The second oldest profession in the world is facing an unexpected challenge. Sometimes considered as the second oldest profession, Sales, as we knew it, was under siege for quite a while due to the impact of technology, but the heat is really being turned on of late.

The conventional door-to-door salesman trumpeting the value of his products was a standard fixture in business for years. Be it the insurance salesman, the household goods salesman, or the medical representative visiting the doctor, the role had some standard features. The Salesman/Representative/Marketing Executive (take your pick of the designations) was essentially a disseminator of information, creating awareness of his firm's existence as a supplier of quality wares. He was expected to be knowledgeable and personable, and armed with the weapon of persuasive communication, he wooed customers to try something new that he offered, and courageously accepted rejection if he was turned away. Though often called the ambassador of his firm in a territory that he had to manage, truth be told, he was the revolution's foot soldier, dealing with multiple challenges, come rain or shine, as he singularly was the sharp penetrative edge ensuring the dominance of a firm in a competitive marketplace.

While over the decades the salesman's role was not under threat (after all, he was the ultimate last mile to the customer's premises), the advent of technology in the form of the internet was a game changer. Suddenly, both the customer and the firm found that they could get access to each other without depending on the old method of a go-between. Let's just say that the intermediary role was under scrutiny, being asked to justify what additional value that they could provide beyond the traditional knowledge carrier's role. Through the digital medium, a firm could broadcast (or narrowcast, with the improvement in technology) its qualities and offerings, and vice versa, a prospective customer could connect quickly and directly with the firm. Once the investment in technology was made to lay this virtual pipeline, as it were, between the two parties, cheap, fast, and unlimited communications, could flow from, and to, both sides, much to the delight of everyone.

Technology has also modified the logistics industry, and that has accelerated the connect between the consumer/buyer and the seller/supplier. A chief reason for the seller's confidence in satisfying the customer is that he knows that thanks to his logistics partner the commitment he has made to fulfill a customer's order, will be unerringly met. In the rare chance of a delay, he can send an alert to intimate this unfortunate aspect and thereby demonstrate to the customer that he genuinely cares for him. Further, if there is a mishap in delivery (damage, wrong product delivery, etc.), technology enables the customer to raise an issue without delay, and he is assured of remedial action by the seller, both in terms of money back, or replacement, without further delay. Thus, the anguish felt by the customer is assuaged by a contrite seller, consequently winning the customer through demonstration of excellent service recovery. All this required manual intervention in the past (both through the salesman and the customer service specialist). While technology has made both these roles virtually irrelevant, there is still some small part that they can play in some industries. But given the fact that even large capital items can be ordered over the Net (through apps or websites) - think Carvana (which even has an ATM for car delivery) - it is a fair question to pose as to the future of the sales function.

The emergence of chatbots is yet another nail in the coffin. When Joseph Weizenbaum created Eliza, the first chatbot, at MIT's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in 1966, it was welcomed by some for its ability to mimic a Rogerian psychotherapist, while at the same time alarming others due to its ability. Well, we have come a long way since then and today businesses have overcome the fears of Luddites to make chatbots very common. These programmed assistants, enabled by artificial intelligence and machine learning, are now making rapid and huge strides, and may well become the frontline for Sales and Customer Service for all firms. In a world where Alexa and Siri are extremely popular, we are at the cusp of a period when chatbots will become standard feature in business. Research indicates that the pandemic was the tipping point with over 80% of business leaders concurring that they have enhanced the use of technological tools in their business during the pandemic. Interestingly, customers too have warmed up to dealing with chatbots with nearly 70% of them expressing their preference to deal with them for instant solutions to complaints. While we are still at the stage where standard complaints can be dealt instantly by chatbots, the day is not far when non-standard requests too will be addressed by them, leaving the real difficult issues to be dealt with by direct human interaction.

The speed with which ChatGPT has won over users in its current beta stage is a signal of the times we are moving into. I dare say that the shift has already begun - and we are actually living in a transitional world without realizing it.

The message is clear. The farmer's plough gave way to the tractor and became a production multiplier. Likewise, the chatbot could be the business multiplier through its super-efficient sales and service solutions.

Note: As a peep into the future, the brave new world mentioned in the above article, this issue of Customer Acumen has a special guest on Spotlight. Our Guest this month is ChatGPT! Posed with a set of questions on the future of B2B Sales, it offered its answers with aplomb. Read on!

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Customer Experience (CX) expert and author of Do B2B Better, Jim Tincher, expresses his thoughts on the importance of customer loyalty and how a great CX strategy is the secret sauce to acquiring and retaining customers for the long run.

To prove this point, Tincher has based this book on insights derived from over 100 hours of interviews with CX leaders in the B2B space primarily because these companies lag behind their B2C counterparts in CX, due to their increased complexity in serving businesses. In B2B, it is harder to see the experience first-hand; three quarters of the CX programs find it difficult to create an experience that will allow customers to stay.

The interviews resulted in the CX Loyalty Flywheel - a model where B2B companies can determine how they can commercialise from CX and tie a metric like customer lifetime value or net revenue retention. The CX Loyalty Flywheel model eventually can create more emotionally engaged customers, who then buy more, retain for a longer period of time and strengthen the company's revenues.

Most B2B organisations often start and end conversations with the customer. It becomes imperative to represent and understand customer behaviour well to determine why some customers buy more, or stay longer, or interact in ways that yield a lower cost-to-serve. The author has broken down the complexities of understanding a CX journey and adds insights on how CX programs can tie into your organization's most critical needs. With the help of the Loyalty Flywheel model, Tincher shares how applying change management principles can change the focus away from fixing problems, and towards making a real impact on customers' lives.

Daniel Futter, Chief Commercial Officer at the Dow Chemical Company reiterates the importance of CX in the foreword stating that CX, when leveraged well, can help transform companies like never before. A good CX strategy overcomes organisational complexities, and the lack of leadership buy-in. Tincher also gives examples of why companies lack funding. The solution - spend time in getting to know the organisation, the people that serve customers and then build relationships internally and with to nurture better relationships with customers externally.

Certified by the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA), Jim Tincher's expertise lies in seeing the world through the eyes of customers. He has developed a passion for customer experience when leading CX programs at Best Buy and United Health Group. His customer experience consultancy, Heart of the Customer, delivers next-generation CX best practices to empower and generate customer-driven value and bottom-line growth.

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