We’re kicking off Dreamforce 2016 today, and there’s been a ton of buzz around artificial intelligence. But Bluewolf CEO Eric Berridge is looking beyond the hype and into what AI is really going to mean for customer experience. 

I sat down with Eric to get a sneak peek into his session “AI and the Future of Customer Experience.”

EP: Despite all the talk, many people are unsure about the effect that artificial intelligence will have on their business. Is it something they should be investing in now?

EB: First, let’s talk about what artificial intelligence even means for the cloud. AI is all about making CRM smarter, but it’s only a piece of a larger whole that will be built out over the next five years. That larger whole is cognitive, a series of systems that are designed to mimic the brain and augment human intelligence. And it is something all companies should prepare for.

EP: How should businesses lay the foundation for AI and cognitive? 

EB: The first thing businesses need to realize is that data is the new currency. Data is the personification of the customer, and it’s incredibly valuable. We’re going to start to see customers restricting access to their data and giving it only to companies who earn their trust and provide the best experiences. Businesses need to reorient themselves around customers and put them at the center. 

EP: What are the keys to creating true 1-1 customer relationships and experiences?

EB: Start with your employees. What are you doing to make it easy for them to do their jobs and engage with customers? According to our latest The State of Salesforce Report, 96% of companies see innovation potential in Salesforce, but 77% think their company could be doing more with its investments. Invest in the user experience on both sides—employee and customer. Take advantage of multi-cloud integration to get a single view of the customer so that every employee is empowered to own the customer moment. 

EP: So, you invest in customer and employees, but what’s the real impact? Where’s the value?

EB: Both of those elements can be tied back to four primary business outcomes: retention, expansion, cost reduction, and acquisition. Businesses need to decide what they want to improve. Is it keeping customers? Gaining new ones? Growth? Once they define those goals, they can decide which customer and employee initiatives will help them get there. But the one common thread is that no matter what they choose to focus on, it all ties back to experiences.

Don’t just listen to the hype around AI. Register for Eric’s session to learn how take advantage of it in your business to improve customer experience.