CX Annual Symposium 2025: From proximity to personalisation

Time of India

08-05-2025

Brands today are closer to their customers than ever before—quite literally, in their pockets, via smartphones. With apps, notifications and constant digital presence, brands now have unprecedented access to consumers. But this proximity can quickly turn into intrusion if overused. Endless pings, generic messages and irrelevant offers risk pushing customers away instead of drawing them in. What brands need is not just presence, but purposeful, well-timed, and meaningful engagement.
At the ET CX Annual Symposium, industry leaders shared how they're navigating this fine line—using data, platforms and technology to connect with customers in ways that are relevant, respectful and results-driven.
For Udit Malhotra, head of
marketing
, JSW MG Motors, short-form video platforms and more in-depth content ecosystems are the key drivers of recency marketing. These platforms allow brands to remain top-of-mind and deliver messages that are both immediate and compelling.
Marketers today have access to vast volumes of data, but the real challenge lies in prompting timely customer action. So, what strategies do brands use to drive conversions within critical windows of opportunity?
Arjun Bhatia, CMO, Bharat Matrimony, highlighted the continued dominance of word of mouth in their category. 'Word of mouth remains the largest influence in our category,' he noted, 'but there are a few things we do to control the narrative. One of these is
influencer marketing
, where we deliberately avoid macro-influencers. Instead, we adopt a localised approach using nano and micro-influencers who can tell the right stories about our product.'
Trust and credibility are vital currency in today's fragmented digital space. But how can marketers systematise or even 'productise' trust and word of mouth?
Shubhranshu Singh, CMO, Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles, shared, 'Influencers have been highly effective for us. Since the BS VI transition, we have grown from five to around 600 influencers, creating nearly 7,000 videos with 33 crore views and 1.5 crore active engagements. About 20–25% of our sales are now digitally sourced. To build trust, brands need a hybrid model that blends compelling content and digital engagement with physical touchpoints before closing the deal.'
As the discussion moved deeper into
customer experience
, another question emerged: in this new paradigm, what do customers expect, and what kind of experiences should brands aim to deliver?
Cyril Mohapatra, SVP and head of digital – SDG, IndusInd Bank, outlined four pillars of a good customer experience: 'First, understand the problem you're solving. Second, offer a seamless front-end interface. Third, ensure robust back-end systems to manage scale. And fourth, make sure the product is secure.'
Giving an example from banking, Mohapatra said, 'If a customer is using a banking app for transactions, they should clearly understand the benefits. Most banks today integrate transaction data and app usage into an Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW), allowing them to analyse customer needs. With India Stack Authentication and CIBIL data, banks can pre-approve loans based on customer profiles. If the customer clicks 'yes,' the journey must be frictionless—otherwise, they'll drop off.'
Brands are increasingly embracing two-way communication—sharing relevant information while also listening. But this raises another question: should every brand do this, and how do they avoid overwhelming the customer?
Anuj Malhotra, VP – India Business, CleverTap, emphasised that marketing automation can help strike the right balance. 'By leveraging past customer behaviour, interests and language preferences, brands can personalise communication to nudge users at the right moment, through the right channel,' he explained.
When asked how brands respond to campaigns that don't convert due to neutral or poor customer experiences, Mohapatra admitted, 'Sometimes, campaigns fail to generate interest, or customers simply don't like your brand. For instance, in our online savings account journey, we see a 20–30% drop-off each month. We use diagnostic tools to map the customer journey, identify bottlenecks, and then launch personalised campaigns—including co-browsing calls—to help customers complete the process and ensure they're onboarded.'
Today's brands are no longer operating in reactive mode. They are proactively reaching out to customers through intelligent, hyper-personalised campaign management systems—leveraging the best of technology, data, and storytelling to create stronger, trust-led relationships.