What Does Personalization in Customer Service Mean to You?

In the late 90s, I was consulting an organization that was pioneering an online payment collection service. The idea was to act as a third-party bill payment aggregator.

This concept was very new then, and their team was a bunch of enthusiastic youngsters trying to hack it to market quickly.

As a part of their technology infrastructure, they were evaluating three newly established data centers. Indian businesses had long relied on data centers outside the country, so choosing a local provider was a big decision.

They had multiple rounds of discussions, and they weren’t able to clearly decide who to go with. Their lead contact, Karthik, was struggling to make a final call.

A few days later, one of the data centers released a full front-page advertisement in one of the leading financial dailies.

The ad read:

Dear Karthik,

These are the reasons why we think we are the best fit for your needs.

It then listed the company’s offerings, directly matching Karthik’s specific requirements, followed by a three-month trial offer with no strings attached.

That was personalization at its best. It was more than just inserting the name; it was about understanding the customer’s unique needs and speaking directly to them.

The result?

Karthik’s team chose that data center, and the level of personalization they experienced in the ad continued in the service they received.

Personalization in Today’s Context

Personalization is no longer a luxury. It has become an expectation.

A McKinsey study states that 76% of consumers expect some sort of personalization in their interactions with businesses, and 78% are more likely to repurchase from brands that personalize their experiences.

Let’s take another example.

Look at this email I received from one of the telcos.

Dear [Include the name of the person on whose name this blog will be published],

For over 15 years, you’ve been a valued part of our family, and we truly appreciate your trust in our mobile and broadband services. Your feedback has helped us improve, and we’re delighted that our team has been able to resolve your queries promptly. Your satisfaction is what drives us forward!

Now, we’d love to enhance your experience further. We are introducing our Digital TV services, and they are designed to bring you the best entertainment with crystal-clear picture quality, premium content, and seamless integration with your existing services.

As a token of our appreciation, we’re offering you an exclusive loyalty benefit:

Get the first 3 months free, along with priority installation at your location, when you subscribe today!

Your journey with us has been built on trust and seamless service, and we’d love to extend the same experience to your entertainment needs. Click below to explore our Digital TV plans and claim your exclusive offer.

We look forward to serving you now with an even better home entertainment experience.

Warm Regards,

Notice the level of personalization here:

• They acknowledged my loyalty (15 years of being their customer)
• They referenced past interactions and feedback
• They offered a relevant service that complimented my existing subscriptions.
• They provided an exclusive loyalty reward.

How Do You Bring Personalization to Customer Service?

While bringing in personalization will always be a work in progress, here are some pointers that you can make use of in your customer experience strategy.

Use Data to Understand Customer Preferences

Netflix’s recommendation engine accounts for 80% of watched content.

This shows that customers respond positively to tailored experiences.

As an organization, you should analyze purchase history, browsing behavior, and past interactions to provide proactive recommendations. For example, if a customer has bought a laptop from you, then the likely recommendations would include a headset, keypad protector, screen protector, or antivirus software rather than generic promotions.

Context Awareness Is Key

When a frequent traveler calls their telecom provider for support, the agent could say, I see you’ve been using our international roaming services frequently. Would you like us to recommend a plan that reduces your costs?

This would make your customers feel valued.

Empower your customer service representatives with customer history and context so that they can provide relevant assistance proactively.

Personalize Your Loyalty Programs

Amazon Prime isn’t just a membership but a hyper-personalized program that includes free shipping and early deals tailored to customer’s purchasing habits. Besides, it also offers exclusive content.

The idea would be to offer personalized rewards instead of generic discounts. A long-time customer might appreciate priority service, while a new customer might value a free introductory product trial.

Real-Time Personalization on Digital Channels

When you visit an airline’s website after searching for flights to Singapore, you might see dynamic content showcasing travel deals to Singapore.

Subscribe to remarketing services from search engines, and also implement AI-powered chatbots and recommendation engines that adjust based on customer behavior, showing then relevant content, offers, and support options in real-time.

Follow Up with Customers in Meaningful Ways

I received an email from my bank that helped me resolve a fraudulent transaction on my credit card that said:

We hope your recent experience with our fraud protection team was smooth. As a precaution, here are some security tips to keep your account safe.

The truth is that customer interactions don’t end after a ticket is closed; you can still follow up with relevant information, helpful tips, and offers.

People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

– Maya Angelo

Personalization in customer service is about making customers feel seen, heard, and valued as individuals and not as transactions.

So, the next time you think about customer service, ask yourself: Are you just responding to queries, or are you crafting experiences that make customers feel like the hero of their own story?

Choose to personalize. Choose to connect. Choose to make an impact.