When Digital Becomes Human By Steven van Belleghem

23rd March 2015

Posted In: WMB Recommends

Title: When Digital Becomes Human: The Transformation of Customer Relationships

Synopsis: It examines what will influence customer behaviour in the future and how companies can embrace these trends as an opportunity.

Author: Steven van Belleghem

Published by: Kogan Page

Available: In most bookshops and online in April 2015

 

In today’s world of connected technology, humans have already started to rely on digital devices as a sixth sense, and for most of us, scarcely a minute goes by without using some kind of technology to help us in our professional or personal lives. For businesses, this means the lines between online and offline relationships with consumers are increasingly blurred, so as slick digital processes become the expected standard, how can companies establish an invaluable emotional relationship with customers?

Companies today face a double challenge of transforming both digital and human sides of their business, but help is at hand from a new book, When Digital Becomes Human, which reveals how businesses can set themselves apart by combining the efficiency of digital with the human emotion that no computer can offer – creativity, empathy and passion.

The author, Steven van Belleghem, is an academic and an entrepreneur and is widely regarded as one of Europe’s thought-leaders in the fields of social media, customer relationships and digital marketing. Steven is a Professor at Vlerick Business School, runs his own inspiration and coaching company, B-Conversational and has advised some of Europe’s leading brands on how to develop a “human” face, including Philips, ABinBev and Landrover.

Based on a combination of in-depth research and informed vision from some of the world’s leading experts in their fields, When Digital Becomes Human examines what will influence customer behaviour in the future and how companies can embrace these trends as an opportunity. The book provides fascinating insights and practical advice in a number of areas, including:

­– Why digital transformation has caused human transformation, and how technology has changed the way consumers behave

– Why companies must build a digital ecosystem around the customer

– How “Big Data” can be used to achieve big relevance for customers

– How “Heartketing” can build an invaluable connection with customers, staff and society

– How harnessing the power of crowds can benefit funding, product development, service levels and customer engagement

 

With the number of connected devices each of us has in our homes increasing all the time, and the intelligence of the technology also advancing rapidly, the moment is fast approaching when the digital world will dominate our lives. So, as human interactions become so rare they are at a premium, When Human Becomes Digital explains how businesses can make the most of these invaluable human connections.

When Digital Becomes Human by Steven van Belleghem is due to be published in April 2015 by Kogan Page, priced £19.99