Channel transformation best practices

This video shows you how to provide a brief overview of Pega best practices for Channel transformation by implementing Pega Customer Decision Hub™. Best practices have been developed in each of the organizational transformation areas based on deep product knowledge and years of delivery experience with clients across the globe. This amalgamation of effective strategies helps organizations make the best of their Pega Customer Decision Hub implementation.

For different Channels, the impact of introducing Pega Customer Decision Hub varies.

Outbound and digital, including Web and Mobile App, are among the first Channels to which Pega Customer Decision Hub connects.

The top aspects to consider for these Channels are content creation and management, Channel build, and adoption and enablement. To ensure completeness, understand:

• How, where, and when the creation and management of creative content, such as imagery and messaging, occurs.
• How, where, and when the Channels are ready to display the action at the right place.
• What are the impacts to the users, if any, and how does the way of working change after the implementation of Pega Customer Decision Hub.

Multiple workstreams are involved to convert any business idea into a next best action in the outbound and digital Channels. First, the creative workstream defines the content and look and feel of the message. Secondly, the Channel workstream must create artifacts in the Channel, consume the creative content, and configure channel integration with Pega Customer Decision Hub and content management systems. The Pega Customer Decision Hub workstream oversees the configuration of Pega Customer Decision Hub to set up the appropriate containers, placements such as tiles or banners, and treatments. The three workstreams work in tandem to create the next best action that is presented to the customer at the right time, in the right format and Channel.

Break down the process considering these different workstreams.

Requests come in from lines of business and other stakeholders.

Then, the core workstreams, copy and creative build, Channel build, and Pega Customer Decision Hub build, work in parallel. Copy and creative and Channel build occur outside of Pega Customer Decision Hub. In Pega Customer Decision Hub, most of the work occurs in Pega 1:1 Operations Manager in a business-as-usual context.

There are interdependencies between all three workstreams.

Creative content includes the following interdependencies:

• How is copy and creative work requested?
• How is the copy and creative content consumed (Channel build)?
• Does work occur in parallel to the Pega Customer Decision Hub build and Channel build or in a waterfall methodology?

Configuration work is necessary to enable the content in the Channels. Artifacts need to be built using creatives by the creative workstream, including multiple variants depending on placement type, such as a hero banner. Consider the processing of incoming Digital Customer Profile Data and trigger information, such as real-time events.

Finally, consider content consumption and payload processing as part of the integration with other systems, such as content management systems. For the Channel build, ask the following questions:

• How is Channel build work requested?
• How does Pega Customer Decision Hub consume output?
• Does work occur in parallel to Pega Customer Decision Hub development or in a waterfall methodology, and which workstream is dependent on which?

The synergy between technology, people, and process is key to success, so do not forget user adoption and enablement. Consider these aspects when talking to organizations regarding Channel adoption and enablement:

• Adoption of new systems, including channels, content management systems, or new data sources.
• Processes and workflow changes, considering the three workstreams (copy and creative work, channel build and CDH workstreams).
• User training, which covers technical training and mindset training.

Agent-assisted Channels, such as call centers, usually see significant impact with the adoption of Pega Customer Decision Hub.

There are four key areas of the best practices for agent-assisted channels. They can help tackle the common obstacles in adoption:

• Usability
• Aligned priorities
• Enablement
• Performance

Usability; if the solution is not user-friendly enough and does not fit the user behavior, it might resul in agents:

• Being unable to find the right actions.
• Not knowing when or how to present actions.
• Being unable to accept or fulfill the actions effectively.
• Lacking confidence in the recommendations.

Aligned priorities. If there are competing priorities; there might be management based on other business objectives. Agent compensation and incentives might not reward offering the right actions to customers.

Enablement; agents might not be equipped with the knowledge to offer actions, because they do not have adequate enablement on the tool and process, next best actions, or how to offer actions to customers or negotiate the deal with customers.

Finally, performance; if agent behavior and performance goes unreported, or reports are not monitored or used effectively, organizations cannot set clear goals and feedback.

Paid media, or paid channels, are marketing channels for which an organization pays to have their messages displayed to customers. Examples include Facebook, Google, Instagram, YouTube, and more.

Paid Media Manager is a module of Pega Customer Decision Hub that enables business-to-consumer organizations to extend the insights collected on their own channels to such paid environments.

Implementing the paid tactics enables various teams to work together in new ways. Typically, these include data science, IT, marketing, and advertising operations. Consider all parties and the end-to-end process when discussing with organizations. Consider the following areas and questions:

• Stakeholders: Who are the main stakeholders -- Paid Specialist, Ad Strategy and Operations, Next Best Action Specialist, or Data Scientist?
• The process: How is the organization creating and updating paid media channel actions?
• Targeting: How does targeting for customers and prospects occur
• Feedback loop: What is the definition of outcomes, and how does the organization receive them (conversion events, impressions, or clicks)?
• Reporting: How does the organization perform monitoring ("Paid Tactics" page), and is there any specific reporting available?

You have reached the end of this video. What did it show you?

• Overview of Pega best practices for channel transformation with Pega Customer Decision Hub.
• Key considerations for outbound and digital channels.
• Best practices for agent-assisted Channels.
• Questions to consider for paid media channel transformation.