Mastering Global CX with AI: From Real-Time Insights to Lasting Solutions

In today's hyperconnected world, global brands face a big paradox: while digital transformation has made it easier than ever to reach international markets, delivering exceptional customer experiences across cultures, geographies and languages remains dauntingly complex. From navigating cultural nuances to providing real-time support in multiple languages, the accompanying challenges can seem overwhelming.

Moreover, customer loyalty has become increasingly fragile around the globe as consumers have come to expect seamless, personalized brand interactions in their native language — and if they don't get it, they're quick to find alternatives. Even businesses with established global footprints risk losing their hard-won market share if they can't maintain meaningful connections with their diverse customer base.

Case in point: Airbnb. As a pioneer in global customer experience (CX), it has mastered the art of multilingual support. The brand’s success demonstrates how crucial it is to make customers feel at home, regardless of where they are located or what languages they speak.

Yet delivering outstanding CX goes beyond breaking language barriers. It requires brands to identify service gaps, gather actionable insights, and build lasting customer relationships. This is where AI can really make a difference, transforming how enterprises approach CX.

One such enterprise that has successfully navigated these challenges using AI is 3M. Its journey to stellar CX offers valuable lessons for any organization aiming to thrive in the global marketplace. Here are a few of them.

Multilingual content translations

The scale of language diversity is staggering in the U.S. alone. 21.6% of the population doesn't speak English at home, according to Census data. This represents just a fraction of the global linguistic landscape that businesses need to navigate.

While implementing multilingual customer support might seem obvious for global organizations, many struggle to execute it effectively given the steep costs associated with implementation. The stakes are high: imagine ordering a blue sweater online only to receive a black hoodie. Now imagine trying to initiate a return when the customer support team doesn't understand your language. What should be a fairly straightforward process becomes an insurmountable challenge — one that likely ensures you'll never shop with that brand again.

This challenge is particularly critical in multilingual countries like India, where speaking customers' language isn't just good business — it's essential for survival. A CSA Research survey of 8,709 consumers across 29 countries reinforces this reality: 76% of users prefer to purchase products which display information in their native language.

3M faced this challenge head-on. With a presence in over 70 countries, it knew that connecting with customers in their native languages was crucial for the brand. While traditional translation agencies offered a viable solution, it quickly discovered this approach would take weeks and cost thousands of dollars.

Instead, 3M turned to Sprinklr AI for global translations, achieving three key benefits:

- First, it could translate customer support content instantly, rather than waiting weeks

- Second, Sprinklr’s AI tools delivered high-quality translations that created both cost and time efficiencies.

- Finally, to maintain compliance with 3M’s AI policies, human reviewers were added to the workflow to ensure accuracy, without compromising on speed

3M's use case demonstrates how AI can transform global customer service: allowing technology to do the heavy lifting while the human workforce focuses on quality control and nuanced communication. For brands aspiring to global success, this approach to multilingual, multicultural customer care isn't just an option—it's a necessity. Without understanding and connecting with diverse target markets in their local languages, true global expansion remains out of reach.

Transforming data into insights ft. AI

Large enterprises rely on data and dashboards to understand performance, pinpoint common issues in customer management, and optimize processes in real -time. This trifecta — performance tracking, issue resolution, and process management — forms the foundation of effective customer experience (CX) management.

In a post-pandemic era where adaptability is key, brands must continuously tap into real-time data streams to stay connected with their customer base and address issues as they arise. Without this constant flow of information, they risk falling behind. Thus, companies are increasingly finding themselves back at the drawing board, strategizing around these three critical components of CX.

Let’s go back to the earlier example — let’s assume your brand is facing a recurring issue with shipment delays on blue sweaters. Customers are frustrated by long waiting periods and delivery errors, such as receiving a black hoodie instead. In such cases, it’s easy to assume that the product itself is the problem. But with the right real-time data, you can uncover the actual cause of customers’ ire — shipping and delivery errors. Without these insights, a high-quality product could be pulled from rotation unnecessarily, missing the root cause altogether.

3M, with a global customer base and high stakes, recognized this challenge early on. Initially, they relied on analysts and reporting data to identify common problems and build comprehensive dashboards — a time-consuming and costly affair. But by turning to Sprinklr, they were able to synthesize data and address issues in real time.

Did you know? For any organization, un-siloed, uninterrupted data flow is essential for real-time problem identification and resolution. Learn how AI can help organizations achieve this here.

3M’s customers also reach out across multiple social channels in various languages at any given moment. Handling hundreds of accounts and thousands of unique queries simultaneously is no small feat.

Think of it like a busy restaurant kitchen. Different dishes, each requiring unique ingredients, cooking times, and methods, must all arrive at the table hot and ready to eat at once. The difference? Global brands have AI as their sous chef. By leveraging AI-powered chatbots, 3M was able to respond to multiple customer queries in real time, no matter the channel or language. These chatbots didn’t just provide immediate responses — they also analyzed the data behind each interaction, identifying common customer intents and frequently recurring issues.

With these insights at its disposal, 3M then built workflows to prioritize and address the most pressing concerns, ensuring a seamless and consistent experience for all customers, no matter the complexity or volume of queries.

Managing process gaps

There's a business truth that mirrors an old proverb: solving individual customer issues helps for a day, but fixing systemic process gaps leads to a lasting solutions. While real-time issue resolution is crucial, true excellence in global customer experience demands identifying and addressing the root causes of recurring problems.

On a global scale, detecting these process inefficiencies can seem impossible — like searching for a needle in a haystack. This is where AI proves invaluable, acting as a powerful tool to uncover hidden patterns and opportunities for improvement.

3M's experience perfectly illustrates this approach. By leveraging Sprinklr for intelligent automation, in order to analyze its community management processes, 3M achieved remarkable results. Managing approximately 10,000 cases monthly, the brand streamlined tits query handling through an integrated platform with dedicated moderation. The impact was significant: its customer service teams reduced their service level agreements (SLAs) by 50% with human moderation, and an impressive 90% when incorporating AI-powered chatbots.

As Kirsten Salmanowicz , senior manager, global media tech & governance at 3M notes, "AI technologies have really helped create more efficient processes and ways of working, ensuring that our marketing and communication teams can deal with everything seamlessly."

Wrapping up

3M’s numbers tell a compelling story: 90% reduction in response times, seamless communication across 70 countries, and management of 10,000 monthly cases. But behind these impressive metrics lies a more nuanced truth — AI isn't replacing human connection, it's enhancing it.

Think about that frustrated customer with the wrong sweater. When they reach out for help, they don't just want a quick translation or an automated response. They want to feel heard, understood, and valued. 3M's success can’t just be attributed to implementing AI tools — it's in recognizing that technology works best when it amplifies human capabilities rather than replacing them.

For organizations looking to follow 3M's lead, the message is clear: start with understanding your customers' fundamental needs — to be heard, helped, and respected in their own language. Then leverage AI to deliver on these needs at scale.

Technology is ready but are you ready to transform how you connect with your global customers?

For more insight, watch Salmanowicz’s full video here: