5 Reasons to Humanize Your Digital Channel

Written by Toonimo

Let’s start out by discussing what humanizing your digital channel really means.  The digital world has made it easy to access information and interact – today one can shop for anything from anywhere, monitor finances, plan vacations, order groceries and more.  While this is a tremendous advancement that we all constantly benefit from, and is a far cry from the limiting days of snail mail, phone books and brick and mortar stores, it does lack a very important component – a human element.

While we are accustomed to using our smartphones, laptops and tablets for practically everything, were still also very used to collaborating and interacting with people on a daily basis.  When you're in a store, you know that if you can't find something or have a question about a particular product or service, all you have to do is say "Excuse me...?" and are almost always quickly greeted by a salesperson who can answer your particular questions.  When you're at the bank and need help, the teller can address your personal questions and within minutes you understand.

Today’s online world faces a challenge – adding a human element to the digital world.  Companies do what they can by providing tutorials, walkthroughs, videos, and more but the human element cannot be replaced.  This is where "humanizing" your digital channel comes into play.

This means adding a human element to your website, whether it be on a website with the aim of helping visitors purchase an airplane ticket, pay their electric bill, leave details for more information or shop for a new mobile phone.  Imagine having a digital walkthrough with a human voice and graphical annotations that can talk to and guide your new visitors and customers throughout the entire customer lifecycle, guiding them each step of the way.

Here's what humanizing your digital channel can do for your users:

1. Avoid Information Overload

While landing pages are usually designed to direct the user to a very specific call to action, that can't always be said for websites, SaaS platforms or user dashboards.  Very often, this leads to information overload for your users, which means they'll give up and move on.  Being able to direct them to the important information based on their current status in the customer lifecycle will prevent that from happening.

2. Personalized Experience

Provide the best customer service you can by personalizing the user experience.  If you've worked in customer support or marketing before, you know that doing something as simple as calling someone by his or her name can make a significant difference. Additionally humanizing the web user experience allows you to call out specific user details such as plans subscribed to, subtotals, services selected and more.

3. Better Support

Reduce the number of times users require support by providing them with clear assistance that mimics an actual support representative on the website.  Not only will your users be happier with the service, but your company will also save costs on support chat and call centers.

4. Higher Conversions

Direct your users through the entire sales funnel and reduce abandonment.  Numerous case studies at Toonimo already prove that conversion increases significantly when the channel is "humanized”.  Adding an interactive overlay that includes human voice and graphical coach marks that guide your users through complex processes helps improve conversions across digital channels.

5. Customer Retention

If a customer is happy with their service and products, they are more likely to remain your customer, buy again, and even recommend your service to their friends. By humanizing the entire customer lifecycle, you guide them through every step without ever actually having to be there.

‍