LEADERSHIP
36 exception . 51 % of UK consumers prefer to have questions answered by an AI chatbot while shopping online or using an app , with 32 % going as far to say they prefer this to human engagement .
“ It ’ s a very changing environment at the moment ,” MacRae comments . “ Like any R & D organisation we never stand still ; we ’ re constantly developing to meet the demands and challengers of customers .” As such , Avaya is wellplaced to look at how customers have evolved , and MacRae says it ’ s important to understand that just as banks and other corporations are at different stages of the technology journey , so are consumers . “ If you look back 10-15 years ago , we were quite happy going into our local bank and issuing cheques . 10 years ago , telephone and internet banking were both fairly modern , then seven or eight years ago came the common adoption of smartphone technology . Five years ago , apps became more commonplace and so you can see new demands on any financial institution , especially in retail banking , where technology adoption among consumers is so rapid .”
Despite all the technology at our
fingertips , MacRae stresses the importance of choice to keep customers comfortable with their finance needs . “ There are times when people do want to pop into a branch or speak to a human ,” he explains . “ The idea is that you give the customer the option but consistent service comes through .” He cites his own family as an example : two sons , 17 and 20 , MacRae himself and his parents , in their late 70s , all use the same bank . “ The way my children will do self-service compared to me and my parents is totally different . We ’ re
JULY 2019