As companies moved to more standardized solutions, they lost functionality but simplified a lot their lives. Less siloes meant a more holistic knowledge of their customers, the promised 360º customer view.
However, times evolved, and now Customer Service has turned, from being almost the only remote touchpoint with the customer, into being just a part in the customer engagement equation. The 360º view has reduced only to 180º, at its best. Social networks, webs, apps or chatbots have gotten in the way, making it difficult for the companies to have a single view of the customer, that could facilitate a better understanding of their relationship with the company and furthermore, their personal needs. Marketing teams are now key to manage customer interactions. As customers, it is expected not only to receive a good support when we initiate a conversation with the company but also that the company addresses us in the most empathetic manner: with personalized offers, at the times and through the channels we would like to be connected and making us feel unique and special.
In the quest of knowing the customer better, companies have understood that only data can give them some clues but having a Datalake and a team of data scientists is not the simplest way to understand the customers. Customer Data Platforms, on the contrary, can unify the Service, Sales and Marketing experiences in one single place. All sources of customer data can introduce relevant information in one single analytics platform, where customer profiles are built and shared across departments. Thanks to the integration with other tools through API-based profiles, it is possible to apply personalization rules or activate campaigns, thus closing the engagement circle with the customer.