Guide to Connection in the Age of AI

We are in an immense period of change.

In 2022, HubSpot CEO Yamini Rangan introduced the “Crisis of Disconnection” and pointed to the shifts in consumer behavior, data, and technology as the pain point causing the slowdown of growth that many companies are facing.

In fact, 93% of business leaders report less-than-ideal connection with their data, system, internal teams, and with their prospects and customers.

Where people spend their time, how people buy, and how people share information is all different. Plus, what consumer data companies have access to, the quality of data that’s available, and the ability that companies have to act on that data has all changed. Folks are no longer meeting customers where they are at or with the context they need. As a result, we see in the market that lead generation is slowing, sales response rates are declining, and retention rates are dipping.

Simply put, the traditional strategies companies have used to connect with their customers aren’t working anymore and it’s causing businesses to scramble on their way to growth.

Yamini also told us the solution: customer connection. When HubSpot talks about “customer connection”, we are referring to more than your existing paying customers. We use the term customer connection to refer to your entire market, inclusive of both prospective buyers and customers alike.

More recently, a new factor has been added to the customer connection equation. You’ve seen the news and felt the impact on your own business. With every passing moment, generative AI is dramatically changing the old customer journey in front of our eyes and influencing how companies connect with customers in the process.

The world was already changing with the crisis of disconnection. And now, with the advent of AI, the world is changing even faster.

Think about how far the internet has come in a few decades. Each phase has opened up new possibilities and transformed the way we live and interact:

As we mentioned before, the advent of AI makes this an extremely exciting time to be in business for several reasons.

At a high level, AI will help level the playing field with features that give you incredibly powerful content creation tools. For example, HubSpot’s AI features Content Assistant and ChatSpot both leverage the same large language model that OpenAI’s AI chatbot, ChatGPT, uses -- but conveniently packaged directly within your HubSpot portal.

Your natural instinct might be to run a strategy focused on efficiency and volume. Why? Because that is what your mindset has been in the past, and that’s what software up until today has offered to you for opportunities.

It’s true, you’ll be able to produce more content. And, you’ll be able to gain efficiency. But that’s not the path to winning AI and driving more customer connection and growth, and it’s how everyone else is going to start. That strategy can be impactful to a point, but what you should really be focusing on is how AI is going to drive you towards a higher value of engagement, benefit your customers, and help them achieve more of what they want.

Ultimately, winning AI and driving more customer connection and growth is more about value than volume, and more about effectiveness than efficiency.

Value Over Volume

If you go down the path of using AI to produce a massive amount of content without a thoughtful strategy behind it, customers will go from digitally fatigued to digitally fed up.

Digital Learning Institute, one of HubSpot’s connectors, knows there’s a better way to find success with AI.

Effectiveness Over Efficiency

Once you’ve established your “value over volume” strategy, the next step is to leverage AI to get the most out of your resources.

It’s not about doing more with less, it’s about doing more with more. AI is an additional resource for your already talented team to use and make them even more effective in their sales, marketing, and services roles through optimization. In this sense, AI helps level the playing field for you and gives you the opportunity to compete and punch above your weight class.

Description: These insights are based on a weighted average of year over year (2021 vs. 2022) growth of number of deals marked closed-won in HubSpot CRM by our customers in the Manufacturing industry who owned Marketing Hub Professional/Enterprise, Sales Hub Professional/Enterprise or Service Hub Professional/Enterprise for at least
2 years (n=336).

Invest in customer connection, and it’s clear you’ll see the results.

The advent of AI presents you with a wealth of opportunities to start closing that Connection Gap. Connectors are already embracing AI experimentation to get ready for whatever the future holds.

In fact, connectors are about 2x more likely to trial HubSpot’s AI tools versus the general population, suggesting they’re early adopters of new connection features6. They are testing AI now to be prepared for the future.At a time when customer connection has never been more important, connectors are paving the way forward.

Forging Connections in the Professional Services Industry

One thing that was very clear from our conversations with top connectors in the professional services industry is that they all view customer connection as a competitive advantage.

Customer connection is no longer a nicety in today’s world — it’s a necessity.

Still, many companies aren’t leveraging the wealth of data available from their market, prospect, and existing customers, missing out on invaluable insights that are sitting right in front of them. When we look back to the connectors, it’s evident that acting on this data is the key to unlocking growth.

HubSpot customer Jonas Hager from Carvolution credits personal communication through customer connection as a competitive advantage in their success.

Buy

The demand for a transformative shift will become even more apparent. Customers will no longer settle for a standard discovery experience with sales representatives who have limited knowledge about their specific needs and preferences. By leveraging AI-powered analytics and insights, sales representatives will have personalized intelligence about each customer. This newfound understanding will enable them to offer more efficient and effective guidance. Better guidance works to accelerate the buying process and forge stronger relationships with customers in the long run. The focus here shifts from a mere "discovery" to a comprehensive "diagnosis" of the customer’s needs, streamlining the self-serve buying experience and facilitating easy payment options.

Use

Rather than providing reactive and often time-consuming support, AI will enable businesses to be proactive. Customers will receive a seamless and delightful customer experience, enabled by AI-powered automation and personalized support. They will enjoy prompt assistance and proactive help through user insights and customer-facing bots. AI ensures that seamless and delightful customer experiences become the norm, making it easier for customers to achieve their desired outcomes and empowering them to switch to a better solution if necessary. The focus here is on empowering customers to succeed and achieve their goals in stride.

People often worry that integrating one-too-many AI-driven connections into your customer engagement strategy will create a false sense of connection, lacking the authenticity of a human-to-human interaction. The truth is that growth comes when companies embrace a balanced approach.

We’ve learned that connection is a team sport.

Human-driven tactics and scalable strategies are both essential for growth. It’s not about replacing one with the other — it’s about orchestrating a symphony where technology and personal interactions harmonize. As Paul Roetzer, founder and CEO of Marketing AI Institute, said "AI won't replace marketers, but marketers who use AI will replace marketers who don't." 

Using both humans and AI together is the key to creating incredible customer connections. Customers want control and choice. AI helps customers achieve things better, and it means that humans can uplevel their skills.

Engagement Across the Buyer’s Journey

As your customers move through each stage of their journey, you have the chance to strategically infuse human-led interactions and tap into AI. It’s a tag-team approach where both humans and technology work hand in hand to create the best possible user experiences.

As the customer journey progresses, more opportunity arises for leveraging human connection and usage of AI tools.

Human vs. Scaled Connection Tools Across the Customer Journey

Percent of Connection Model Tools

Description: These insights are based on models built to predict year-over-year customer deal growth based on their usage of connection features/tools.

On their own, human and scaled connections can accomplish a lot. But used together, and that’s when the magic happens.

Median Percent Growth by Amount of Stages

(min. 1 tool per stage, min. 500 records)

Description: These insights are based on the median year over year (2021 vs. 2022) growth of number of deals marked closed-won in HubSpot CRM by customers who owned Marketing Hub Professional/Enterprise, Sales Hub Professional/Enterprise or Service Hub Professional/Enterprise for at least 2 years (n=5,484).

HubSpot data shows that companies using both human and scaled connection tactics across the entire lifecycle are seeing 19% growth.

AI-driven connection tools do their best work early on in the customer journey. When it gets down to the later stages, human-led tools should be front and center. Neglecting human connection in the deal and customer stages can actually lead to negative growth (-1%).

By consistently providing valuable and regular touchpoints with your customers, you’ll not only show them the true value you bring to the table, but will also foster a stronger relationship that leads to long-term retention.

Jeremy Robertshaw, Founder of Solutions Partner Agility Digital and HubSpot customer, shares how enabling consistent connection creates better customer relationships:

For Your Inspiration

Ready to turn ideas into action? Check out a few of the recommendations that our professional services connectors shared with us.

While some of these strategies may seem obvious, it’s important to remember that being brilliant at the basics is key to driving growth through creating impactful customer connections. If you’re not doing any of the below, now is a great time to start. If you are, do an audit of what you have in place and optimize your processes.

The customer journey in the age of AI is changing go-to-market motions. How can you navigate this evolving landscape with confidence and control?

Personal Over Personalized

When it comes to your customer journey, baseline personalization isn’t enough. You need to create hyper-personal experiences that truly speak to your customers' unique needs and preferences.

Value Over Volume

Don’t fall into the trap of believing volume is king. When it comes to content, quality beats quantity. Resist the urge to flood your customers with tons of resources, and instead focus on delivering high-value content that educates, inspires, and addresses their pain points.

Solve Over Sell

In this new era, sellers must become trusted advisors and problem-solvers. Seek opportunities to guide your customers, provide valuable insights, and help them overcome their challenges. By positioning yourself as a trusted ally, you'll build stronger connections and foster long-term loyalty.

Amidst Uncertainty, You Can Still Invest in Your Future

You don’t need a crystal ball to know that change is always on the horizon. 

It’s true that the current circumstances demand immediate solutions. However, it's crucial to envision what lies beyond this most recent temporary hardship. Growth should not be viewed as a temporary fix, but rather as an ongoing pursuit even after we overcome the current macroeconomic challenges.

Don't put your future strategies on hold just because you can't fully leverage them now. Make sure you have both short-term and long-term plans in place that you can actively track and monitor.

The best of the best stay two steps ahead of the competition when it comes to innovation and advancement. How do we know? Data on our top connectors in the professional services industry suggests they’re already gearing up for change.

Leading Professional Services Are Investing in the Future

Top connectors in the professional services industry understand the need to adapt and stay ahead in an ever-evolving business landscape. To do so, they’re embracing key initiatives to drive growth, enhance customer experiences, and maximize their market potential. We asked some of our top connectors in the professional services industry what they are doing to plan for future growth. Here's what they shared with us about their own initiatives and preparations for the road ahead:

When delving into the success of HubSpot’s top Connectors, we discovered an interesting pattern: the key drivers of growth were pretty different across varying industries. In the case of the professional services industry, we found the following features made a huge difference in supercharging growth for our professional services customers.