Personalization at Scale: Crafting tailored experiences across digital channels

“Personalization at scale” might initially sound like a contradiction in terms. And, to be frank, it is. How do you merge the individual touch of personalization with the broad reach implied by scale and get something that makes sense? Let’s first get the definitions straight and simple.

Personalization is the art of making a customer feel like their experience has been tailored just for them. Scale is about reaching as many customers as you can. Put this way, personalization at scale seems quite attainable and yet companies continue to struggle when it comes to successful CX journey design.

Throughout all the work we’ve done with customers, we learned a thing or two about how they manage CX across digital channels. So, for this article we dug into the key takeaways from some great companies across the world to create a list of strategies on how to craft a personalized customer experience across relatively impersonal channels like chat, email, and DMs (direct messages).

Let’s start by stating the obvious: digital and AI tools have come a long way and are making it easier for businesses to personalize CX across digital channels like never before. These tools have proven successful because they deliver on 3 key areas of CX design:

#1 Leveraging and segmenting customer data.

#2 Automating repetitive tasks and empowering agents to focus on more personalized interactions.

#3 Constantly testing and iterating processes to find what works and do more of it.

(As companies deploy these methods, they raise the bar for customer service standards, increasing customer expectations as they level up.)

Segment Customer Base

Scaling personalization starts with segmentation.

Group your customers based on demographic, behavioral, and psychographic factors, and then figure out how to address the needs and interests of those groups. Defining and understanding customer segments will help you optimize UX design, improve your campaigns and thus influence customer experience positively.

⭐️ Tip: By finding where groups of customers overlap in their interests and demographics, you can scale their resonance with your brand.

Implement Dynamic Content

Dynamic content makes it possible to connect with the right customer, at the right time, through the right channel.

Personal product recommendations and targeted marketing messages have the power to speak directly to a customer and connect them with an offer they’ll love. Dynamic content uses customer data to optimize relevance. It knows who to target, where they are in the buyer’s journey, and which channel is best to reach them on.

Think Automation and AI

Automation and AI have become key ingredients for personalization at scale.

As we’ve discussed in previous posts, automation of repetitive tasks and frequently asked questions frees up your human team to focus on interactions that require a personal touch. Someone who calls for support can get through to a live agent faster because the support team isn’t bogged-down answering the same question a hundred times.

AI-powered agent assist tools work behind the scenes to help agents deliver better, more personalized service, with a customer’s case history at their fingertips.

This is a win for customers and agents alike.

Test and Iterate

A big part of personalization is listening to what customers have to say and making improvements accordingly.

Be scientific about scaling personalization. Test to see what works. Continuously iterate based on performance data, customer feedback, and social listening.

There’s always room for improvement.

Think Customer Data Collection

With data protection, the best “offence” may be a good defense.

In a market where companies carelessly sweep up data, you might think about how to scale good privacy standards instead. A recent McKinsey study found, “90 percent of consumers are concerned about their online privacy, and nearly 50 percent have limited their online activity because of privacy concerns.” The same study found that few companies take these concerns seriously enough to go beyond minimum data protection standards.

So, while it’s tempting to think of customer data as a shortcut to personalization, it’s worth considering the upside of protecting that data and earning customer trust at scale.

Think of Personalization As a Way of Operating

In essence, viewing personalization as a fundamental approach rather than just a task to check off is pivotal. Scaling personalization is not just about increasing the volume of what you do; it's about maintaining that intimate connection with each individual as your business expands. Embracing tools like data collection and AI not only drives efficiencies but also enables you to continue winning hearts, one customer at a time as you grow.

Above all, the essence of personalization at scale lies in nurturing authentic bonds with customers, not solely in harnessing data or technology. Even in the land of digital channels, the personal touch remains king.

So, remember that amidst all the advancements, genuine human connections remain the cornerstone of successful scaling and sustained customer loyalty.