Businesses will look to new tech to drive successful customer engagement in 2021

By Sandro Stupar, Director of Product Management at Mitto

All businesses fundamentally changed the way they interact with their customers in 2020. With the vast increase in remote work and everyday consumer transactions, businesses have had to reevaluate their business strategies and refocus their priorities to embrace the new digital imperative.

In order to be successful during an unprecedented time, the implementation of new technologies has become one of the most important aspects of business continuity. Moving into 2021, digital adoption will continue to rise with a clear focus on AI, omnichannel and two-factor authentication (2FA) as ways to exceed customer expectations and ensure a safe and secure environment.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be the most important system integration for delivering top-of-the-line customer experiences while saving business' time and money

As more customers continue to receive information from brands via SMS, it will become increasingly critical that companies leverage AI to make sure that these messages are delivered as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. This integration benefits everyone involved as AI not only maximizes the speed and reliability of message delivery through proactive route adjustments, but it also ensures the best cost/quality ratio for omnichannel communication. With the implementation of AI, the business does not have to pay for multiple delivery attempts, and the system is capable of selecting a route by prioritizing the message type based on time sensitivity.

AI has the ability to power constant feedback from tens of thousands of nodes that can inform which routes will be used for each destination. This will be even more important in 2021 as consumers are both receiving most of their brand communication digitally and also expecting it fast. By using AI within a messaging platform, brands can ensure that a higher percentage of conversions are seen through the customer lifecycle since messages will be shared with consumers in near real-time.

Marketers will leverage learnings from 2020 communications to deliver more personalized experiences via mobile in 2021

Forrester predicts brands will be sending 40% more emails and texts in 2021 in an effort to capture customers. But these messages will be more personalized than ever before, as marketing technologies evolve and as marketers glean insights from communications sent during a wild 2020, when sensitivity to the pandemic, civil rights movements and a fraught election required a new form of tact. Consumers can expect to see messages from brands not only pushing their wares but also tied to social issues they now know their customers care about and who value alignment with the brands they patronize. We know that consumers want their customer experience to be customized to them and their preferences. This year, marketers will take that knowledge more seriously by ensuring that each part of the omnichannel experience is tailored to the channel that potential customers are met on. SMS tools will help push this advancement forward as they increase thoughtful and purposeful dialogue with consumers.

Two-factor authentication will finally take hold, as COVID-driven remote work and learning mandate deeper levels of security

Security experts have been preaching 2FA as a critical security practice for years, however, consumer adoption has lagged. But the pandemic caused workers and schools to go remote and pushed more transactions online where 2FA is often required at sign-in, requiring millions more to authenticate themselves and begin establishing strong security hygiene. This, combined with a new directive mandating that European payments providers enable strong levels of authentication (PSD2's SCA directive), and a global rise in online fraud since the pandemic will finally bring 2FA out of the shadows and into a mainstream, widespread best practice for everyone online. In response, marketers in 2021 will need to keep the 2FA experience top of mind when thinking through customer onboarding and user experiences.

Throughout 2021, we will see more businesses adopt new and updated technologies into their toolkit in an effort to keep up with the demand of customers' support and engagement from brands. AI, mobile and 2FA solutions will work together to create positive environments where customers feel cared for and supported.

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About the Author

Sandro Stupar is Mitto's Product Management Director where he leads product innovation and focuses on launching new solutions. Sandro boasts a decade-long career in product development and marketing, with a background in business informatics. He is a dedicated researcher, always learning new things and staying on the cutting edge of technology. Outside the office Sandro loves spending time with his friends, spouse and two young children.