THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IS A SACRED THING. 

Something to be protected. It’s the top of the pyramid, what everything else in your business points to, and essential to a profitable enterprise.

But we live in a time of huge upheaval when it comes to experience. As our lives have become a cocktail of physical and digital experiences, our expectations have shifted dramatically (and continue to do so). Customers today expect more freedom and choice, more speed and convenience, and more personalised service than ever before.

Recent years have seen automation evolve from something behind the scenes in warehouses and factories, into an integral part of the customer experience itself. Self-service technology has appeared everywhere from banks to supermarkets, from cinemas to hotels, from airports to restaurants. 

In this new environment, businesses have to tread carefully, implementing this technology thoughtfully and ensuring customers are still being served in the way they want (for more on this, check out our Ebook – Automation without Alienation).

The good news is, most customers love having the option of self-service… when it’s implemented well. And that’s because, along with shortening queues and wait-times, automation brings some unique benefits to the customer experience that can’t be achieved without it.

Privacy

Privacy didn’t used to be a thing. Not when shopping or eating out anyway. There always had to be some kind of interaction with staff to make your purchase. And it can seem paradoxical – because it’s the human interaction that most people cite when talking about a good customer experience – but when given the choice, many people today opt not to interact with staff at all.

🛒60% said they choose self-checkout because they don't have to talk to people.

-Kiosk Marketplace

Now, we could have a whole sociological debate on the effects of our increasingly siloed lives in the modern world… but the fact is, people love having the option to just come in and make their purchases privately. 

Some people want it every time, others want it when they’re in a certain mood or buying certain items, and some people don’t ever want it. But it’s amazing, when customers are asked about self-service, how often they talk about this benefit.

Personalisation

There are some occasions that classic personalisation can still take place, if you have a local café or small shop that you regularly stop at, where a staff member might get to know you and be able to make personal recommendations. But that’s a blue-moon kind of occasion for most of us, and in the case of large retailers and restaurant chains, it’s next to impossible to offer that kind of service. 

The only problem is, consumers expect it.

📊71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalised interactions. 

And 76% get frustrated when this doesn’t happen.

-McKinsey

Thankfully, technology is changing things. With the rise of loyalty apps combined with self-service solutions, personalisation is back on the menu. When a customer’s own purchasing behaviour can be analysed, these systems can produce tailored offers and recommendations that feel more like suggestions from an old friend, rather than mass-produced marketing campaigns. They can make customers feel valued and seen, leading to greater loyalty and higher profits.

Across a multitude of studies and surveys, a majority of consumers will now choose self-service when it’s available, with shorter lines and faster checkout always the top reason. But the benefits of privacy and personalisation are worth remembering, not only because they are difficult or impossible to achieve without this technology, but also because they matter to a lot of consumers. 

If you’d like to know more about Glory’s broad range of smart automation solutions  – including self-checkout, self-order & pay kiosks, cash payment automation and more –  have a chat with our team.