On June 25, 2024, the Institute of International Education at National Economics University (NEU) organized a seminar titled “Keys to Personalizing Customer Experiences in the AI Era,” attended by hundreds of delegates, including business executives, lecturers, students, and learners interested in the topic.

An overview of the seminar

Representing NEU at the seminar were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu, Vice President of NEU; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Trung Thanh, Dean of the Institute of International Education; leadership representatives from departments, faculties, institutes, and centers; faculty and staff; and a large number of students from the Institute of International Education.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu, Vice President of NEU, delivers the opening remarks at the seminar

In his opening remarks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu, Vice President of NEU, noted that businesses must understand their customers if they want to sell their products. Businesses are now placing greater emphasis on understanding customers through the experiences they provide. However, growing customer numbers have left many businesses unsure of how to proceed. In recent decades, science and technology, particularly AI (artificial intelligence), have developed into highly important tools for businesses and organizations in general, and for customer experience and marketing in particular.

AI enables us to process very large volumes of data very efficiently and develop numerous effective models for business decision-making in general, and marketing and customer care in particular. The use of AI to analyze customer data and aspects of customer experience is expanding. Companies specializing in data analytics have become widespread around the world, including in Vietnam. As a result, many related academic programs and courses have been introduced to address these needs. In recent years, NEU has also added numerous academic programs related to data analytics.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu said that the Institute of International Education at NEU had organized a seminar on a very engaging topic: “Keys to Personalizing Customer Experiences in the AI Era.” The seminar featured speakers who are leading experts in customer experience.

According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu, the University is currently offering the IMD@NEU master’s program in partnership with the University of the West of England in the United Kingdom, specifically the MSc in Digital Business and Management, MSc in Business and Supply Chain Management, and MSc in Business Administration. Connecting with businesses, sharing knowledge, and learning from their practical experience are top priorities for the program. “I hope that at today’s seminar, the speakers will share valuable experiences with the delegates, lecturers, students, and master’s students attending. I hope the Institute of International Education as a whole and its divisions will continue to organize similar meaningful activities on a larger scale, enabling more of the University’s students, learners, and lecturers to acquire and share knowledge, contributing to the University’s overall development,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu emphasized.

Speakers at the seminar

Recently, the world has witnessed profound changes driven by digitalization trends, particularly the boom in artificial intelligence (AI). AI is permeating every aspect of life, from the economy and society to every corner of business operations. In the AI era, the “golden key” to success is a deep understanding of customers. AI technology helps businesses collect and analyze customer data efficiently, providing important insights into customers’ purchasing behavior, preferences, and needs, thereby improving business performance. However, understanding customers in the AI era also poses new challenges, such as protecting personal information and ensuring transparency in the use of customer data and in understanding customers. What must businesses do to strengthen engagement and create better customer experiences, thereby building long-term relationships and improving business performance, while still complying with data protection regulations to earn customers’ trust?

The first part of the seminar focused on the journey of creating customer experiences and the importance of personalizing that journey through AI applications. According to Ms. Dang Thuy Ha, businesses need to complete three stages to improve customer experience. Stage one is getting the basics right: avoid disappointing customers and focus on eliminating their hassles and pain points. Stage two is creating delight and surprise for customers: meet emotional needs by delivering benefits through product use, and seek opportunities to turn customers into unpaid promoters. Stage three is personalizing the experience: provide a personalized experience, gain a deeper understanding of customers’ preferences, and empower them to choose.

Speaker Dang Thuy Ha, Director of Consumer Behavior Research at NielsenIQ Vietnam, shares useful insights into the process of improving customer experience

Ms. Dang Thuy Ha also highlighted the benefits the digital age brings to personalizing the customer experience journey. These include greater attention to customers’ emotions throughout the process before, during, and after payment, as well as a seamless customer experience through the convenience and synchronization of interconnected digital technology platforms. “In difficult times, getting closer to customers and understanding them will help businesses seize opportunities for growth.” Ms. Dang Thuy Ha thus reaffirmed the importance of understanding customers and improving their experiences.

Speaker Mai Xuan Viet, Director of Transformation Management at MSB Bank, offers engaging examples of the customer experience journey

During the subsequent panel discussion, practical insights from Mr. Mai Xuan Viet and Ms. Nguyen Quyen also attracted considerable interest from seminar participants. Mr. Mai Xuan Viet offered a very authentic and relatable example of how customer experience personalization happens every day: even sidewalk iced tea stalls can remember each customer’s habits and needs very clearly. “I am very impressed by a few iced tea stalls. The owners remember customers very clearly—by my estimate, they can remember the names of around 100–200 customers, and even each person’s preferences: some like strong tea, others like weak tea, and some visit an iced tea stall but never drink iced tea,” he said, affirming that remembering individual customers and their needs is precisely what makes customers loyal to a particular iced tea stall.

Moving from the familiar example of an iced tea stall, Mr. Mai Xuan Viet provided more specific evidence of AI’s important role in optimizing customer experience: the case of Erste Bank. With 15 million customers at 2,700 branches across seven countries, Erste once faced a challenge when 40% of its customers were unaware of or did not use the bank’s products and services. Recognizing the problem, Erste implemented a solution to analyze individual customer data using Persona 360. By collecting data from its website, advertising, and transactions, Erste could personalize messages and interactions with each customer. This strategy delivered resounding success, helping Erste increase its engagement rate by 37% and its conversion rate by 45%, while web and email traffic increased 3.7-fold.

Speaker Nguyen Quyen, Director of Customer Experience and Director of Business Development at F88 Financial Services Company, outlines AI’s limitations in customer interactions

According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Trung Thanh, Dean of the Institute of International Education at NEU, the seminar “Keys to Personalizing Customer Experiences in the AI Era” aimed to share Vietnamese businesses’ knowledge and experience in putting theories of digital transformation, logistics chains, and business administration into practice. These are also the subjects of the three master’s-level academic programs that the Institute of International Education offers in partnership with the University of the West of England. “The speakers have successfully implemented models that put theory into practice in Vietnam for their businesses, serve as consultants, or have been very successful in putting these theories into practice in Vietnam,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Trung Thanh said.

The Dean of the Institute of International Education at NEU noted that customer service is considered a very important “weapon” for strengthening customer loyalty and attracting new customers, helping businesses grow. By adopting AI, businesses gain an effective tool to serve more customers at lower costs, with better quality control and no limits on service hours. However, AI is only a tool. How businesses use it to build a customer-centered culture depends on the human factor.

“We want to share insights on ‘Keys to Personalizing Customer Experiences in the AI Era’ to both integrate new technologies into practice and introduce new theories, and, most importantly, to share successful experiences in business management. The goal is to create a forum for applying theory to business management practice in Vietnam,” said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Trung Thanh.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu, Vice President of NEU, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Trung Thanh, Dean of the Institute of International Education, present flowers to thank the seminar speakers

Delegates attending the seminar pose for a commemorative photo

Article and photos: Institute of International Education and Department of Communications

This is an automated translation. If you notice any errors, please contact the Department of Communications, National Economics University at phongtruyenthong@neu.edu.vn.