Sun Yi

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While chatbots provide a convenient first line of customer service, there are times when users need more personalized assistance. While escalating complex issues to a higher tier can improve satisfaction, many chatbots lack robust escalation features. However, if a chatbot’s ability to provide customer support is sophisticated enough, it can help users feel their concerns are being adequately addressed.  Enhancing chatbot services to better handle the escalation process to a higher level of support is one way to significantly improve user satisfaction and trust. Below, members of Forbes Agency Council share their insights into which chatbot options and features can help users feel as if their issues have been raised to a higher level of customer service, effectively bridging the gap between automated responses and personalized, high-quality support.

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TikTok’s uncertain future in the United States is prompting marketers to consider diversifying their advertising channels to mitigate potential risks should the platform no longer be available to them at some point. With Facebook and Instagram facing ongoing criticism for their user data practices, marketers are left to explore alternative platforms for reaching target audiences that will help them maintain consumer trust, and Snapchat is likely on many marketers’ and advertisers’ short lists.  In such a climate of scrutiny and instability, Snapchat’s sponsored augmented reality filters present a unique opportunity to engage with audiences through immersive online experiences. Below, 15 members of Forbes Agency Council explore different ways marketers can leverage Snapchat’s AR-filter features to not only capture attention and drive engagement, but also differentiate their brands in an increasingly competitive landscape.

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Traditionally, many companies have used an illustrated or animated "spokesperson” or corporate mascot as the face of their brand—think Tony the Tiger, Ronald McDonald or the Green Giant. Given the success that some of these characters have driven, the increasing capabilities of artificial intelligence and the ever-increasing power of real-life influencers in the digital age, it makes sense that businesses today are considering adopting virtual AI influencers to represent their brands. These computer-generated characters or avatars—designed to resemble humans and powered by algorithms that allow them to interact with users on social media platforms, create content and even endorse products or services—have gained popularity in recent years among brands seeking innovative ways to engage with audiences and capitalize on influencer marketing trends. Here, 17 members of Forbes Agency Council share insights into how AI influencers could revolutionize brand representation.

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Showcasing specific attributes of their workplace’s internal operations can help to create a professional identity that will resonate with the talent agencies seek, helping them consistently attract and retain right-fit employees. This emphasis on what an agency prizes most in its workforce allows potential job candidates to self-select depending on their alignment with an agency’s values, practices and overall ideal candidate persona. Here, members of Forbes Agency Council share the specific aspects their own agencies highlight for prospective employees to ensure better, more lasting fits in the long run. Check out their tips below to learn how to attract top talent in a way that fosters not only long-term team cohesion and a more productive work environment, but also higher job satisfaction and performance among individual team members.

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The inbound method of marketing involves creating and distributing content that your target audience values, along with a strong call to action that will prompt them to click, read, subscribe or take another step further into your sales and marketing funnel. If a prospective customer opens an email from your company that promises to provide insights or information they want or need, and instead sees a soft sales pitch, your efforts can backfire. No one wants to be sold to when they’re simply seeking information to help them solve their problems; it turns their hunt for useful knowledge into a game of scratching companies off their list of potential solutions for being too transactional. To avoid coming across as salesy in your content, losing the trust of interested prospects and leading them to back out of your marketing funnel, check out the tips from the members of Forbes Agency Council below.

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Companies describe the many methods marketers employ to help prospects and customers first find, then engage with and consider their brands as “content marketing.” Of course, consumers don’t always view these efforts as brands marketing to them, and if the content is valued by consumers, it can help the brands who posted it gain more exposure and build more credibility among target audiences. Done well, the content brands share—writing, images, videos and other materials—online and in print aren’t perceived as part of a ploy to gain their attention, but rather as valuable resources or entertainment that they like, comment on and, ideally, share with others in their networks on various social platforms. To learn more about how to inspire users to share content, read on for insights from 14 Forbes Agency Council members into the key elements that make social media posts more likely to be shared.