If there is one thing I have learned during my years in marketing, it is that it’s a lot easier to engage a happy person than an angry one.
So when news recently broke that Microsoft had filed patents for tracking systems that detect a user’s emotions, I sat up and took notice. The systems would assess a person’s mood by tracking facial expressions, speech patterns, browsing history, webpage content, emails, instant messages and online games. We’re not talking about broad-stroke detection here; this technology could discern even nuanced moods, such as slightly happy, as well as the duration of that feeling.
Microsoft has already cautioned that not all the technology patents it files make their way into a product. But if this emotional tracking technology does work, consider the possibilities it will present in terms of delivering relevant brand communications. It could lead to online interactions that are no different than live customer service experiences.
The hitch, of course, is in mastering the art of those brand communications. While the data is required to collect the needed insights, it won’t amount to much unless the findings are expressed at a time when the consumer is most receptive and in a way that reflects a true, interpersonal interaction. Executed well, that should translate to really good customer service experiences.
And what better way to lift a mood than through a mutually good experience?
