How Martech can help brand in the age of Corona

How Martech can help brand in the age of Corona | Mirum India

We are living in unprecedent times. And we are experiencing a once-in-a-century kind of event. Corona has bought the world to a standstill. In a such a situation brands need to leverage technology, to remain relevant to their customers and assist them with their problems and concerns, as also to put out relevant contextual messages. 

Chatbots are perhaps one of the most effective martech tools in the current situation. On one hand, call centres for brands like hotels, airlines, bank, telecom etc. are experiencing humongous amount of traffic due to customerwanting to cancel their booking or having other queries; on the other hand, the staff managing call centres is hugely depleted. In such a situation Chatbots can be a very effective method of allowing two-way real-time communication between the consumer and the brand, and lot of standard consumer issues can get resolved and addressed via the chat bot. This takes load off the call centre and also helps alleviate customer anxiety. 

In addition chatbots can be used to provide automated real time updates. One interesting example of a chatbot is the one developed by the Govt of India. Using the chatbot that runs on WhatsApp, one can send a query and get authentic Corona updates . Another example is a chat bot created by Apollo Hospitals that enables you assess whether you are Corona safe or not, by answering a few simple questions. This engagement creates a sense of reassurance and, if needed, guides what are the precautions to be taken in the event that one is susceptible to Corona. 

Besides chat bots, automated email and SMS communication using marketing automation platforms can be very useful for brand communication.  Different geographies are in different stages of Corona recovery. Some have recovered, others are on way to recovery and some are under lockdown. Hence different consumers need to receive different messages basis their local geography and situation in the immediate neighborhood.  One can no longer send a one-size-fits-all kind of communication. Marketing automation platforms allow you to segment customers very granularly, basis their profile or basis their browsing behavior. And the communication that goes to the customer, whether via direct channels (like email, text, Whatsapp, mobile app) or via indirect channels (like social updates) etc can be fully customized depending on the situation in that geography. 

Online delivery companies are also experiencing a huge surge in volumes.  Marketing automation platforms, once again, can help inform customers about stock-out items, delays in delivery, addressing customer service issues, etc

 

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