In a data-driven world increasingly powered by AI, companies have unprecedented access to customer data, allowing greater personalisation and insight into customers behaviour. Customers are demanding companies use their data to provide a better service, while wanting companies to protect their data and be privacy conscious.

Personalisation and privacy can be a real opportunity for differentiation. Companies have the opportunity to take a customer-led position to privacy, not just compliance process. Being pro-active about changes and letting customers access and manage their data. Creating greater visibility and trust.

Customer value can be realised by having transparent collection practices, clear privacy policies and providing customers with control of their data. AsAI beings to power more data collection, it is critical that all data collection sources are documented and compliant. Customers will share their information, in fact according to McKinsey 71% of customers expect companies to deliver personalised interactions. With increasing privacy compliance measures, there is the risk that companies will lessen the use of customer data, and decrease the application of personalisation.

Companies who prioritise customer trust and privacy, offering transparency and control over data whilst providing real value, will ultimately be more successful in a privacy-alert world.

Personalisation can reduce customer acquisition, lift revenues and increase marketing spend ROI. Hence the journey to further personalisation should be symbiotic with privacy compliance, to unlock performance and create a growth momentum

Top 5 Checklist for Personation in a privacy-conscious world

• Empower a cross-functional group to manage the customer experience, with the right mix of customer leaders and privacy compliance people. Wirth a edict on transparency, visibility and trust.
• As part of the team, establish process that can quickly react to any changes to privacy legislation or marketplace impacts. As part of the process, formalise implementation across all customer-facing channels.
• Use dynamic customer journey mapping to understand touchpoints, breakpoints and ‘dead-ends’ Unlock customer behaviour to enhance personalisation and instil privacy requirements.
• Use a customer feedback mechanism (customer listening process) that captures real-time customer feedback and implements changes as required. Focusing on customer advocacy and business growth.
• Use of a customer presence centre (CPC) that provides data freedom for customers, where they have access to all aspects of their data and can influence what content, channel, data and timing they want. Provide visibility, availability and processes that continue to promote the ability for customers to be in control of their data.

Companies can take a customer-first strategy into the privacy requirements, enhancing personalisation efforts. By taking this customer-first position, companies can lead and enhance their customer relationships by collecting permission-based data that is centred on trust and customer benefit.