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Tech is powering enterprise, nevertheless it is not sufficient by itself to generate success. Making a private contact nonetheless stays some of the potent and efficient methods for a model to face out from the group.
The issue is that firms tend to float from the “human contact” over time. With out a deliberate effort to remain relatable, they rapidly sink right into a state of cold-hearted exercise and bottom-line calculations.
With current AI and automation know-how exploding in reputation, it begs the query: How are you going to match all of those new tech instruments into your small business plans with out dropping your human contact?
Let’s dive into a couple of of the most effective ways in which I’ve discovered firms can get probably the most out of bleeding-edge tech with out dropping sight of the human expertise alongside the way in which.
1. Embrace a human-first strategy
In search engine marketing (SEO), entrepreneurs use issues like key phrases, linking and back-end exercise on an internet site to make sure that their content material is driving natural site visitors to their firm’s web site. This optimizes on-line content material to make sure it ranks properly in engines like google.
Whereas that is all technically centered, it is important that search engine marketing consultants bear in mind to place the reader first as they craft their content material. In the event that they make rating excessive in engines like google the highest precedence, it may possibly result in complicated textual content that does not meet a reader’s wants. To place it one other approach, search engine marketing consultants should prioritize the readers (i.e., customers/prospects) first and the major search engines that time these readers towards their content material second.
The identical precept applies to any utility of know-how in enterprise. You need to by no means prioritize tech instruments as an finish unto themselves. As an alternative, they need to have a transparent profit that helps you serve your audience higher.
In advertising and marketing, that is known as human-to-human advertising and marketing. In customer support, a consumer-centric strategy is important. And once I say important, I am not exaggerating.
Through the pandemic, when firms have been utilizing tech instruments hand over fist to keep up their reference to prospects, CGS polled 1000’s of shoppers. The aim was to see how they have been fairing in on-line customer support interactions.
The outcomes have been telling. Greater than a 3rd of respondents (37.8% within the U.S. and 39.1% within the U.Okay.) did not simply say that having a human factor within the interplay was essential. They mentioned that a possibility to attach with a human agent was a prime three requirement of leaving the interplay comfortable.
If you wish to embrace tech with out dropping the human contact, begin by prioritizing the shopper over the tech in each scenario.
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2. Do not let tech cover your humanity
Know-how can have an countless variety of functions for a model. You should use it to hurry up invoicing, observe buyer profiles, forecast gross sales cycles, the checklist goes on.
One factor that tech ought to by no means be, although, is a cop-out. You need to by no means use tech to keep away from a problem, like coping with an sad buyer.
In reality, within the CGS survey listed above, practically half of these requested needed manufacturers to be extra clear about the best way to get assist from a human. They did not need to must put in further work to discover a approach round an automatic customer support system.
When know-how is carried out purely to avoid wasting a buck or make an inside downside go away on the expense of the shopper, it may possibly rapidly develop into a misuse of its worth. Keep in mind, tech ought to all the time improve the buyer expertise. This is usually a direct affect or an oblique one, nevertheless it ought to all the time be an element.
It is one factor to make use of know-how to make issues simpler or cut back your overhead — if doing that hides your model’s humanity, although, it is best to search for a greater choice.
3. Use tech to make human-centered actions simpler
One of many easiest methods to lean into tech successfully is to make use of it to make “human contact” enterprise actions extra optimized (and, by extension, simpler to spend money on and maintain).
For example, a branded podcast is a good way to showcase a model’s humanity. It requires real-life recordings from the consultants and people behind your services and products.
That mentioned, a podcast is quite a lot of work. That may make it arduous for firms to drag the set off on a recurring present. This can be a excellent alternative for tech to assist — and in additional methods than one.
One instance is the quite a few AI and automation instruments obtainable to streamline the podcast manufacturing course of. Simon Hodgkins factors out that AI is already utilizing NLP (pure language processing) to automate transcription providers.
The CMO provides that AI can even assist with post-production. It might probably take away background noise and repair irregularities in sound ranges. AI may even generate ancillary objects, similar to present notes and social posts.
You may go even additional by having an amplified advertising and marketing software develop an extended weblog article based mostly on an episode that dives deeper into a subject. You’ll nonetheless need a human editor to present your content material a once-over, however the total course of is quicker, extra reasonably priced and expands your attain.
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Know-how and our humanity do not must be mutually unique facets of enterprise. With slightly forethought, it is easy to get the 2 to overlap.
Embrace a human-first mindset, and consider tech to make sure that it’s serving to relatively than hiding your model’s human contact. For those who can keep that mindset, you’ll find numerous methods to make use of tech to present you a aggressive benefit in your trade.