Just when you thought personalization in CX couldn’t get any more exciting, Zendesk and Meta have joined forces to shake things up. They’ve rolled out a new outbound customer messaging app called Relay, and it’s set to transform how businesses approach CX personalization.
Relay is all about giving businesses the power to reach out proactively through WhatsApp and SMS channels. It enables a more proactive approach to CX, allowing you to anticipate customer needs before they even arise.
What does Relay do?
Relay is not just another messaging app. It’s a game-changer that allows businesses to initiate conversations with customers, rather than always waiting for them to make the first move.
Mike Keohane, RVP of Business Development at Zendesk, puts it best: “Relay will allow companies using Zendesk to proactively contact their customers through WhatsApp, to provide important updates that they might not be aware of. This can include examples such as reporting incidents, invites for exclusive opportunities, and requests for feedback on services or products.”
But it’s not just about sending messages. Relay leverages dynamic content and audience data to craft personalized messages for specific customer segments. This helps businesses to ensure that messages sent to each customer fit just right. With 76% of consumers saying that personalized messages are essential to improve their consideration of a brand, this development is as important as it is exciting.
Why has CX shifted towards proactive customer engagement in recent years?
If you’ve been paying attention to CX trends like omnichannel, hyper-personalization, and CCaaS migration, you’ve probably noticed a shift toward proactive engagement. And there’s a good reason for that. Almost 90% of customers want to experience proactive communication from businesses.
This shift from reactive to proactive communication is all about staying one step ahead. Instead of waiting for problems to arise, businesses can now address potential issues before they become actual headaches.
How does this impact balancing automation and human touch in customer engagement?
Now, you might be thinking, “Great, another tool to automate everything.” But it’s not as simple as that. While Relay does offer fantastic automation capabilities, it’s not about replacing the human touch in CX. It’s about enhancing it.
The real magic happens when you combine the efficiency of automation with the warmth of human interaction. Automation gives you the tools to reach out to large customer bases with personalized messages, but it’s up to you to infuse those messages with your brand’s unique personality.
For CX professionals, this means developing a new set of skills. You’ll need to become a master of crafting personalized messages that feel genuinely human, even when they’re being sent at scale.
The future of CX is proactive and personalized—are you ready for it?
So, what does all this mean for you and your CX strategy? Well, it’s time to shift gears from being reactive to proactive. The future of CX is all about anticipating customer needs and reaching out with personalized and relevant communication.
So, are you ready to take your CX game to the next level? The future of CX is here, and it’s looking really exciting!