The term “metaverse” has been around since 19921. Back then, it was used to describe fictional platforms where one could create imaginative spaces, connect with others within the rendered environment, and live in a vast and vibrant virtual world. Today, tech giants Meta and Microsoft bring “metaverse” to a whole new different level— successfully engineering a digital space that not only mimics, but also improves reality.
In the metaverse, users don’t even need to get out of their houses to connect with others. They can hang out and bond with their friends at the cinema without having to go to a physical showing. The mere concept of the metaverse seems to be “too out there” for some, but thanks to the exponential growth of technological advancement, it seems like we’re just a few years shy from the emergence of a new epoch.
Beyond Science Fiction
Initially considered a fictional concept, the metaverse introduces the concept of digital playgrounds; oftentimes portrayed by the media, authors, and film personalities; to take place in futuristic dystopian society where people could gather and interact with each other. That’s no longer the case. The metaverse we’re seeing today is a multi-dimensional, lifelike, digital rendition of reality made easily accessible through devices. Users enter the digital space through their computer, phone, or a similar digital device and they can also purchase items and move around uniquely created environments.
The different approaches to the metaverse that have found their way into popular culture:
- Extended Reality (XR) is oftentimes seen in real estate where potential buyers could tour the property virtually.
- Augmented Reality (AR) filters made by brands and users became the main attraction on Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook stories. The same AR technology enabled games like Pokémon Go and Five Nights at Freddy's: Special Delivery.
- Virtual Reality (VR) was only limited to the gaming industry until its potential was translated to other industries. For instance, RobotLAB2 popularized the use of VR to help educators take their students on virtual field trips.
- Mixed Reality (MR) can be found anywhere as it already encompasses our lives. Remote workers can be productive anytime anywhere thanks to collaborative working spaces online, such as Walkabout Workplace3 and Gather Town4.
By understanding the metaverse, businesses can begin to create innovative ways to stay in touch with their audiences by creating meaningful, serendipitous interactions within the digital landscape.
Making Serendipitous Moments Happen
Engineered serendipity5 is the concept of turning micro-actions and small decisions into positive outcomes. It's designing an experience intending to create unexpected, yet welcome surprises. We can trace these outcomes back to user interactions made in-world. In marketing, the concept relies on waiting for the right moment to release content that would make users figuratively jump for joy.
For example, music and movie recommendations from well-known platforms are much more appreciated when they arrive at a seemingly random time. This occurrence fortifies the notion of luck6 and happy accidents happening. With the help of engineered serendipity, brands can create a sense of delight and surprise in customers. They can make users feel that they’ve stumbled upon something they didn't expect but was just what they needed at that moment.
By intently engaging with the customers and connecting them to the overall goals of your business, these “happy moments” can be created in the metaverse world. Joyous moments or positive customer experiences have shown direct benefits to businesses:
- CSAT rates increase by 20%
- Conversion rates increase by 10% to 15%7
- Lowering sales and marketing costs by 10% to 20%.
- On the whole, increasing customer retention by 5% leads to a rise in profits by 25% to 95%
The Gateway to Engineering Serendipity
Companies want to create a space where people can explore, find new hobbies, make new friends, and create meaningful moments. They want users to have the experience of serendipity and personalization in a virtual world. After all, 71% of consumers today expect it8 and are quick to jump to a different brand or platform if they fail to receive it. But to develop and maintain happiness in the metaverse, certain steps need to be put in place.
Seamless channel integration. To succeed, brands must accommodate both physical-world and metaverse experiences and follow customers to where they want to be. Some customers prefer to resolve their issues via a phone call, while there are those who opt for non-voice channels.
Effective CX Measurement. All efforts to increase CSAT or NPS should be directly linked to your business impacts such as revenue growth, cost savings, or customer acquisition. Measuring customer experience9 creates opportunities that ensure processes are within standard operating procedures.
The goals of customer experience measurement are to make sure that all interactions with customers are consistently positive and that any negative experience is addressed quickly. This requires understanding customer needs and designing processes that meet or exceed their expectations.
Intensified People+Tech combination. This means partnering digitally savvy Super Teammates and CX-tuned technologies with AI-enabled analytics. We need human intelligence to aid AIs to ensure minimal errors in processes such as resolving tickets, implementing updates, and moderating content.
Extensive end-to-end customer journey. Comprehensive analytics and insights on customer behavior can help you understand customer behavior and sentiments. With an extensive customer journey, you can make sure that they are taken care of every step of the way, from the pre-purchase stage to after-sales.
All these initiatives will pave the road to successfully engineering serendipity with good intentions and even better services. The metaverse isn’t easy to navigate alone, so that’s why you have Us.
Creating Happy Moments with Us
TaskUs is currently in the process of launching its very own Insights as a Service that use technologies such as natural language processing (NLP) and AI-enabled pattern recognition to identify friction points and the overall sentiments of customers by analyzing TaskUs’ interactions with them.
As your Ridiculously Good and Collaborative partner, we are committed to helping you navigate the complex and ever-changing landscape of the metaverse. Together, we can create a tailored plan that helps you achieve your goals and realize your full potential in this rapidly-growing virtual world.
