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Let’s Talk: Personalization techniques to enhance customer experience

In an era where customer expectations are higher than ever, personalization has become crucial for businesses looking to stand out.

Join us as we explore effective techniques that can transform customer interactions and elevate the overall experience in this week’s edition of Let’s Talk

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Tim Coates, Head of A&NZ Data Practice at Synechron Australia

Tim Coates
Tim Coates, Head of A&NZ Data Practice at Synechron Australia

“Many organisations are looking to hyper-personalise their customer experience, fuelled by rising customer expectations and the increased commoditisation of physical and digital products.

“We advise our clients, including three of the five largest banks in Australia, on several innovative approaches, including leveraging GenAI for customer communications via digital channels, i.e., chatbots, where customers can be addressed individually based on actionable insights synthesised from multiple sources. Today, organisations might personalise their communications around gender, wealth and products. With GenAI in the future, communications will be varied for more factors such as marriage status, location, Instagram usage, high engagement levels, frequent flyer miles, etc.

“Contact centre services significantly influence net promoter scores and retention rates, and digitising these typically complex issues presents a substantial challenge. Therefore, firms are also exploring how GenAI can rapidly accelerate the manual effort to triage the complaint against past examples, and then identify a course of action and reply to customers.

“We have also worked with clients to implement digital twins, which are a virtual representation of a physical object or system. They span the object’s lifecycle, are updated with real-time data and then use simulation, machine learning and reasoning to help make dynamic decisions about the optimal solutions, all with far lower R&D time and expenditure. Examples include personal healthcare services, where a digital twin can be used to model an individual’s health events over a life time vs a peer data set, then gather real-time censor data and provide highly-customised proactive care or treatment options.”

Hayley Fisher, Australia & New Zealand Country Manager at Adyen

Hayley Fisher
Hayley Fisher, Australia & New Zealand Country Manager at Adyen

“Winning customer loyalty has become increasingly complex, especially with businesses constantly finding ways to innovate and offer consumers more and more choices. To retain and grow their audience, businesses should focus on delivering remarkable experiences through customer personalisation.

“While the appetite for customer personalisation has been around for some time, Adyen’s 2024 Retail Index found that only 18% of Australian businesses know more than half of their clientele well enough to personalise items, lower than the global average of 28%. Yet, Australians crave personalisation, as the Index also found 62% of consumers would like to see more tailored discounting at the retailers they shop most regularly at.

“Today, businesses have access to a dizzying amount of data, which they can use to help deliver different types of experiences. The key is to surprise and delight shoppers, without intruding on their privacy.

“One technique businesses should consider is linking loyalty to the shopper’s payment card. This means removing the need for a separate loyalty card and assigning rewards automatically to the shopper’s payment method. Another is using payments data for insights, this helps businesses better understand consumer behaviour and preferences, allowing them to tailor services and product recommendations.

“By focusing on personalisation, businesses can build stronger connections, increase customer satisfaction, and drive loyalty – ensuring growth and a competitive edge in the marketplace.”

Jane Brown, Area VP at Salesforce ANZ

Jane Brown
Jane Brown, Area VP at Salesforce ANZ

“In the modern retail landscape, customer expectations are changing faster than ever. It’s clear that a one-size-fits-all approach no longer suffices, making personalised experiences essential for success. While scaling personalisation across all touch points can be challenging, AI tools can offer a simple solution. By tapping into AI, businesses can analyse and leverage customer data, which has become essential in determining buying patterns, trends, and product predictions.

“Behind every decision is an array of factors that contribute to customer purchase trends, from social, psychological, cultural, to personal and economic. The latest Salesforce State of Service Report found that 81 per cent of consumers say they expect a personalised experience more than they used to, so understanding these influences is crucial. Ensuring you have access to the right data is a key driver for businesses achieving sustained growth and gaining a competitive advantage.

“A comprehensive overview of customer data allows businesses to target specific customer needs. By harnessing the power of data and personalising with AI, businesses can evaluate engagement, buying patterns, and shifting behaviours, leading to more informed decision making to strengthen customer loyalty, build trust, and drive sales.”

Adam Beavis, VP & Country Manager ANZ at Databricks

Adam Beavis
Adam Beavis, VP & Country Manager ANZ at Databricks

“Personalisation is a key step in creating differentiated experiences for customers and can include techniques like using predictive analytics to deliver dynamic web content or targeted, customised in-app offerings.

“The right technique will vary from business to business, but the common thread is that differentiated experiences at scale are enabled by data and AI.

“Businesses looking to unlock true differentiation and competitive advantage should look at their own data to identify the unique IP they possess that will help them create this experience. Not every company needs to build a customer service chatbot from scratch.

“This starts with ensuring the data is not siloed in multiple systems but unified on one platform, accurate and clean. This is a fundamental step in the success of any AI project.

“From there, businesses should identify clusters of similar users or customers, and work on experimenting with user-based and item-based recommendations to identify where customers find the most utility.

“Beyond basic uptake, user feedback might be expressed via interactions, dwell times, or product searches. Careful consideration of how customers interact with various assets and touchpoints can unlock a range of new insights which can help enable and improve the personalised customer experience.”

Christopher Connolly, Solutions Engineering Lead, Communications, APJ, Twilio

Christopher Connolly
Christopher Connolly, Solutions Engineering Lead, Communications, APJ, Twilio

“The recent boom in predictive and generative AI has triggered a new wave of customer engagement. Our recent research showed seven in 10 businesses already leverage AI to personalise content and marketing. As such they are already realising several benefits, including higher customer satisfaction. This is because AI allows these businesses to adapt to changing consumer behaviours much faster and more accurately, allowing for optimal personalisation.

“Another, perhaps more crucial element of personalisation, is getting your data house in check, and this goes hand in hand with AI. The main reason many local businesses are struggling to understand their customers and give them customised experiences is due to poorly connected data, with our research showing half (51%) of Australian businesses cite connecting customer data across channels, sources and platforms is their biggest challenge, and close to half (46%) struggle with turning data into customer insights.

“AI can help businesses create the best possible personalised customer experiences – however this relies on clean, unified data that can be activated easily to cater for changing consumer preferences. To enhance personalisation, businesses need to collect first or zero-party data at every interaction, and invest in foundational work around their data.”

Nina Jung, Chief Revenue Officer at Chronos Agency

Nina Jung
Nina Jung, Chief Revenue Officer at Chronos Agency

“Retention and lifecycle marketing are critical to giving customers that personal touch that keeps them engaged with your brand long-term. Not only is it more cost-effective to invest in your existing customer base and returning customers in comparison to solely investing in new customer acquisition, but personalised approaches to retention marketing can also make your audience feel valued. The result is increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.

“Some foundational techniques include SMS and email marketing. Your customers are being inundated with digital messages all day, but they are still likely to click on an email or SMS if they believe it speaks to them and is truly adding value to their circumstances. Getting the basics right starts with including their name and tailoring the content based on their location, past purchases, webpage visits, and other indications of their interests. Brands can then take this a step further with A/B testing to understand what tone, type of sales and promotions, and look and feel of promotional content they prefer.”

Anthony Capano, Regional Director of ANZ at Intuit Mailchimp

Anthony Capano
Anthony Capano, Regional Director of ANZ at Intuit Mailchimp

“Creating exceptional customer experiences through personalisation starts with understanding your customers’ unique preferences and behaviours. It’s more than data collection; it’s about creating meaningful, emotional connections. According to Intuit Mailchimp’s “The Science of Loyalty” report, emotional resonance is a stronger driver of loyalty than transactional perks, which underscores the need to craft personalised experiences that make customers feel valued and understood.

“To achieve this, brands can leverage behavioural data to segment customers based on their purchasing habits and engagement levels. With AI-driven insights, marketers can then anticipate customer needs and deliver tailored messages. For instance, you can email them customised product recommendations or offers based on past interactions. This approach is key, as our recent report shows that 50% of Australians want brands to offer personalised discounts.

“These personalisation techniques help ensure that your messages are both relevant and timely, reaching the right audience and enhancing the overall customer experience.”

Florencia Mostaccio, Head of Research and Experience Design at Restive

Florencia Mostaccio
Florencia Mostaccio, Head of Research and Experience Design at Restive

“Real personalisation means anticipating customer needs, not simply feeding users recommendations based on current behaviour. Many tech products these days are lazy with their algorithms. They record what customers tap on and view and then play back the same type of content.

“This is what I call lazy personalisation because it doesn’t carry with it a real understanding of human behaviour. It works in the short-term, but eventually people get bored and move on. True personalisation looks at long-term behaviour by anticipating what a user will look for next.

“To do this, algorithms should consider three attributes in their logic.

  • Attitudinal attributes: algorithms should refine the experience based on user attitude towards exploration and discovery. It would understand which users are inherently more curious and give them recommendations that are adjacent or different to what they tapped on before. While users who tend to not venture would be offered recommendations closer to what they previously interacted with.
  • Situational attributes: algorithms should understand the use case of what the customer is trying to achieve and predict their next step.
  • Historical attributes: algorithms should analyse past user behaviour and offer recommendations at the right time based on patterns of repeat interaction.”

Gavin Jones, Area Vice President, Australia and New Zealand at Elastic

Gavin Jones
Gavin Jones, Area Vice President, Australia and New Zealand at Elastic

“Businesses must adopt personalisation techniques to stay competitive and boost satisfaction and loyalty. Tailored techniques, such as curated suggestions and top-rated recommendations, significantly impact purchase decisions, making customers feel valued and understood as individuals.

“Technology is already transforming businesses to innovate the customer experience – going beyond tools like cloud and machine learning to embracing generative AI (GenAI) to make informed decisions. GenAI has the potential to revolutionise personalisation techniques by analysing user preferences and summarising shopping history to provide highly tailored recommendations.

“For instance, Elastic Search AI combines the precision of search and the intelligence of AI to power advanced search capabilities that deliver personalised search results based on location, demographics, and individual preferences. This approach not only enhances product discovery and relevance but also drives higher sales conversion rates, increased customer satisfaction, and stronger retention.

“From storefront search recommendations to curated picks for an individual, effectively implementing GenAI can help businesses do more with data, redefining interactions with customers to better address their wants and needs, all in real-time.”

Nina Jonker-Voelker, VP APAC at CommerceTools

Nina Jonker-Voelker
Nina Jonker-Voelker, VP APAC at CommerceTools

“In today’s complex shopping environment, there is no single technique or magic formula for effective personalisation. The blend of online, offline, and hybrid shopping experiences makes delivering personalised interactions more challenging than ever.

“Sophisticated consumer behaviours demand equally sophisticated technologies capable of delivering targeted personalisation in near-real time. Consequently, brands increasingly rely on AI and other advanced marketing tools to meet these demands. To support this technological shift, organisations must upgrade their tech stacks to be more agile, responsive, and flexible.

“Composable commerce plays a crucial role in this process, offering the adaptability to integrate and continuously optimise strategies based on real-time feedback. The ability to quickly adjust personalisation strategies in response to real-time data ensures that brands remain relevant and competitive in a fast-paced market. By embracing composable commerce, businesses can deliver meaningful, individualised experiences that drive customer engagement, increase conversions, and foster long-term loyalty.”

Kumar Mitra, Managing Director – ANZ at Lenovo ISG

Kumar Mitra
Kumar Mitra, Managing Director – ANZ at Lenovo ISG

“At Lenovo Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG), having an unrivalled understanding of our industry landscape underpins our entire approach to personalising our customer’s journey.

“To have the ability and authority to counsel our customers and provide the tailored experience they desire, we must first invest in our own understanding of the industry, ensuring we remain experts in emerging technologies and being able to anticipate trends.

“With the likes of AI and Machine Learning continuing to evolve, we understand that 77% of ANZ enterprises are looking to invest in these areas for 2024, as revealed in our 2024 CIO Technology Playbook.

“Similarly, we know workplace productivity is a growing priority, with our playbook highlighting that enhanced productivity is one of the top two priority areas for ANZ CIOs looking to explore GenAI. It is by investing in this type of insight, that we can assist C-Suite executives in understanding what technology solutions they should invest in.

“Our approach has proven that impeccable foundation knowledge ensures a more personalised customer journey, taking their overall experience from good to great.”

Wilson Ta, Principal Specialist Solutions Consultant at Pegasystems

Wilson Ta
Wilson Ta, Principal Specialist Solutions Consultant at Pegasystems

“In the last year, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) for better customer experience has seen explosive growth, with technologies like chatbots and knowledge management assistants, powered by Large Language Models becoming ubiquitous. When implemented correctly, organisations can advance the personalisation they are providing customers.

“By automating repetitive and mundane tasks, AI frees up human agents’ time to focus on more complex and engaging interactions with customers, allowing them to address unique questions with relevant content and propositions. Furthermore, conversations between parties can be analysed in real-time to automatically fill out forms and provide context, such as sentiment and intent, to drive personalised, real-time next best actions that will be valuable for the customer and the business.

“Ultimately, the strategic use of AI not only enhances operational efficiency but also enriches the customer experience, leading to more meaningful interactions and a higher level of service personalisation.”

Michael Ricciardone, Country Manager for ANZ at MoEngage

Michael Ricciardone
Michael Ricciardone, Country Manager for ANZ at MoEngage

“Personalisation is no longer a luxury for businesses—it’s a necessity. Today’s consumers increasingly expect every interaction with a brand to be tailored to their preferences and past behaviours. If you’re not delivering a personalised customer experience from start to finish, you’re falling short of your customers’ expectations. This isn’t just about adding their name into an email, it’s about crafting an end-to-end user journey that feels uniquely theirs.

“From website personalisation and customer journey mapping to customised messaging via email, SMS, or push notifications, personalisation must permeate every touchpoint. A personal touch makes customers feel valued and heard, which fosters loyalty and drives conversions. For instance, utilising geo-tagging allows companies such as food delivery and shopping platforms to deliver hyper-localised recommendations, ensuring customers get what they want when they need it most. By doing this, you will provide an efficient and engaging experience that not only satisfies the customer, but keeps them coming back.

“In an era where consumer expectations are sky high – and a poor digital experience can mean a lost customer – personalisation is the key to maintaining engagement and achieving long-term success.”

Marylyn Sendah, Digital Marketing Executive at The Big Smoke

Marylyn Sendah
Marylyn Sendah, Digital Marketing Executive at The Big Smoke

“With 80% of consumers in a recent Epilson survey saying they are more likely to do business with a company that personalises their experiences, personalisation is a crucial part of any business and marketing strategy. However, many business leaders find themselves frustrated and ‘holding the bag’ after extensive, yet failed personalisation efforts; most often due to hyper-personalisation.

“When implemented excessively, personalisation can make consumers hyper aware of how much information they are volunteering, and how much has been collected without their direct knowledge – it can get a little…creepy. In a Gartner survey 38% of consumers said they disengage from brands for that reason, as they start to feel surveilled. In short, personalisation fatigue promotes a distrust between the consumer and a business.

“The key is balancing machine learning and AI-driven personalisation with authenticity. While businesses often view personalisation as something that benefits them (and it does), this is only sustainable if it also benefits and provides value to the consumer. It’s a choice between short-term profits through hyper-personalisation or long-term customer loyalty and value.

“Having fewer, yet more meaningful, personalised touchpoints is a strategy that keeps customers happy while driving sustainable, high-value business.”

Ben Lovitt, Marketing Director ANZ at SharkNinja

Ben Lovitt
Ben Lovitt, Marketing Director ANZ at SharkNinja

“Personalisation is the key to enhancing customer experiences. It’s all about starting with the consumer’s problem first, not the technology. By really understanding what everyday consumers need and want, companies can create products and services that do more than just meet expectations – they become a beloved part of everyday life.

“To make a real impact, here at SharkNinja, we do this in many ways – we visit hundreds of homes every year, we use tools for social listening, crawling through reviews and ratings of the entire category etc. This helps build our understanding and insight into customer problems. We then develop products that in their development phase, pass through hundreds of consumers for feedback where they rate these products on criteria they value in the category. To ensure a high consumer experience bar, we only launch products here that score 4.5 or higher out of 5 in these user testing.

“By keeping this at the center of our universe, it allows us to stay close to what people want and develop products that meet those needs. We then supplement this by encouraging constant feedback loops so we can tweak our designs to develop new and improved versions.

“Quality is another piece that we never compromise on. We’re always pushing the boundaries of innovation, and we make sure our products don’t just work well – they resonate with people. This means that in some areas we need to partner with others who not only share our vision, they also bring expertise in that area. It helps us stay dedicated to personalisation and ensures we’re all moving in the same direction.

“When companies personalise thoughtfully, they not only improve the customer experience but also build long-term loyalty. That’s where the magic happens – when customers feel that a brand really understands and values them.”

Sharon Melamed, Managing Director at Matchboard

Sharon Melamed
Sharon Melamed, Managing Director at Matchboard

“From the moment you get a sales inquiry, for example through someone filling out a form on your website, there is an opportunity to personalise the customer experience. For example, if you’re responding by email to engage with a B2B lead, personalise it by researching the company’s and individual’s LinkedIn profile, and look at which industry they are in. Based on a few minutes of research, you then have the ability to reference experience relevant to the client’s industry, and things that you have in common (for example, mutual connections, interests or even having attended the same university). These commonalities build rapport and trust. The difference between a generic template email and a personalised email like this is palpable. In fact in my decades of experience in business development, I’ve found personalisation to be a key correlator of conversion success.”

Julian Fayad, Founder and CEO at LoanOptions.ai

Julian Fayad
Julian Fayad, Founder and CEO at LoanOptions.ai

“At LoanOptions.ai, we’re all about making life easier for our customers by using technology to streamline the loan process. But we also know that personalisation is key to truly enhancing the customer experience. Our new bank statement analysis tool is a great example of how we’re going the extra mile to do just that.

“This tool doesn’t just show customers their spending habits—it breaks down expenses into categories and compares them with average spending in each area. It even offers personalised insights and suggestions, like discounts on healthier meal options for customers who might be spending a bit too much on fast food. By helping our customers better understand their financial habits, we’re empowering them to make informed decisions that align with their goals.

“In a world where the loan application process can often feel impersonal, we’re proud to offer something that truly connects with our customers on a personal level. It’s all part of our commitment to supporting Australians in reaching their financial and personal dreams, with transparency, accessibility, and a bit of human touch along the way.”

Fiona Bao, Founder & CEO at Genpulse Pte Ltd

Fiona Bao
Fiona Bao, Founder & CEO at Genpulse Pte Ltd

“In today’s fast-paced world, one-size-fits-all solutions often fail to meet the diverse needs of consumers, especially in the realm of dermatology. Many struggle with finding accurate, affordable skincare and haircare recommendations that truly address their unique issues. At Genpulse, we’re addressing this gap by leveraging AI to provide highly personalized solutions for dermatological concerns. Our AI-driven platform analyzes individual skin and hair conditions, offering tailored product recommendations that are not just data-driven but also user-specific. This personalized approach not only enhances customer satisfaction but also empowers individuals to take control of their skincare journey with confidence. By integrating advanced technology with customer-centric design, we’re transforming the way people engage with skincare and haircare, making it more accessible, precise, and effective.”

Daniele Iezzi, Group Retail Director at Reward Gateway

Daniele Iezzi
Daniele Iezzi, Group Retail Director at Reward Gateway

“Personalisation has become more important than ever for retailers looking to differentiate themselves in a competitive market. By providing a tailored and convenient shopping experience against the backdrop of the cost of living crisis, brands will create meaningful connections with customers when they need it most, driving long-term customer loyalty.

“The current environment means Aussies are tightening their belts, becoming increasingly meticulous with their spending. The retailers who adapt and meet customers where they are will not only successfully weather the economic storm, but they’ll also enable their customers to do the same. The key to getting it right? Technology.

  • Use a CRM: To step into the shoes of your customers, consider using a  CRM. CRMs centralise customer data so businesses can tailor their interactions with customers and provide product offerings that match their interests and needs.
  • Harness marketing automation: Automation tools enable autonomous email marketing, social media posting and ad campaigns to boost efficiency and, more importantly, personalise interactions with customers.
  • Up your omnichannel game: One way to enhance customer convenience is to integrate online and offline channels. Offering options like click-and-collect or in-store returns for online purchases not only ensures a seamless experience but also increases customer loyalty.”

Billy Loizou, Area VP APAC at Amperity

Billy Loizou
Billy Loizou, Area VP APAC at Amperity

“In today’s marketing-saturated world, personalisation has become crucial for capturing customer attention. Brands without a solid first-party data strategy risk falling behind, making the integration of online and offline data increasingly important.

“Despite Google’s cookie rethink, first-party data remains invaluable. Customer Data Platforms like Amperity offer powerful AI capabilities to unify and leverage this data effectively.

“True personalisation goes beyond basic segmentation. It involves using comprehensive data to create relevant, targeted interactions based on customer behaviour and preferences. This approach isn’t just about boosting sales; it’s about fostering stronger, more meaningful customer relationships.

“As consumer expectations evolve, businesses across industries are discovering that data- driven personalisation can significantly enhance the customer experience. Those who successfully implement these strategies will gain a competitive edge in their markets.”

Mark Ferris, Head of Product at IPscape

Mark Ferris
Mark Ferris, Head of Product at IPscape

“Interaction personalisation sets the foundation for strong customer loyalty, high engagement and repeat business.

“So, how can you implement personalisation techniques to enhance customer experiences?

“It starts with data. Organisations have a wealth of customer data at their disposal, which can be utilised across every touchpoint of the customer journey.

“Begin by leveraging a data and analytics tool to surface channel preferences, reasons behind customer engagement, purchase behaviour and intent.

“Collating these data points will allow you to build individual customer profiles that your customer-facing staff members can harness to personalise interactions on any channel.

“Many organisations across the world rely on SCAPE, an omnichannel customer communication technology platform, to personalise their customer experiences through integrating with their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform, such as Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics. This integration pairs rich customer data, voice and digital communication functionality into a single interface.”

Warren Schilpzand, Area Vice President of Australia, New Zealand and Japan at DataStax

Warren Schilpzand
Warren Schilpzand, Area Vice President of Australia, New Zealand and Japan at DataStax

“Today, AI is used to personalise customer experience in many ways.

“Using the insights from the exponential amounts of data already being tracked, AI can respond to customer needs in real-time and anticipate future needs, providing a more seamless and intuitive customer experience.

“For instance, in banking, AI can analyse transaction patterns, communication history, and market conditions to predict a customer’s financial goals, such as saving for a home or planning for retirement. With this insight, financial services can offer personalised recommendations and solutions, such as tailored investment options or automated saving plans, that align with their customer’s goals.

“Or, when a customer has abandoned their cart on your ecommerce site, AI can enable you to send them a notification in the moment with a hyper-personalised offer with compelling wording that might convert them from a window shopper into a buyer.

“You can further personalise the experience with AI knowledge of what customer does, and does not want, what their preferences and tastes are, and then provide them with real-time generated suggestions of other products they might love.

“Taken together, AI and data can supercharge your online customer experience, regardless of your size or position in the market.”

Konstantin Klyagin, Founder of Redwerk and QAwerk

Konstantin Klyagin
Konstantin Klyagin, Founder of Redwerk and QAwerk

“When it comes to customer experience personalization, there’s plenty of information out there. But what truly works?

  • Dedicated Project Managers: From our experience, greater personalization can be achieved by assigning dedicated project managers to oversee a limited number of projects. While this might seem like an additional cost, it often increases customer satisfaction. Project managers act as single points of contact, ensuring smooth communication, efficient workload distribution, and proactive issue resolution.
  • Geo-Targeted Campaigns: Tailoring marketing efforts to specific geographic locations can also enhance customer engagement. Consider incorporating holidays, events, or cultural nuances into your campaigns. Customers are more likely to resonate with messages that are relevant to their lives. The level of personalization can vary depending on your budget, from a heartfelt Valentine’s Day email to tangible gifts for key team members; these gestures demonstrate thoughtfulness and appreciation.
  • Time Zone-Aware Services: This can be a significant advantage for businesses operating across different time zones. For example, providing overnight testing services can reduce feedback loops and accelerate development cycles.
  • Continuous Communication: The cornerstone of successful personalization is ongoing communication. Regularly engage with customers through interviews, surveys, and feedback mechanisms. This helps you understand their evolving needs and preferences, ensuring your offerings remain relevant and valuable.

“Try these strategies to create a more personalized and satisfying customer experience that sets your business apart.”

Walter Scremin, CEO at Ontime Delivery Solutions

Walter Scremin
Walter Scremin, CEO at Ontime Delivery Solutions

“The most powerful actions to enhance the customer experience come down to open communication, win/win solutions, and looking at any potential issue or problem from the customer’s point-of-view.

“This is particularly relevant for companies which provide a professional or complex service to clients – in some cases, they depend on you every day.

“No matter what your industry, open and honest communication is an absolute must – especially in time-sensitive services such as delivery transport. Key is to communicate regularly and with clarity, particularly if you are providing a complex professional service, and being willing to own up should something go wrong.

“You can also go a long way to increasing customer loyalty by offering ongoing improvements, which are also win/win solutions.

“Finally, service can only be enhanced if you try to look through the customer’s lens. This helps you to care for the customer’s needs as if they were your own. With these principles in place there is potential for greater customer satisfaction and loyalty.”

Elise Balsillie, Head of Thryv Australia

Elise Balsillie
Elise Balsillie, Head of Thryv Australia

“With approximately 2.5 million SMBs in Australia, competing for a customer’s share-of-wallet puts pressure on owners to make sure their business stands out and meets growing customer expectations.

“Customer experience (CX) is how your customers perceive your business based on every interaction from start to finish. Providing your customers with an experience worth talking about is a winning strategy. One compelling way to do this is through personalisation.

“In a recent study, 79% of Australian consumers said personalised experiences increase their loyalty to brands.

“Customers want to be more than just a sale – they want to be treated as a long-term relationship. One in which their specific interests and needs are catered to.

“One of the best ways a small business owner can personalise the customer experience is through the adoption of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.

“A CRM will enable a business to send:

  • Specific product/service offers and tags
  • Milestone celebration announcements
  • Personally addressed communication

“Not only will personalisation make your customers feel valued, but it will also drive long-term success by building customer loyalty.”

Angus Stevens, CEO and Co-Founder at Start Beyond

Angus Stevens
Angus Stevens, CEO and Co-Founder at Start Beyond

“A personalisation technique that can enhance the customer experience is the use of VR and AR, especially when it comes to training and education. Using tools such as these creates a personalised experience for the user, which ensures a better understanding of the content.

“For example, Start Beyond worked with Nestle to implement VR training to give retailers a better understanding of which coffee product resonated more with different customers. By using VR to demonstrate this scenario, staff members were consequently able to identify and offer customers the most suitable product, leading to 70% greater sales than regions which did not incorporate the technology.

“Conversely, personalisation through VR can support staff when the customer experience isn’t positive to begin with. Start Beyond’s Aggressive Customer Module uses VR to recreate scenarios where retail workers may face confrontational patrons. This personalised training immerses users in realistic professional situations within a controlled environment, empowering them to feel prepared and confident in handling such challenges.

“There is a huge opportunity in VR and AR learning, as it creates a tailored and personalised experience for the customer, which leads to better engagement, effectiveness and overall retention.”

Trena Blair, CEO of FD Global Connections

Trena Blair
Trena Blair, CEO of FD Global Connections

“Personalisation is vital for engaging prospects – consumers and businesses – when scaling into the complex U.S. market. In a competitive landscape, tailoring your offerings to meet the specific needs and preferences of each client—whether they are individual consumers or corporate clients—can significantly enhance your impact.

“For consumers, personalisation means creating products, services, and experiences that resonate on a personal level. You can build stronger connections and foster loyalty by leveraging the power of data analytics to deliver targeted recommendations, customised messaging, and relevant offers. U.S. consumers expect brands to understand their unique preferences, and meeting these expectations sets them apart in the market.

“For business clients, personalisation involves understanding their challenges and delivering solutions tailored to achieve their specific strategic objectives. This could mean customised services, flexible product options, or bespoke communications that address their unique needs. Demonstrating that you understand their business and can provide relevant solutions strengthens relationships and significantly increases customer retention.

“Whether targeting consumers or other businesses, personalisation is a powerful strategy to differentiate your brand, drive engagement, and build long-lasting success in the U.S. market.”

Alex Sayyah, CEO at Aleran Software

Alex Sayyah
Alex Sayyah, CEO at Aleran Software

“There is a growing demand for B2B buyers who want self-service experiences. In many cases, these same buyers also don’t want to talk to a sales rep. As a result, personalization is really about leveraging integrated and actionable data from core business systems in your digital channels.

“This means that sales and marketing data from your CRM system should be paired with product and purchase history from your ERP system to give customers what they need before they ask. As a result, you can price, promote, cross-sell, and upsell in ways that both reflect customers’ interests and the needs of the business.

“Brands that deliver personalized self-service experiences report higher average sales orders and sales growth by easing decision making by:

  • urfacing the right products at the right time to the right buyer
  • Making it faster and easier to place orders, reorders and get quotes

“AI will make this even more effective. You will be able to boost product page search visibility to be found first, create custom pricing and tailor promotions automatically. But it starts with connecting critical customer data sources.”

Arjun Paliwal, Director and Head of Research at InvestorKit

Arjun Paliwal
Arjun Paliwal, Director and Head of Research at InvestorKit

“Personalisation is a pivotal element in reshaping the customer experience landscape. True personalisation goes beyond mere customisation—it’s about creating a deeply individualised journey that aligns with each customer’s unique financial goals and preferences. By harnessing the power of data, it is possible to uncover actionable insights into customer behaviours, risk tolerances, and investment aspirations.

“Advanced machine learning algorithms further elevate this process by predicting customer needs before they even articulate them. For instance, InvestorKit uses predictive analytics which allow us to recommend tailored property investment opportunities that align with existing data and future objectives. This proactive strategy ensures that clients receive relevant, timely information, which enhances their investment success.

“Moreover, personalisation transcends just the provision of tailored recommendations. It encompasses a holistic communication strategy where every interaction is meaningful and resonates with individual preferences. By fostering a deeper connection, we transform routine engagements into enriching experiences.

“Ultimately, embracing personalisation allows us to shift from a transactional relationship to a relationship built on trust and understanding. At InvestorKit, we believe that this approach not only enhances customer satisfaction but also drives lasting loyalty and success, as proven by our 5 star Google rating with over 315 reviews.”

Narendra Shukla, Director – Consulting Services at Edwise Consulting

Narendra Shukla
Narendra Shukla, Director – Consulting Services at Edwise Consulting

“Personalised customer experience offers numerous benefits to businesses and is positively viewed by customers because personalisation makes customers feel valued and heard.

“However, to stay on topic, I would focus on the tools, techniques, and strategies that can help businesses achieve enhanced customer experience.

The first step towards enhancing the customer experience is knowing the customers deeply. This will require a strategic approach to collect customer data and implement a ‘fit for purpose’ solution to synthesise and analyse the customer data.

A sound strategy will not only enable an organisation to generate real-time and meaningful analytical insights to deliver personalised experiences but will also help them comply with regulatory requirements. With that said, many businesses may benefit by seeking support from external partners to assess their business and develop practically implementable plan.

Using technology such as machine learning, blockchain, and artificial intelligence as an enabler to achieve enhanced customer experience is gradually becoming a norm. The use of these technologies can help in offering personalised recommendations and facilitate product source verification to enhance trust and transparency.

Adopting augmented and virtual reality tools to let your customers visualise your products can drive buying decisions and reduce potential returns.

Most importantly, collecting feedback directly from the customers and acting on it can make a whole lot difference.”

Liam Bal, CEO at SpinTel

Liam Bal
Liam Bal, CEO at SpinTel

“In the telecommunications sector, personalisation is not just a strategy for enhancing customer experience—it’s crucial for growth and retention. A recent study by SpinTel among 3,000 mobile users in Australia revealed that 50% switch providers within two years, showing the importance of personalised customer service.

“At SpinTel, real-time personalisation has become a game-changer. By leveraging AI-driven insights, we can analyse customer behaviour and usage patterns, allowing us to offer relevant plans and services. For instance, recognising a spike in data usage during a live-stream event and instantly offering a tailored data boost ensures our customers enjoy uninterrupted service.

“However, the future of personalisation is not solely tech-driven, it must be balanced with a strong commitment to privacy and traditional customer support. We combine personalised call centres and 24/7 chatbots, with real-time updates on service outages, ensuring that customers feel valued and secure.

“Companies that successfully blend emerging technologies with proven customer support and robust security measures, will foster deeper, more loyal relationships with their customers – essential in highly competitive markets.”

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Yajush Gupta

Yajush Gupta

Yajush is a journalist at Dynamic Business. He previously worked with Reuters as a business correspondent and holds a postgrad degree in print journalism.

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