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Despite all the technological advances, nothing can match the experience of a human touch in customer service. This was the view that experts underlined while speaking at the Khaleej Times CX Evolve Summit in Dubai.
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“I believe the value of human interaction in undeniable.,” said Ahmed Khedr, Vice President Retail Digital Transformation at e&. “Even with very advanced levels of technology, we cannot ignore the touch of human interaction and the emotional bond it creates. We should marry technology with human interaction to keep our customers coming back to us.”
The fourth edition of the CX Evolve Summit, which took place on Thursday, brought together industry leaders to discuss how brands could anticipate consumer demands, control customer experiences, and drive brand loyalty.
Ahmed Khedr's comments come as e& prepares to open its first autonomous store in Dubai Mall next week. Completely unmanned, the store will use artificial intelligence to make it a seamless experience for its customers. People will be granted entry into the store solely using facial recognition.
He shared the story of a 'thank you' letter he received from a senior manager who praised the company’s human touch. “He had gone into one of our stores in Abu Dhabi to buy one line, but he came away from it buying three lines and two devices,” he said. “He wrote that the customer care representative gave him a ‘wow’ experience that went over and beyond the technology we have.”
According to Gagandeep Gadri, Managing Director, frog, part of Capgemini Invent, every brand is moving towards hyper-personalisation — a process of customising and targeting experiences through data, analytics, artificial intelligence, and automation
“Today we have so many different choices, so how do we maintain their attention and keep them coming back,” he said. “Technology and AI is making hyper-personalisation really doable.”
Karthik Akula, MENA regional head of Freshworks, likened hyper-personalisation to the neighbourhood grocery store or baqala. “In the olden days, the neighbourhood storekeeper knew you and what you wanted,” he said. “It was a very small community and he would stock what you needed. However, a lot of modernisation happened and we began addressing customer with a number of name.”
He clarified that with the advent of AI, the world is going back to the olden levels of personalisation. “By using it, we can go back to that level of hyper-personalisation where it could be about learning your profile, your preferences, buying patterns, what associations they have and so on,” he said.
Gadri further explained that the world is going through a “dual transition” where people want a more digital but sustainable future — what he termed as the eco-digital era. As digitalisation, technology, AI, and sustainability drive transformative change, it is essential to integrate and evolve with these shifts,” he said.
“By embracing diverse, integrated systems and maintaining a human-centric approach, we can craft superior and delightful customer experiences that resonate with this new age.”
Citing a report done by his company, he said the eco-digital economy is expected to double in size over the next five years. “Value is not just economic value,” he said. “It also includes economic and societal value. We need to tread more carefully on our planet.”
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