Press & Media

The Ridge maxes customer experience with AI

The Ridge, a digitally native online retailer of proprietary, streamlined carbon fiber products such as wallets, phone cases, and backpacks, has chosen Linc’s AI-powered platform to provide shoppers with a cohesive experience across the whole buying experience.

4 Steps for Integrating Customer Care Automation Into Your Marketing Strategy

The era of noreply@brand.com is over—and the time for automated, conversational communications has arrived. Today’s consumers expect more from their most loved brands, and companies must evolve to deliver real-time engagement that satisfies customer needs and wants.

These three powerful brands are tapping into a powerful differentiator – and you can too

“Rising consumer expectations and increases in advertising expenses are driving the cost of customer acquisition and conversion through the roof. In fact, one study found an average increase of 65 percent in the past five years. This makes it tougher to compete, as it often means a net loss on the first order, and many customers never return. In order to stand out and strengthen profit-boosting customer loyalty, modern brands are turning to value-added services and automation to create an exceptional customer experience.”

The four-part plan for ‘hiring’ the perfect AI customer service agent

“The interview with a customer service applicant is underway. After looking at skills and background, it’s time to determine whether the applicant will be a good fit. You’ve conducted hundreds of interviews before, but this one’s a little different — you’re interviewing an agent that could handle thousands of conversations simultaneously and respond to customers in a personal way, without delay.”

Online health retailer gets real smart with AI-based customer interactions

“PureFormulas selected the Linc platform for its commerce-specialized natural language understanding, allowing the e-tailer to avoid the expense of developing a custom-built AI solution. Since launching AI-based, automated customer service, PureFormulas has seen increased customer engagement and conversions across more channels, improved customer experience as a result of instant order information and quicker resolution of questions, and heightened engagement from personalized recommendations and better access to customer data.”

The New Strategy For Lifetime Loyalty: Balancing ‘Products’ and Services’

“A company’s triumph in the modern “system” era depends more on customers’ experiences than how that company presents its brand. Consumers, then, shouldn’t have to decide between the “what” and the “how” of a brand: An engaging, interactive relationship is what’s needed to make customers feel that they’re a part of the organization.”

Six Challenges You Need To Conquer To Effectively Deliver Automated Customer Care

“As Forrester and other industry analyst firms predict, developing digital-first customer experiences that leverage the power of customer care automation to provide the highly contextual assistance is what’s need to meet today’s customers demand.“

5 ways to utilize chatbots for a better customer experience

“An opted-in, highly engaged audience that enjoys real-time service from preferred brands will set the foundation for the ROI that businesses need to see.“

Think Tank: Finding Your Brand’s Voice in the Age of Digital Assistants

“A majority of consumers that have bought voice assistants say there’s no way they would want to go back to their life before voice. The opportunity is real, but only for brands willing to step outside their traditional mind-set. Customers are ready and willing to build new habits and will be delighted by the services that can be offered through these familiar devices they use each day.”

Panel Discussion: Retaining and acquiring customers using AI

“We’re using AI not only to support customers in their transactional needs — like ‘Where’s my package’ or ‘Can I return a product?’ But we’re also using [bots] to acquire them again,” says Aarde Cosseboom, of TechStyle Fashion Group. “Some of our customers [contact us] to cancel, and we actually retain them with our AI machine learning bots.”

Perspectives: What AI Can, and Can’t, do for Retailers Today

Much of the buzz about the potential for artificial intelligence to transform retailing has little to do with reality. Here are some insights into how retailers can use AI today, and how to avoid getting sucked into hype-driven initiatives.

Voice Commerce: User First, Channel Second

“When working with an emerging technology – like voice-activated AI, for example – it is easy to get one’s head turned by novelty. The experience itself is highly novel – not to mention unique, noted Luke Starbuck, vice president of marketing at Linc Global – because unlike other attempts at digital navigation, it is not centered on a screen.”

Getting Tough On Returns is Hurting Retailers

“While retailers must figure out how to manage returns, getting overly tough with customers in such an environment could hurt their brand and impede opportunities to make the next sale, according to Linc VP of Marketing Luke Starbuck.”

Think Tank: This Holiday, Retailers Say Hello to Voice Commerce

“…according to our recent study in partnership with BrandGarage, 87 percent of the 104 retail executives we surveyed plan to increase the use of AI to service their customers moving forward.” –Luke Starbuck, VP Marketing, Linc

It’s Time to Take the Friction Out of Returns

“Instead of trying to stop returns altogether, retailers need to spend their energy embracing the natural behavior of returning as an opportunity to increase engagement and customer loyalty.” –Luke Starbuck, VP Marketing, Linc

And the winner of the latest Amazon-Best Buy deal is…

“Still, the Best Buy-Amazon partnership for Smart TV sales brings the companies closer than they had ever been before, according to Luke Starbuck, vice president of marketing at customer care automation platform Linc.”