Where it was once heavily reliant on customers’ experience through physical interactions, it is now primarily dominated by digital experiences where bots dominate these interactions. From a customer interaction model where nearly every experience the consumer goes through is positive or unique, it is now one where AI and Bots guide consumers coldly through touchpoints. Oftentimes, this paradigm and approach leave customers dissatisfied and irate.

This is where Infobip is now looking to change things by looking at the emerging behavioural trends of consumers. Today’s consumers want things to be faster, more efficient and personalised all while being online. The company is placing their focus on adapting Generative AI into its systems with the intent of providing customers with a more personalized experience shopping online akin to the experience they’ve become accustomed to offline.

Back to Basics – Interactions & Experiences Matter

“…It goes all back to the basics.” That is the overarching theme of the solutions that Infobip is developing. Miguel Turnbull, the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Infobip explains a fundamental shift in the paradigm of customer interactions, “The goal is to bring back personalization and the uniqueness of these interactions to a digital experience. So still, in the comfort of your phone, being able to have the same experience you would have if you physically went to a shop.”

This could not be more true with the shift of consumers from buying offline to buying online. A phenomenon that was put into overdrive over the course of the recent pandemic. In fact, the business landscape has changed so drastically we’re seeing the re-emergence of experience-centric behaviours rather than choice and brand-driven ones.

George Ni, Regional Director of Partnerships and Alliances for APAC at Infobip explains, “It is about experiences as Miguel said, but it is also about timely responses meaning that I want it tomorrow, I want it now and how do I quickly get into a particular experience platform? It has evolved that it is no longer a single point-to-point service provision but a single point-to-multi-point or multi-point to multi-point service provision and this is what we call the ecosystem. Meaning that a vendor who must survive in this business today will be required to survive in this greater ecosystem.”

An Omnichannel Solution for a Multifaceted Problem

Infobip is developing solutions that will help businesses leverage business insights and interconnectivity. The mainstay of their offering – the Infobip exchange marketplace – empowers businesses to stay on the ball by democratising the marketplace and allowing businesses to more readily monetize their intellectual properties. Of course, with an open forum like the Infobip marketplace, businesses are also able to collaborate and develop solutions that can then be provisioned.

Infobip’s solution in assisting future partners or businesses in this era of change is by providing an Omnichannel Platform; A platform provides a range of services across channels seamlessly. Together with this, they have also created user-friendly stack automation tools known as SaaS (Software as a service) layers consisting of diverse building blocks or APIs that partners can easily incorporate into their platform.

Conversational Cloud with Generative AI in Forging Lasting Business-Customer Relationships

In leveraging these tools, brands and businesses will be able to leverage their insights to forge lasting relationships – albeit digitally – with their customers. In fact, according to Velid Begovic, Infobip’s Vice President of Revenue in APAC, the cornerstone of this lasting relationship is smoother, more thoughtful and efficient communication between brands and their audiences. This can be achieved by using an emerging technology called the conversational cloud.

He explains, “The rise of conversational cloud, a set of cloud-based solutions facilitating business-customer interactions, is driven by the shift to mobile-first online experiences. Brands are moving beyond reactive social media use to adopt a proactive conversational strategy. WhatsApp for business is gaining traction, especially in regions like Malaysia. Brands are integrating Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions to extend conversations across various channels, including in-app, popular OTT platforms, and traditional communication channels. This shift reflects a broader transformation of transactions into conversations, emphasizing the importance of immediate and responsive communication. Brands embracing a conversational-first approach aim to provide a personalized and outstanding customer experience, setting the stage for success.”

We’re seeing an increase in the importance of these interactions. Platforms such as Meta’s Facebook and Instagram now rate pages and businesses on their responsiveness. While we can use chatbots, Generative AI and conversational cloud are the natural next steps in developing solutions that will allow businesses of any size to forge lasting relationships with their customers.

A Delicate Balance Between Customer Experience (CX) and Customer Service (CS)

It has become more apparent that customer service and customer experience go hand in hand. However, there needs to be a delicate balance between the two; one that is unique to each business but makes all the difference in a world where CX and CS go hand-in-hand. According to a recent McKinsey report, 71% of customers expect relevant and personalized attention from brands and are frustrated by not getting quality responses, especially through online engagements.

Infobip is looking to drive a shift in paradigm to alleviate and turn around the outcomes from these customer interactions. According to Turnbull, “The McKinsey report is unique, as we also have reports from our groups stating that 75% of people are tired of talking to robotised machines.”. He further explains, “In a world of abundant choices and rapid technological advancements, consumers’ impatience is fueled by the vast information and options available. Brands must adapt by promptly delivering information and responding to customer needs, the increasing pace of technological development, using the example of ChatGPT as a trend that gained widespread attention. This technology, integrated into their platform in collaboration with Microsoft, aims to provide a humanized experience through chatbots its why Infobip was the first to integrate their platform ChatGPT technology. By infusing personality into these automated solutions, brands can enhance the consumer-brand relationship. This personalized approach is crucial as brands compete fiercely for customer attention and loyalty.”

At The Edge of A Paradigm Shift, Poised to Lead

It comes as no surprise then that businesses will need to inevitably invest in technologies that will enhance and improve their CX. It would then be prudent for businesses to look at solutions that will not only provide short-term advantages but also long-term outcomes.

The Malaysian business landscape has already, albeit defiantly, tapped into this strategy. However, the nation still remains an early adopter of technologies which empower this strategy. This can be seen in both individual and large-scale aspects like governments and businesses. In fact, Malaysia’s speed in moving from a nation depending on cash to a cashless one demonstrates the nation’s willingness to adopt and adapt to technologies in day-to-day business systems.

While Infobip continues to deliver solutions in the form of data centres, SaaS stacks and even advisory, it falls to the businesses themselves to develop policies and approaches that will minimize exposure and keep potential threats at bay. With growing concern among businesses and the general public about data privacy, it would be prudent that businesses then make strides to deploy these technologies tactfully.