In the film Minority Report, Tom Cruise’s character John Anderton, having received a new pair of eyes, enters a Gap store and is greeted immediately (with the name of the eyes’ previous owner) by a holographic kiosk asking how his last purchase worked out for him. While in 2002, this was merely speculative fiction, it is exactly what we strive for in 2024: personalization and immediacy. This scene is also a perfect example of why we need AI to help us achieve this type and level of tailored marketing. So, let’s break down what AI personalization is and how it can be beneficial to home care agencies.

AI-Powered Personalization Explained

Personalizing marketing with AI involves using machine learning to analyze customer and lead data to learn about an individual’s needs and preferences so you can tailor your marketing efforts accordingly. These algorithms look at a variety of data, including browsing history, past purchases, demographic information and social media activity.

When YouTube selects a video for you to watch next or Netflix suggests a new movie to you, you’re seeing AI-powered personalization in action. One of the most advanced examples of this comes from Amazon, which not only shows you product recommendations based on your search but also includes things like size suggestions to match your previous purchases.

How Personalization Benefits Home Care Agencies

Let’s take a closer look at what Amazon does with its personalization. I mentioned sizing suggestions because buying the right size when you’re shopping online can be tricky. Amazon’s AI matches seller data about sizing to your past purchases to help you select the correct size, making it more likely you’ll purchase the item (you won’t get frustrated trying to decipher a size chart) and more likely you’ll be happy with that purchase.

This attention to detail moves Amazon’s AI-powered recommendations from being merely promoted suggestions to a helpful additional service. Stepping back, we know that product recommendations on Amazon are just another form of advertising. However, from the customer’s perspective, these are recommendations that make the shopping experience on Amazon a little easier.

Going back to our example from Minority Report, the immediate greeting upon entering the store would have allowed John Anderton (or rather his eyes’ original owner) to address concerns or ask questions about another product with little difficulty, even if human associates in the store were busy with other customers.

Now imagine being a home care agency with an AI tool that can track and analyze the behavioral data of website visitors. If a visitor comes to your website from Google, for example, the AI tool could see the kinds of questions they have searched for recently. Say they have searched for information about how to help an Alzheimer’s patient manage diabetes. Your AI tool now knows two important pieces of information to answer this user’s questions effectively and direct them to useful services that you provide.

AI And Automation In CRM Tools

We can’t discuss AI-powered personalization without bringing customer relationship management (CRM) tools into the picture. CRMs help home care agencies manage client data and personalize care. If you use a CRM, you’re likely not a stranger to the challenges of managing data in these tools. As you collect data and build customer experiences, it can become overwhelming and hard to keep up with for a single individual or even a team.

This is where AI and automation in CRMs shine. Many CRM tools, like HubSpot, Zoho and the one my agency created, PipelineAMP, use AI to help sort through and analyze all the data that you build into the platforms as you develop client relationships. These tools can group clients based on services, needs and interests. They can also help monitor customer accounts for changes and service needs.

As home care service providers, you serve clients who have a variety of different needs and wants for personalized care. Even among clients who have similar health conditions and situations, their individual needs differ. For example, Alzheimer’s patients may display symptoms differently and have different care needs based on the stage of the condition. Some diabetic patients are just learning how to manage their dietary needs, while others have been living with diabetes for most or all of their lives.

CRMs help you keep track of individual client needs and abilities. When combined with AI, CRMs can instantly provide your agency’s caregivers with the information they need and even provide instant warnings and alerts when suggested care or a new activity may be unhealthy or unadvisable for their patient. This is especially important for part-time caregivers who may have multiple clients they care for or when providing respite care for a client they have never worked with before.

Getting Started With AI Tools

While AI offers a lot, trying to jump into everything is overwhelming. Start small. Choose a segment of your digital marketing that you want to enhance or improve, and bring AI in to optimize it. Data analysis is always a good place to start, because you’re not a marketing analyst, so you’ll get the biggest benefit here and the tool will help you with your personalization.

When you evaluate AI tools, consider the following:

• Where you get your data: You want an AI tool that works with your existing platform.
• What industries the AI tool is designed for: While many tools are designed for broad use, one specialized for home care will likely suit your needs best.
• Your budget: Do you have the money and training time for adding a new tool?

Once you choose a tool, create a plan to stagger implementation so that you’re able to hand off processes to the AI tool smoothly without pausing or harming your current campaigns.

Final Thoughts

We’ve seen some incredible advances in AI technology over the past few years. The levels of personalization and attention that were once speculative fiction have become realities in today’s digital world. It is important to learn how AI personalization tools can help your home care agency reach new clients and provide better services to your existing ones.