A Guide to Customer-Centric Tools & Technologies

The Customer Engagement Stack

Welcome to the second annual edition of 'The Customer Engagement Stack', our yearly exploration of the leading tools and tactics businesses around the world are using to elevate customer interactions.

Illustration: Customer Engagement Stack

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Introduction


As we step into 2024, it's evident that customer experiences have become the ultimate differentiator in a fiercely competitive market. At the same time, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have emerged as pivotal forces, revolutionizing the way businesses interact with their customers.This paradigm shift has led to the evolution of the traditional tech stack into something more dynamic and customer-centric: what we like to call the Customer Engagement Stack.Central to this new stack is the Customer Data Platform (CDP), a tool that unifies data to fuel unparalleled customer experiences. However, the journey towards efficient and fully integrated customer data infrastructure is fraught with challenges. Recent research shows that almost one-third (30%) of business leaders are overwhelmed by the amount of data across their organizations, which is expected to more than double in size by 2026.In our comprehensive 2024 CDP Report, we explored over 12 Trillion API Calls to provide an updated perspective on the technology ecosystems that shape customer interactions. Based on our findings, we've identified the top categories and the most impactful applications that are now critical components of the modern Customer Engagement Stack.As you navigate this guide, you’ll learn how the right tools and tactics, with a CDP as your cornerstone, can revolutionize your organization. Embracing this data-driven approach will pave the way for better customer connections, accelerate business growth, and solidify your position as a market leader.
Illustration: Introduction

Categories


A/B Testing

A/B testing is a critical component of an effective customer engagement strategy. By testing different variations of web pages, emails, or ads, businesses can determine which elements are most effective in driving customer behavior. Below we’ll explore some of the top A/B testing tools on the Twilio Segment platform to understand the unique features that can help businesses take their customer engagement to the next level.

Recipe

A/B test your tech stack

In this recipe, you'll learn how to design, run, and analyze an A/B test to determine what marketing tools are generating the most ROI.

Advertising

With so many different advertising platforms available, it can be challenging to choose the right ones for your business. In this section, we'll introduce you to some of the most popular advertising tools used by Twilio Segment customers today. These tools allow you to target specific audiences and deliver personalized messaging, making it easier to engage and convert potential customers.

Recipe

How to Use Lookalike Audiences and Audience Suppression

In this recipe, you’ll learn how to use Twilio Engage (formerly Segment Personas) to create hyper-specific audiences in advertising platforms like Facebook, Snapchat, and Pinterest to increase advertising efficiency.

Analytics

By analyzing customer data, businesses can gain valuable insights into their customers' behavior, preferences, and needs, which allows them to create more personalized, targeted experiences. In this section, we'll explore some of the top analytics tools being used on the Twilio Segment platform and highlight their unique features and use cases.

Recipe

Identify high-value users with historical count analysis

In this recipe, examine the exact moment in the customer journey that converts new users into high-value customers. Then, create monitoring that surfaces high-value users to build look-a-like audiences.

CRM

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is a critical category of technology for businesses in their customer engagement efforts. By leveraging CRM tools, businesses can manage their interactions with customers, track their behavior and preferences, and build stronger relationships. In this section, we'll round up some of the top CRM tools on the Twilio Segment platform and highlight their key features, which allow businesses to create more personalized customer experiences.

Recipe

Set up lead scoring to improve sales efficiency and accelerate pipeline

In this recipe, you'll learn how to set up lead scoring, send those lead scores to your CRM, and keep your sales team focused on the most important accounts.

Customer Success

Customer success involves managing the customer journey from initial purchase to continued use of a product or service, with the goal of ensuring customer satisfaction and loyalty. By leveraging customer success tools, businesses can proactively monitor customer behavior and preferences, provide targeted guidance, and offer personalized support. To give you the complete overview, we'll take stock of the leading customer success tools being used on the Twilio Segment platform.

Recipe

Break down data silos between your sales and support teams

In this recipe, you’ll learn how to keep sales and support aligned by enriching your user profiles with information from Salesforce and syncing that data to Zendesk.

Email

In this section, we’ll highlight some of the most powerful email tools available to modern businesses, and how they can help to create meaningful customer experiences. From automated campaigns to A/B testing and dynamic content, these tools provide a range of features to help businesses of all sizes connect with customers more effectively.

Recipe

Increase conversion with personalized lifecycle campaigns

In this recipe, you’ll learn how to create behavior-based email campaigns personalized to different personas of your product.

Personalization

Personalization tools are designed to tailor customer engagement by leveraging data to provide a customized experience. These tools analyze customer interactions, preferences, and behaviors to deliver relevant content, recommendations, and offers in real-time.. This section will delve into some of the leading personalization tools available on the Twilio Segment platform, highlighting their key features and how they contribute to creating a more personalized and engaging customer journey.

Screen Recording and Heatmaps

Screen recording & heatmap tools allow businesses to gain an in-depth understanding of their customers' behaviors and preferences by recording user sessions on websites and mobile apps. With this data, companies can identify pain points, areas for improvement, and opportunities to enhance the customer experience. In this section, we'll take a closer look at some of the top screen recording & heatmap tools on the Twilio Segment platform and explore their leading features.

Warehouses

Customer data can come from a wide variety of sources, and it's crucial to have a reliable and scalable way to store and manage that data. This is where data warehouses come in - they allow you to store large amounts of customer data in one place, making it easier to analyze and derive insights from. In this section, we'll cover some of the most popular data warehouses used by Twilio Segment customers today, including BigQuery, Postgres, Redshift, and Snowflake.

Recipe

Fill the gaps in your profiles using data from your warehouse

In this recipe, you’ll set up rETL to automatically pull in both backfill customer data and events from your warehouse to help complete your identity graph and provide a holistic view of your customer’s journey over an extended period of time.


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