This year my annual list of business trends celebrates its fifth year. As with previous years, my picks for 2018 represent bold and innovative moves that leading companies around the world are making to drive success. Some of this years’ trends are in the fledgling phase, while others have already taken root. These trends come from my own observations or conversations with colleagues and subject matter experts, as well as working closely with businesses of all shapes and sizes. Here are the top 10 Business Trends that are sure to drive success for you and your company in 2018. We’ve captured all of the trends in an infographic at the end of the article.
1. Artificial Intelligence Drives Customer Experience
When you think of artificial intelligence (AI), you might think of dehumanizing interactions. Don’t confuse AI with primitive marketing automation.
As AI expert and leading keynote speaker Christopher Penn, VP of Marketing Technology for SHIFT Communications says, “There are three levels of machine learning: AI where machines perform tasks normally performed by humans; machine learning, where the machines learn on their own; and deep learning, where machine learning chains together for rich learning.”
Leading companies are embracing AI to perform repeatable, redundant tasks and to process large amounts of data not to avoid human interaction, but to enrich it. AI is becoming the norm for many practical consumer experiences – these powerful examples use AI to evaluate GPS data:
- Google Maps uses real-time customer data from our own phones
- GPS Insight is able to help companies shorten the scheduling window for telecommunications companies. More importantly, they can allow municipalities to better deploy emergency responders and repair crews in a crisis like a hurricane.
