When brands become your friends…
Could brands become your friends?
Is it too far fetched an idea and inconceivable?
Lets have a look at the following Facebook Messenger conversation that I had with four of my friends when I had to travel abroad on short notice.
— — — — — — — —
Me: Oh boy, I need to travel to Dubai this Friday!
Emmy: Would you like me to book a flight for you Zaheer?
Me: yes, thanks Emmy, I would like to fly out from Manchester on Business Class after 21:00
Ursula: Hey Zaheer, shall I book a pickup for you? You will need to be at Manchester at least 2 hours before boarding?
Me: that would be great Ursula, thanks! I am carrying only hand luggage so normal car would be fine.
Erik: Hi Zaheer, don’t forget to get your mobile tariff enabled for roaming — let me know if I can sort this out for you.
Me: Good shout Erik, it was a real pain last time — I need a mobile data enabledfor Dubai — could you sort that out for me please? I need it for a week only so get me a good deal mate.
Erik: sure, I will have that sorted and will send you confirmation shortly — I have access to your business account so it wont take long.
Me: thanks Erik
Me: Henry, you heard the conversation mate — could you help me with hotel reservation please? I need 3 nights near Burj, wifi, B&B inclusive. thanks!
Henry: sure Zaheer, consider it done, I have your preferences on room type so I will check the rates and send you a message to confirm.
Me: thanks Henry!
Me: Ian, could you send me the latest facts and insights on Omni Channelplease? I need to put together a quick presentation.
Ian: sure Zaheer, I have sent you the latest articles on Omni Channel, Omni Channel CX and Digital sourced from McKinsey, Delloite, HBR and MIT. Let me know should you need more.
Me: thanks Ian — you are a star!
— — — — — — — — — — — -
Ok, If you have read it up to this point — then you must have figured out that the above conversation isn’t real as:
- my friends seems to be available to chat with me instantly!
- probably available on 24/7 basis
- they are desperately trying to serve me (like my personal assistants)
- they have full access to my personal accounts and aware of my interests and preferences
- they have an authorization to act on my behalf and execute commercial transactions
In reality, you wouldn’t expect to interact with your friends this way unless there were exceptional circumstances (even then, it would be difficult for your friends to access your personal accounts.)
“…businesses will engage with you as friends and serve you as your personal assistants!”
However, this is the potential CX that could become a norm in the post App era — where businesses will engage with you as friends and serve you as your personal assistants — thanks to the inevitable (Chat)Bot revolution that is on its way. To read more on Bots — visit my blog on Bots Strategy.
Now, to relive the envisioned CX — I invite you to:
- reread the above conversation — only this time assume: Emmy = Emirates; Ursula = Uber; Erik = EE; Henry = Hilton Hotels; Ian = Inqure
- where the underlined text represents the keyword based triggers within conversational context — used by ChatBots to execute actions
Although I am not suggesting this is how the above brands are or will be developing their experience — I would encourage them to appreciate the spirit of envisioned CX — because:
- of its achievability, effortless and friendlier nature (watch my omni-channel use case video — ChatBots will become part of this equation)
- their competitors are likely to pursue such practices (read KLM’s plans here)
- this is what their customers would expect in not too distant future!
I hope you enjoyed this post.
Is your digital transformation journey catering for these developments? I would love to hear your thoughts.
To discuss this topic further — you can get in touch with me on zaheer.gilani@omnixco.com , +44(0)7984357010 or add me to your network. www.omnixco.com
