Since 2018 is, Europe’s new General Data Protection Regulation, more commonly known as GDPR compliance, is required. The enforcement of this regulation is being given a lot of grief, mostly because of the restrictions and sanctions it lays out. Faced with the rising concerns of many companies, only a fraction of which have declared themselves already compliant, it’s our aim here to take a sober look at this regulation, make sense of it and unlock its positive potential.
What are the benefits of GDPR compliance ?
More than 20 years have passed since the 1995 data protection directive. New technologies keep flourishing at raging speed as our world grows increasingly digital and data driven. Simply put, the GDPR positions the human individual at the heart of all our relational exchanges and as such opens up a host of opportunities for brands to create value by building a trust-based relationship that will improve customer experience and yes, also drive innovation.
GDPR compliance does mean having to consolidate or redesign the technology, legal framework, and operational procedures connected to personal data processing and set up new mechanisms of control. But beyond these necessary measures lies a real chance to reinvent a customer journey and develop a relationship that freely and proactively involves consumers. The days of passive data collection are gone. Today, data processing will be selective, consensual, open to rectification and transferable based on the consumer’s decisions.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]See our article: How your customer journey can improve Customer Experience
Transforming personal data into relational data
“With this regulation comes the opportunity to adapt data processing to our relational behaviors. Customers will be able to effectively shape the relationship they have with brands by choosing the information they wish to share and the way they prefer sharing it: how they’d rather be contacted, in what format, how frequently…” foresees Emmanuel Richard, Executive Director of Extens, consulting firm and company of Acticall Sitel Group.
10 years from now, the volume of circulating data will have reached 163 zettaoctets[1]. However, 96% of consumers admit to being dissatisfied with the level of personalization of the customer relationship they experience with brands[2]. Processing volumes of personal data does not mean you understand your customer or his/her context. “We’re reaching a more personalized relationship, but were still incapable of singularizing it, which is what makes it an unforgettable human relationship“, explains Emmanuel Richard.
GDPR compliance: the customer journey at the heart of singularized human relationship
Personal data is the information that’s strictly related to a person’s identity: it’s a name, a number. Whereas singularized personal data expresses a person’s intention. Brands who can tap into what customers have to offer fake rolex in terms of what and how personal data is shared will be able to move from big data to small and more importantly smart data. In short, to graduate from a personalized relationship to a singularized human relationship.
“Today, 50% of consumers abandon their online purchases because the customer journey does not reassure them regarding what will happen to the personal information they provide. With over 15 years of experience and expertise analyzing, designing and reinventing customer journeys, our teams can discern the most decisive points of interaction between brands and consumers. Data processing is, as such, a “moment of truth” that you can positively leverage to improve the customer’s experience and align it with how and what he/she choses to disclose in terms of information that, ultimately, belongs to him/her. This regulation will help brands do precisely that”, stresses Emmanuel Richard.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Further reading: How will the GDPR impact marketing and Customer Relations? [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]More articles to come…[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][1] IDC, Data Age 2025, 2017
[2] Sitecore Study, 2017