AI: The Game Changer
Hold on to your hats because the business world is in for a transformative ride! Artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI (GenAI), is rapidly changing how companies operate. This isn’t just a passing trend; it’s a strategic must-have for businesses that want to stay ahead of the curve.
According to IDC’s December 2023 Future Enterprise Resiliency and Spending Survey (Wave 11), 66% of organizations worldwide are exploring the potential of GenAI. The survey found that an estimated 50% of legacy application code is running in production environments today with 40% being replaced with GenAI applications. Many are in the early stages of model testing or developing use cases. This heightened interest underscores the transformative power of AI in reshaping business landscapes.
IDC’s research shows a surge in companies exploring GenAI, recognizing its potential to revolutionize how they work. And when it comes to the ability to generate content, AI can turn isolated asset into connected experiences that benefit everyone – not only employees and customers, but also everyone and everything in the ecosystem.
Experience Orchestration: The Heart of the Revolution
The future belongs to businesses that prioritize experiences. This is where IDC’s latest released framework for an experience-orchestrated (X-O) business comes in. Imagine a world where AI-powered technology connects everything, creating seamless, data-driven experiences at every touchpoint.
As described in the IDC Perspective: The Value of an Experience-Orchestrated Business, the definition of an X-O business delivers shared experience value powered by intelligence. To compete in an AI everywhere world, digital businesses must orchestrate a meaningful value exchange between the organization and their key stakeholders. Data is vital to intelligent applications embedded in daily operations and decision-making.
Insights help align actions with desired outcomes and ensure that investments deliver the desired results for the experience-orchestrated business. Using AI-enabled technology to optimize journeys and automate workstream tasks, organizations can break down organizational silos and foster connectedness across the experience ecosystem.
In today’s competitive environment, where economic uncertainty reigns supreme, exceptional experiences are the key differentiator. Transforming mundane tasks into meaningful interactions strengthens relationships and fuels growth, even in challenging times. IDC’s research highlights that becoming a digital business requires a strategic focus on experience orchestration. By investing in technologies and processes that enhance daily operations and interactions, businesses can elevate their digital maturity and stand out from the crowd.
People Power: The Human Touch in GenAI World
The shift to an X-O business requires not just the right technology, but also the right talent. Companies need passionate individuals who are driven to create exceptional experiences. This means fostering a culture that embraces AI and focuses on outcomes derived from stellar experiences, not just the outputs of completed tasks.
Organization leaders must channel a change management and growth mindset by finding opportunities to embed GenAI into existing applications and providing resources for self-service learning. The C-suite should champion experience orchestration and invest in training and commit to new management models for AI-centric roles. Prioritize how to address human biases and data privacy issues while optimizing collaboration methods.
The road to becoming an X-O business involves several key steps: establishing the right metrics, engaging stakeholders, and adopting the necessary AI-infused technologies that assists in creating and managing engaging content across product, engineering, sales, marketing or customer support. IDC outlines a path forward in The Experience-Orchestrated Business: Journey to X-O Business — Assessing the Organization’s Ability to Become an X-O Business. When choosing which GenAI technology to invest in, businesses should find a balance between the talent and skill needed to build their own solutions, leverage existing tools, and partner experts to accelerate their transformation.
The adoption of AI got a big boost from GenAI, making organizations re-think how they can leverage it for better content creation, operations and experiences.
Content is King: Building Trust in the Age of AI
Let’s take a deeper dive into how AI is changing the content game and how organizations should setup their AI system and associated processes to create and deliver authentic content. Here are 15 considerations when using GenAI in the content supply chain.
- Word Usage and Cultural Language Bias: Content should avoid language bias and cultural insensitivity. Organizations must be mindful of how their messaging resonates across diverse audiences.
- Accessibility: Customers expect a smooth, frictionless experience online. This means user-friendly mobile apps and clear, concise information that makes completing transactions a breeze.
- Transparency: Building trust is crucial to customers who want to know how their data is used to personalize their experiences. Transparency builds empathy and strengthens trust.
- Privacy: With data privacy laws evolving, marketers are adapting content creation to ensure customer confidence. Strong security measures are essential to safeguard information.
- Brand Authenticity: Customers can sniff out inauthentic content a mile away. Building trust requires actively learning about your audience and reflecting their values in your content.
- Shared Knowledge: Providing high-quality, free information about your product or service (or industry if you are so bold) will establish your expertise and foster trust.
- Customer Relationships: Real-time, personalized content strengthens the bond between your brand and your customers.
- Customer Intelligence: AI can be a powerful tool to understand customer needs and create content that resonates.
- Plain Language: Authentic content is created using plain language. Clear communication enhances understanding and fosters trust.
- Customer Effort: Make it easy for customers to find the information they need. User-friendly interfaces and clear communication are key.
- Social Commerce Content: Tailoring content for regional and demographic differences is essential in the age of social commerce.
- Social Media Content: Curate content from trusted sources and ensure your outbound content is high-quality and transparent.
- Short-form Content: Respect your audience’s time. Invest in short videos, infographics, and bite-sized content for busy users.
- User-Generated Content: Listen to your customers who value reviews, influencer insights, and social media trends which can all inform product and service innovation.
- Authentic Brand Voice: Develop a consistent brand voice that the GenAI engine can access to reflect your brand’s values across all platforms.
Ethical considerations are also paramount in the AI era. Customers expect data privacy, responsible AI systems, and transparency in how AI is used. Organizations that prioritize these aspects as part of their content generation will build trust and establish a strong reputation.
The Road Ahead
For technology buyers looking to navigate the transition to an experience-orchestrated business, IDC offers several recommendations:
- Provide Transparency of Customer Data: Establish governance and controls around the use of customer data in generating content and recommendations.
- Apply Intelligence to Content Creation: Leverage generative AI to create authentic, engaging content that resonates with customers and enhances digital trust.
- Continually Measure Digital Trust: Evolve content strategies to maintain customer trust and address changing expectations.
- Prioritize Authenticity: Authenticity is key to engaging modern consumers. Embedding authenticity into the brand’s DNA will reflect in every interaction and content piece.
Investments in technology will lay the foundation for insights-driven transformation. IDC’s PlanScape: Experience-Orchestrated Business to Deliver Differentiated Value Outcomes has more information about developing an X-O business strategy. The journey to becoming an X-O business is exciting, but it also requires effort. By prioritizing experiences, leveraging AI, and focusing on outcomes, organizations can differentiate themselves and thrive in the digital age.
The time to act is now! The future belongs to those who can adapt, innovate, and deliver value in a world powered by AI.
