by TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – CUSTOMER experience is in a state of constant evolution alongside the development of technologies such as generative artificial intelligence (AI), automation and personalised computing.
According to experts, technology is shifting the way businesses facilitate the customer experience through customer touchpoints such as built-in games, chatbots, personalised shopping experiences or otherwise.
From insurance, to banking, retail and even public services, customers are becoming more expectant of digital and tech-enabled experiences that make their interactions with businesses more seamless, stress-free and pleasurable.
According to Akhram Mohamed, Vice-President of Operations at Huawei Consumer Business Group South Africa, in 2024, the seamless integration of hardware and software ecosystems utilising foundational technologies to drive productivity and user experience will become increasingly important.
“In fact, foundational technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G (5th generation mobile network) are already changing how people work, play, and live by facilitating efficiency and creativity. Those roles will only grow in the coming years,” added Mohamed.
According to the Intelligent Word 2030 Report, the total size of the global AI market will exceed US$2,8 trillion by 2030.
Mohamed said to be truly effective, AI technology must be implemented correctly.
“Building thriving ecosystems that are beneficial to both businesses and society requires matching the right technologies with the right scenarios,” he advised.
Open hardware, open software, and collaborative approaches are seen as imperative to scaling ecosystem development and providing meaningful use cases for these transformative technologies.
Generative AI is becoming increasingly important and essential for any business’s customer experience strategy. It can, for example, be integrated into chatbots, which can provide automated, 24/7 customer support.
Experts say that makes it easier for customers to resolve issues themselves quickly, something that many customers prefer.
“Using AI-powered customer support tools has other benefits too, including freeing up customer support staff to deal with more complex problems that need human intervention,” commented Andrew Bourne, Regional Manager, Africa at Zoho.
– CAJ News