to the numerous channels available to consult opinions and compare products and services. More informed, it is becoming more demanding and volatile: consumer attention is becoming more and more difficult to capture and maintain.

Digitalization provides concrete answers to the needs of consumers who expect a close relationship and real interactivity with a brand, to the benefit of their satisfaction. Offering a satisfactory customer experience makes it possible to stand out with an offer with high added value, in order to perform, increase your reputation and retain your customers.

 

How to digitize customer relationships?

La digitalization of customer relationships has revolutionized practices and created new ways of working, oriented to the service of the customer himself in constant evolution. It is a growth driver, which requires meeting sales objectives and the company's overall strategy. The identification and prioritization of the information to be digitized therefore remain essential in order to develop the right tools, to manage the progress of the project and to monitor its results. This deployment is based on 6 methodological axes, to be adapted according to its activity:

  • Analyze the consistency of the target with the products/services;
  • Analyze the digital behavior of the target and the company;
  • Identify sales channels that are already present and those that customers are asking for;
  • Analyze current customer journeys and those to be developed;
  • Define a coherent, fluid and tailor-made digital strategy;
  • Measuring customer performance and feedback.

For the success of the digitalization of its customer relationship, the use of technological solutions and tools is essential. The choice must be carefully considered among the variable offers, and each requires precise technical expertise that should not be overlooked:

  • CRM: CRM software makes it possible to use customer data in order to manage customer relationships in a personalized and satisfactory manner;
  • Marketing Automation: a technology designed to automate repetitive marketing tasks - newsletters - and to personalize the messages sent to improve the user experience;
  • A Customer Success team: flexible and agile teams dedicated to improving the consumer experience during the customer journey make it possible to offer a high quality of service.
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The opportunities of digitizing customer relationships

La digitalization of customer relationships gives companies that put it at the center of their development strategy an opportunity for growth in the face of the complexity of the purchasing process. For them, it is a question of offering their prospects and customers new communication channels to develop their satisfaction and retain them. La digitalization of customer relationships is therefore based on the principle of omnicanality, i.e. the multiplication of contact points between a company and a prospect/customer.

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Developing an omnichannel strategy gives businesses the opportunity to mobilize new sales channels and solutions to reach new customers and capture their attention. For example, a brand has the possibility of integrating the digital signage at the point of sale, in order to create a relay for its digital storefront.

The Digital in-store offers a new immersive experience, and is proving to be one of the most effective and attractive solutions for creating in-store traffic. Cenareo supports companies in order to deploy innovative means of communication thanks to its system dedicated to digital signage.

Easy to access, the Cenareo solution makes digital signage in stores an innovative communication channel with a high ROI, to meet the needs of digitalization of customer relationships.

Omnichannel offers a fluid experience from one channel to another and offers a global vision of the customer journey, in order to create a qualitative relationship and a premium level of service. In addition, data collection offers businesses a wealth of information on the habits and desires of their customers. Combined with a good definition of its target and its positioning, all this data constitutes a valuable information base to know the customer journey and respond to it in the best possible way.

Now aware of the importance of digitalization of customer relationships, do you want to deploy efficient tools to serve the satisfaction of your customers? Progress in your Customer-centric approach thanks to Cenareo, and generate more commitment from your customers. Cenareo offers tailor-made support in order to deploy a powerful omnichannel strategy, to attract, satisfy and retain your customers.

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