Customer feedback has emerged as a crucial factor for business growth across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. In recent years, feedback has evolved from simple survey-based responses to data-driven, AI-powered insights that provide a real-time pulse on customer sentiments.
According to the CX Network research report, Artificial Intelligence for Customer Engagement, a significant number of companies in APAC are recognising the value of AI in this domain. The report revealed that 44 percent of CX Network members in the region have deployed AI for customer engagement, following findings from the Global State of CX 2023 report that identified chatbots, conversational AI, and virtual agents as top investment priorities.
Here are 4 cloud infrastructure startups making waves in Southeast Asia
For businesses, harnessing effective feedback mechanisms can mean the difference between stagnation and growth. These tools enable companies to pinpoint inefficiencies, improve products, and enhance customer journeys. With the power to refine services and build stronger customer relationships, organisations that embrace these advanced technologies can significantly reduce churn and increase customer satisfaction.
Several Singaporean startups are at the forefront of this transformation, integrating cutting-edge feedback technologies tailored specifically for the Southeast Asian market.
Top 4 Singaporean startups making waves in feedback and customisation in APAC:
Hearback
Singapore-based Hearback is revolutionising how businesses gather and process customer feedback. At its core, the company’s AI-powered platform leverages real-time voice feedback to capture more natural, unfiltered responses from customers. Hearback’s approach allows users to provide feedback in the most natural way—via voice recordings—while the platform processes this data with AI to offer businesses deeper insights.
What sets Hearback apart is its multilingual processing capabilities. Furthermore, Hearback adapts existing AI models to eliminate accent-based biases and enhance relevance, especially in Southeast Asia, where customer experiences are deeply shaped by local context.
The Hearback platform is trained to process multiple languages, providing free-form inputs to ensure a comprehensive understanding of customer sentiments. This customisation is especially important for businesses that operate across multiple countries in APAC, where cultural nuances play a significant role in shaping customer experiences.
iSmart
As an AI-driven growth marketing agency, iSmart leverages AI to turn customer feedback into actionable growth strategies. The platform offers robust solutions for automating repetitive marketing tasks like social media scheduling, email campaigns, and ad optimisation, allowing companies to focus on larger strategic decisions.
By analysing customer preferences, purchasing behaviour, and feedback data, iSmart’s AI system tailors marketing campaigns that target specific audience segments. This ensures that companies can engage with their customers in a more meaningful way at scale.
InMoment
InMoment specialises in customer experience (CX) software, using an integrated approach to gather data from every touchpoint along a customer’s journey. InMoment breaks down data silos and analyses feedback from across channels, whether it be social media interactions, in-app feedback, or direct surveys.
This holistic approach makes InMoment a key player in helping businesses gain a 360-degree view of their customer interactions. By leveraging AI technology, InMoment is able to offer real-time feedback integration so businesses can quickly identify customer pain points and implement changes that enhance customer experiences.
Activeo APAC
Acquired by Toku in 2023, Activeo APAC has been at the forefront of customer experience and engagement solutions for over a decade. Based in Singapore, Activeo provides a holistic approach to digital transformation, combining customer feedback management with employee experience optimisation.
Activeo’s feedback management system is designed to integrate seamlessly into a company’s existing operations, making it easier for businesses to gather insights without overhauling their entire infrastructure. Activeo focuses on collecting feedback across multiple channels, processing this data with advanced AI algorithms, and providing businesses with easily digestible reports.
AI is the future of customer engagement
As these startups demonstrate, feedback is no longer a simple transactional process; it’s a critical element in shaping a company’s future. In Southeast Asia, AI has disrupted feedback systems and has opened up new avenues for businesses to understand their customers and offer more personalised, culturally relevant experiences.
The rise of AI-powered feedback tools, like those provided by Hearbak and other key players allows businesses to cut through the noise and focus on what really matters—delivering value to their customers.
The trend towards using AI to interpret and customise feedback is only set to grow in the coming years, reshaping the face of business in the APAC region according to the 2024 Global Customer Engagement Report by Vonage.
As AI continues to evolve, we can expect even greater precision in how businesses gather and implement customer feedback, leading to a more agile and customer-centric business environment across the region.
The companies that embrace these trends and invest in AI-driven feedback mechanisms are poised to not only survive but thrive in the competitive APAC market. The future of business in Southeast Asia will undoubtedly be shaped by how effectively companies can listen to and act on the voices of their customers.