Argos is using new technology to predict which customers could most use help, in the form of live chat, with their online shopping.
It has implemented a Predictive Sales solution from customer experience business [24]7 that uses data to identify those shoppers who could benefit from one-to-one help, as well as when to engage and what to offer them. The general merchandise retailer says customer feedback shows they like the experience, which it sees as taking online the in-store experience of sales staff offering advice or help.
“Our primary concern here is to offer human assistance to customers who need it, at the right time in the shopping cycle for them,” said Neil Tinegate, head of digital innovation at Argos . “We have seen this work in digital stores where colleagues are on hand to help customers get what they want, and this is a natural extension of that. Customers tell us they appreciate the help, so we plan to continue to offer the experience.
“Partnering with [24]7 enables us to offer intuitive assistance to the right customers at the right time. We want to make sure we offer help that is relevant and timely.”
Nick Mitchell, managing director, EMEA of California-based [24]7 said: “We believe in encouraging more contextually relevant conversations with those customers who truly need assistance, accurately predicting when to offer assistance and using real-time cross-channel behaviour to know what to offer. Results from the programme show this is allowing Argos to have smarter interactions with its customers, which in turn is driving measurable increases in incremental revenue.”
