New tech, shifting expectations ask what’s future value of marketing?

When I began writing for the Free Press more than eight years ago, I couldn’t have predicted how much marketing would change.

Artificial intelligence, new technologies and shifting customer expectations have altered how businesses communicate and compete. But after reviewing my previous 99 articles, I found something that surprised me: the most important lesson wasn’t about what had changed — it was what hadn’t.

My articles have ranged from describing the frustration of opening a poorly designed pickle container to assessing the potential impact of AI on business. Two very different subjects, but they raise the same question: are we actually providing more value for our customers?

The most common theme has been the importance of the human factor. Keeping customers at the centre of your decisions gives you a better chance of delivering the value they are willing to pay for. At the end of the day, it is your profitability that matters most to you to remain viable for the long term.

What about the future? I truly believe despite the concerns AI will be replacing workers and causing economic hardship, the care and insight humans provide can contribute to better uses of technology and create good support for society at large.

Now, that may seem too altruistic, but I’ve seen many examples that lead me to believe people inherently want to do good work and enjoy the fruits of their labour. Technology gives an organization more ways to serve your customers, but it also gives you more ways to frustrate your customers. For example, whether AI improves the experience depends on your decision about how it is used.

Are you afraid of the future challenges or excited by the opportunities? When I see what my clients are doing to address what the future may bring, I know there are more success stories to write about.

However, unless companies strengthen a few key areas, fewer will have future results they can be proud of.

Three key areas:

First, consistent customer service experience. When was the last time you tried to buy something from your own company and experienced the process as a customer? Whether online or in-person, there is a need for companies to be easy to deal with in all types of customer transactions.

Second, improve systems to gain efficiency in your operation. When you know how to do job tasks properly in a multi-touchpoint environment, your brand will become known for what customers experience consistently. But there is a warning: efficiency is only an advantage when you’re efficient at doing something valued by your customer.

Third, understand any investments in training, equipment or tools (such as AI), must be made within the context of improving what your organization does to deliver value for your customers. Are we investing in new capabilities because they improve customer value or because we’re afraid of being left behind?

While these aren’t necessarily the “disruptive” or “game-changing” activities referenced so often in the past six years (COVID and post-COVID pandemic), they’re foundational. For reference, all professional athletes had to master the fundamentals of their sport before they could attempt any complex moves or rise to a higher level of competition. The fundamentals remain important, and you must keep improving how well you deliver them.

The difference isn’t the technology. It’s the choices you make about how the technology is used. In your business, you must deliver on basic customer expectations consistently before you can gain the trust and confidence so they will make larger or more frequent purchases.

The tools and trends will keep changing. Some will create genuine opportunities, others will disappoint. The challenge for a business leader is deciding which changes improve the value you deliver and which merely create more activity. These steps have always been the core of every winning game plan and will continue to be in the years to come.

AI might help design the perfect pickle container, but if the customer still can’t open it, what have we really accomplished?

Tim’s bits: Looking back on business trends and events can validate or change your prior thinking. And there are no guarantees similar actions and events will occur in the future. The tools we use to serve customers will continue to change. The need to understand what customers value will not. The future belongs to businesses that know the difference.

Tim Kist is a certified management consultant,

authorized by law, and a Fellow of the Institute of Certified Management Consultants of Manitoba

tim@tk3consulting.ca