{"id":28369,"date":"2022-12-06T17:35:42","date_gmt":"2022-12-06T17:35:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/?p=28369"},"modified":"2025-01-03T13:27:40","modified_gmt":"2025-01-03T13:27:40","slug":"intercom-product-principles-make-it-feel-personal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/intercom-product-principles-make-it-feel-personal\/","title":{"rendered":"Intercom’s product principles: Creating personal products by design"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our mission \u2013 the change we want to create \u2013 is to make internet business personal. <\/span><\/p>\n

Whether we\u2019re creating tools that improve personalization or strengthening our privacy and security, Intercom has always been committed to bringing a personal touch to every change we make to our product<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the ninth post in a <\/i>series exploring our product principles<\/i><\/a>. Here, Pranava discusses our engineering principle \u201cMake it feel personal\u201d.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

My team is focused on building and aligning various channels of communication between customers and end users to enable faster resolution \u2013 mediums like messaging, email, video\/voice, and social channels. R<\/span>emembering that we\u2019re connecting real people instead of thinking of them as entries in a database helps me to create experiences that improve customer satisfaction and teammate efficiency.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is this principle important to teams at Intercom?<\/h2>\n

We believe every customer is unique with different wants and needs \u2013 providing omnichannel customer service solutions that are conversational and personalized is crucial. This means designing and framing workflows that help end users choose the channel that\u2019s most convenient for them at any time, feel totally comfortable in the channel they\u2019re using, and ensure an unbroken flow of communication should they choose to switch channel.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>We apply the \u2018make it feel personal\u2019\u00a0principle to every step of the design process\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We also work on improving channel capabilities so customers and their users have all the necessary features and tools to resolve queries at their fingertips. A simple example? Supporting the exchange of PDF documents on WhatsApp to save customers from having to switch channels to share necessary information.<\/span><\/p>\n

How does the principle help in the process of design thinking and product building?<\/b><\/h2>\n

We apply the \u201cm<\/span>ake it feel personal\u201d principle to every step of the design process \u2013 from ideation to iteration. Here are some of the ways it makes us better designers by encouraging us to:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Consistently prioritize user needs<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s very easy to be swayed by business needs when working in SaaS environments, so aiming for a personal feel helps the team consciously pivot on solving the most important user needs. It becomes a guiding point that brings focus to real problems and prevents designers from being blinded by intuition. Solving for user needs almost always directly contributes to customer satisfaction and business value \u2013 and often aligns with business needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs designers, we\u2019re constantly thinking about how to reduce the number of clicks in a workflow\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Leverage automation and future tech<\/h3>\n

As designers, we\u2019re constantly thinking about how to reduce the number of clicks in a workflow. With this principle\u00a0reminding us to work towards personal experiences, we’re<\/span> encouraged to consider time-based efficiency, user activity, and behavior to develop smart, adaptable, and contextual defaults.<\/span><\/p>\n

The use of embedded technologies like artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and machine learning within the product supports customers to set up processes in the way that works best for their team \u2013 resolving queries quickly for their end users, and in turn improving speed, efficiency, customer satisfaction, and brand loyalty.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Add elements of delight<\/h3>\n

We strive to help users reach their goals with ease, while making the process feel delightful. Adding elements of delight prompts us to think differently about the products we’re building, to make them intuitive and enjoyable for our users, and to differentiate our product from our competitors’. It can contribute to brand awareness and identity as we create a distinctly \u201cIntercom\u201d style, and help in:<\/span><\/p>\n