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When Digital Becomes Human
Book

When Digital Becomes Human

The Transformation of Customer Relationships

Steven Van Belleghem
Kogan Page, 2015

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Editorial Rating

7

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Recommendation

Steven Van Belleghem, a marketing professor and managing partner of the research agency InSites, examines how the increasing digitalization of commerce affects consumers’ interactions with the companies that serve them. To research his ideas and learn the importance of human connection in a digital world, he undertook extensive research on consumer attitudes and customer relations in two global polls – one of 2,750 people and one with 3,507 respondents. He also embarked on “inspiration tours” of Silicon Valley companies known as innovative trendsetters. Van Belleghem’s insights are not deep or groundbreaking, but he builds his thesis on one strong finding: Companies can’t bypass the digital trend, but no matter how much digital magic they offer their customers, nothing can replace the value of human interaction. Despite some repetition, getAbstract recommends his take on the future of e-commerce to customer service professionals, marketers and anyone seeking insights on the business world to come.

Take-Aways

  • People don’t shape technology; technology shapes people.
  • As technology plays an ever-larger role in consumer relationships, the human element of your business will become increasingly valuable to your customers.
  • Digitalized commerce will continue to evolve in five overlapping surges: “mobile, the Internet of everything, robots, 3D printers” and “artificial intelligence.”

About the Author

Marketing professor and managing partner of the research agency InSites, Steven Van Bellegham is a frequent conference speaker. He wrote The Conversation Company and The Conversation Manager.

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