Brand engagement looks very different today than it did in years gone by, with customers now often expected to navigate complex interactions. Too often, brands make their customers jump through hoops, and with self-service put the onus on them to resolve issues created. This requires excessive effort to keep up with constant interactions, safeguard sensitive data, and resolve issues. Are brands doing enough to respect their customers’ time, energy, and privacy? In most cases, the answer is no.
This problem is exacerbated further for those who identify as having a disability, or who are vulnerable. Data from the most recent Australian Digital Inclusion Index reveals that close to 10% of the population experiences significant exclusion from digital services. Bank closures disproportionately impact vulnerable individuals in rural areas, for example, who may lack the financial resources or digital literacy to navigate online banking effectively.
The truth is, most customers are working harder than ever to manage their relationships with brands, and this unfair burden leads to inequity, frustration, distrust, and dissatisfaction. To create meaningful relationships and foster long-term loyalty, brands must rethink their approach to customer interactions.
This means prioritising fairness through context, consistency, and respect in every communication. Now, more than ever, it’s time for brands to take a step back and ask: How are we treating our customers? Do we fully understand their needs and the context they require as unique individuals? Are we treating them fairly?
To address these questions, brands should focus on three key areas:
Consider your entire customer base
It may seem simple, but many brands are not being open minded about who their end customers are. We cannot make sweeping generalisations and assume consumers have the same needs. Instead, businesses should try to understand the range of individual factors and situational contexts that may affect customers, including those that are vulnerable, and how they can interact. Consideration of accessibility of all customer groups must be central throughout the planning of customer experience journeys, and this has never been more important with AI hastening the path to automation. It is important to address the full range of factors that can create accessibility challenges, such as a user’s region, (dis)abilities, language, age, access to technology, economic status, and immediate environment.
Prioritise context-driven communication
Once brands know their customers better, they need to be agile enough to tailor their response and solutions, and avoid the trap of blanket one-size-fits-all policies. They must provide multiple communications options that cater to the various life experiences, challenges, and barriers customers face. Customers should have the autonomy to make individual choices that are relevant to their circumstances. Older customers may feel shut out from digitally-led routes, those with visual impairments will require voice solutions, and neurodivergent customers may have difficulties with certain types of communications. The list goes on.
This applies to having tailored approaches for loyal and new customers. Marketing tactics often lead to missed opportunities for maintaining strong, long-lasting relationships, whereas loyalty should be rewarded. Communications must be context-driven and based on common sense rather than dictated by rigid rules – and agents must have the autonomy to exercise that common sense.
Don’t underestimate the need for human connection
When issues arise, the approach to resolution should be both fair, effective, and streamlined. Brands should strive to provide a solution that respects customers’ time, loyalty, and needs. This means making sure that, in the race to automate processes with AI, they don’t ignore the need to stay human. Maintaining a people-first approach across communications ensures that brands retain their authentic and human connection with customers. This approach also fosters inclusivity by catering to those who may be averse to, or lack the necessary resources to use digital channels.
Successful customer engagement strategies need a blend of human interaction and technology-powered personalisation. While automation can improve efficiency, the human touch remains essential to building trust and loyalty. For example, AI-powered chatbots can manage simple tasks – like tracking orders – while agents handle more sensitive issues that require a human touch.
By prioritising customer respect and acknowledging different accessibility requirements, brands cultivate customer loyalty and position themselves for sustainable growth. It’s time to return to basics: keeping promises, following through on commitments, and creating experiences that feel reliable and supportive.
This article was written by Sam Richardson, Director of Executive Engagement at Twilio.