“It was important for us to have a platform that was robust, easy-to-scale and quick to implement,” says Perlov.

“We also wanted to work with a partner who could support and help train our internal teams.”

Thanks to Salesforce, says Perlov, True Alliance is the embodiment of digital excellence – truly knowing their customers and “engaging with them in a one-on-one conversation, no matter the channel through which they choose to engage”.

Moreover, Salesforce helps True Alliance differentiate itself in the talent market, a huge advantage in an economy of almost full employment.

“Salesforce provides a fresh culture and a new way of thinking and working. It’s also a great way to access training through Trailhead,” says Perlov.

Trailhead is Salesforce’s free-to-access online education platform available to anyone wanting to upskill in digital capabilities.

“These are significant intangible benefits. So, we’ve become more attractive as an employer because we are innovating and constantly improving. That’s very important.”

Customers connected, but fickle

And while the longer-term trend will shift back to hybrid ways of connecting with brands online and in-person, many of our digital habits are here to stay, says John Moran, Area Vice President of Industries, Salesforce.

“Many consumers have recently had to tighten their purse strings in the face of growing cost of living pressures, forcing people to scrutinise every purchase. With this in mind, it’s never been more critical to humanise the customer experience and foster a greater sense of trust to build loyalty,” says Moran.

Of course, consumers still expect brands to deliver experiences that stitch together all their interactions, no matter which channel they choose.

As they switch between a business’ websites, mobile sites, social media and store, they expect every interaction to seamlessly pick up their journey.

Digital excellence also helps brands build trust, a crucial commodity during uncertain times.

Importantly, customers that trust brands are willing to share their data. But be aware their trust is fickle.

“They will abandon a brand due to even a single poor customer experience,” Moran says.

Research bears this out. Salesforce’s State of the Connected Customer study shows most customers have switched brands at least once in the last year.

One reason for this is because consumers lose trust when there are inconsistencies across multiple touchpoints or when they receive messages from brands that don’t match their interests.

“This underscores the need to create a single view of customer interactions across departments and channels, whether that’s the website, email, mobile or messaging app,” says Moran.

“It’s not possible to deliver truly connected, seamless and personalised customer experiences without it, no matter the industry in which you operate.

“We’re now in a trust-based economy, in which customers put their trust in brands to support them during moments of crisis.”

A front-foot approach

Consumer expectations about the way brands communicate with them have changed for good.

We now expect brands will personalise their offer, which has become one of the core elements of digital excellence.

Salesforce’s Moran says: “Brands that wish to retain and win new customers need to show they know and care about their customers’ unique interests and circumstances.”

Despite this, many companies are still unable to turn their data into personalised prices, offers and products in real time across different channels and touchpoints.

Complex and fragmented IT systems are a major contributor to this problem, with Salesforce research showing that on average, businesses use more than 40 different systems to manage the customer experience.

This complexity puts customer loyalty at risk.

“It’s vital to centralise your data and create a single view of your customer. This means you can identify audiences and target them with offers in real-time based on their profile, their interactions with your business and their buying history,” Moran says.

“When businesses use their data to understand customer needs and personalise the customer experience, customers will entrust them with more of their data and reward them with stronger engagement, which is essential in today’s hyper-competitive markets.