Marketers map behavioral states for richer customer engagement

Time of India

13-05-2025

Today, consumers value personalized journeys that are interactive and immersive, strengthening
emotional connections with brands
. The goal for brands is to create seamless interactions across
digital
and physical touchpoints, ensuring every customer interaction feels related and cohesive.
ETBrandEquity.com, in collaboration with
CleverTap
, recently concluded 'The Big Leap Season 4' roadshow in Delhi. The event featured a panel discussion on the theme, 'Mastering Interactive, Immersive, and Inconspicuous
Customer Engagement
.'
The discussion included industry leaders like Avi Kumar, CMO, FnP (Ferns N Petals); Neelu Amber, Chief Growth Officer, Airtel; Pooja Baid, CMO, Philips Domestic Appliances; Aabhinna Suresh Khare, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer, Bajaj Capital and Anand Jain, Co-founder and Product Marketing Head, CleverTap. The session was moderated by Gautam Srinivasan, Consulting Editor.
Today, customer interactions are a blend of digital and offline experiences, requiring brands to deliver on digital promises in the offline realm. A narrow gap between promise and reality signals authenticity. To remain authentic, brands must prioritize details, delivering consistent, genuine experiences that align with expectations without overpromising.
Kumar (FNP) said, 'For starters, what the customer sees is what they should get. If they receive a communication with an offer or a coupon code, it should be applicable and work as expected. The image shown of the product should match the actual product you receive.'
Effective communication depends on precise timing. Customers can be divided into two behavioral states: active and static. Static customers, such as those eating while watching a video, are preoccupied and less likely to respond to pop-up ads. In contrast, active customers are more receptive to engaging with prompts like pop-up ads. Airtel has taken a step forward by engaging with customers only during their active behavioral states.
'A significant shift we've made is engaging customers when they're active. For instance, watching a TV ad is a passive activity, whereas scrolling through social media is active and intentional. This means they can act immediately, whether to explore an offer or make a purchase without needing another device,' noted Amber.
Customer engagement hinges not only on delivering an exceptional experience during the purchase but also on the
customer experience
post-sale. Many businesses prioritize a seamless, swift, and delightful pre-purchase experience but often neglect to maintain that same commitment during
after-sales service
. To ensure customers feel valued, Philips Domestic Appliances makes after-sales service a cornerstone of its customer engagement strategy.
'The after-sales cycle is less glamorous but incredibly impactful. We recognized that customers dread calling support, so we decided to solve this challenge. If you contact Philips customer care and your call drops or your issue remains unresolved, our system flags if you call back within 48 hours. The Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system acknowledges your recent call and reconnects you to the same executive, sparing the frustration of narrating the issue to another executive. Behind this is a robust Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and a data engine tracking every interaction,' stated Baid.
It is also important to understand the right communication approach for different contexts: while simple text messages get the job done in categories like grocery or quick-commerce, complex categories like financial services require richer media such as graphics, voice, or video to convey nuances and connect with customers effectively.
Khare shared, 'We are experimenting with different mediums, such as voice notes styled like a celebrity's voice, as customers usually have an itch to open voice notes on WhatsApp. This instinctive action is helping us communicate more effectively and provide more information about insurance to our customers.'
'We're also experimenting with AI calls, making 30,000 calls using a small language model, achieving a 1% appointment rate for office visits across our 300 locations,' he added further.
As marketing channels become saturated with promotional messages, customers often feel fatigued. Therefore, it is crucial for brands to continuously discover new channels to create a fully immersive and inclusive experience.
'Brands face the challenge of moving beyond saturated messaging channels to capture customer attention. With platforms like email and SMS often overwhelming users, innovative mediums offer fresh opportunities. For instance, Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) for email enables real-time, interactive responses, enhancing engagement. Similarly, RCS (Rich Communication Services) provides a richer, more interactive format, with some brands reporting significantly higher response rates than traditional SMS or WhatsApp. The key is blending digital and offline touchpoints, such as in-app and real-world interactions, while experimenting with novel channels to create seamless, impactful experiences that resonate with customers and stand out in a crowded landscape,' explained Jain.
Exceptional customer engagement hinges on being agile, adaptive, and authentic, while also showing empathy towards users. Brands are continuously innovating to determine the optimal timing for communication and experiment with richer media formats.