CRM Articles

By: Scott Hornstein, Principal Hornstein Associates.

Mobile marketing is tailor-made for political campaigns, giving them the ability to put a compelling message in each individual’s hand.

Mobile entertainment community Limbo recently conducted a 1-million SMS campaign for the Obama and Clinton campaigns, which produced some impressive results according to post-campaign research:

• 56 percent said they were happy to receive the messages (the 25–34 age bracket was happiest)
• 6 percent said they changed their voting intentions a lot
• 22 percent said they changed their voting intentions a little
• 14 percent came away with a more positive perception of the candidate
• 37 percent paid more attention to news coverage about the candidate
• 13 percent would have preferred not to see SMS advertising from political candidates

by: Scott Hornstein - Principal at Hornstein Associates

At the beginning of each year, we conduct our annual e-mail responsiveness survey. Our survey is based in the notion that every customer, at one time, sends an e-mail to a corporation with a customer service question.

Theoretically, the corporation should get back to the customer with an answer within 24 hours. After all, isn’t that the way you’d like to be treated?

We conduct the survey because this is where the wheels of CRM hit the road. Corporations can sing all day long about the tons of money spent and the customer centricity of their organization, but if they can’t get it together to answer my one stupid question, it doesn’t amount to (with a nod to Bogie) a hill of beans.

by: Jeff Pedowitz - President of Pedowitz Group

More leads, more leads, more leads. Every day B2B marketers are continually under pressure to produce more leads to help the sales organization meet its quota. But are more leads the right answer? In an ideal world, you would generate one lead that would convert to a customer. While this may not be possible, generating a consistently higher quality of leads will ensure that the sales team gets a better swing every at bat, and you won’t see those leads coming right back at you or just ignored.

by: Mike Wittenstein - Chief Experience Officer - storyminers

1. How come I’m hearing so much about Customer Experience Design now? Is this just the newest marketing fad?
   
   There’s certainly nothing new about focusing on the customer experience to differentiate a business. Over the past decades, brands have rocketed to iconic status by doing just that. Think Starbucks, Neiman Marcus, Southwest Airlines.

   The difference today is that empowered consumers are increasingly “flexing their muscles”, threatening more and more brands with rapid commoditization. As corporate leaders consider their options, they realize that virtually any product or service enhancements they make can readily be matched or bettered by competitors – and that competing on price is often a fast path to disaster. The only differentiated ‘space’ businesses can truly own is the experience they deliver to customers. But great customer experiences don’t just happen. They occur when all functions of the operation are designed to align with one another to achieve the outcomes your customers seek. Recognizing this, companies have turned to Customer Experience Design.

by: Penny Reynolds - The Call Center School

A recent survey performed by the Society of Workforce Planning Professionals (www.SWPP.org) asked various questions related to setting service goals. Some of the more surprising results of that study showed that:

• A large percentage of centers base their service goal on an “industry standard.”
• About a third of respondents have had the same service goal for over five years.

by: Penny Reynolds - The Call Center School

One of the most critical steps in making and receiving customer calls is deciding not just how many staff will be needed, but what type of staffing solution will be used. Since about three-fourths of call center costs are related to labor costs, this decision is fundamental to the operation of the business. How a business chooses to get people in place to handle its customer interactions will have an impact on every other function within the center, including site selection and facility design, forecasting and scheduling, performance management, technology acquisition and management, facilities management, human resources administration, and risk management.

The four main options for call center staffing include traditional in-house staffing, outsourcing, contract agency staffing, and telecommuting. This article will explore the possibilities, advantages, and disadvantages of telecommuting as a call center staffing solution, as well as outline some best practices for making a remote agent solution a success.

by: Penny Reynolds - The Call Center School

In a catalog call center we visited recently, the phone reps were being asked to up-sell one of the company’s new products at the end of the order-taking process. Rachel, one of the newest reps in the center, was regularly offering the product on every single call, and enjoying a pretty good conversion rate. Alex, a more seasoned employee who was actually more skilled than Rachel, did not offer the product on a single call we observed. And Sarah, another fairly new employee made some attempts but without much success.

What’s wrong with this picture? Is it a matter of having the wrong people in the job? Not enough training? Insufficient compensation? Inconsistent policies and procedures? The wrong scripts?

There is more and more focus in today’s call center on selling. And whether it’s an outbound center whose sole purpose is telemarketing, or a traditional inbound customer service center that has decided to seize the opportunity and gain some additional revenues through an up-sell/cross-sell process, it’s becoming increasingly important to polish sales skills.

This article will address the three critical steps in setting up a successful telephone selling program.

by: Mike Wittenstein, Chief Experience Officer, storyminers® www.storyminers.com

A New Kind of Business Model

There’s certainly nothing new about focusing on the customer experience to differentiate a business. Over the past decades, brands have rocketed to iconic status by doing just that. Think Starbucks, Neiman Marcus, Southwest Airlines.

Customers buy based on their personal experience. During an actual purchase, they start to form their first impression of the product, the company, and the brand. This is where customer loyalty begins and, if all goes well, where it gains strength. That’s the value proposition. But how do you make it happen? Quite simply, by sensing what your customers tell you in every channel; interpreting what that means; deciding how to respond-then acting upon that decision.

Years ago, small “mom and pop” enterprises-merchants like the local butcher or your grandfather’s tailor-forged lasting ties with their customers. They had the ability to quickly and continually gather information about their patrons, due in large part to the personal relationships they cemented with them over the years. They could sense their customers’ needs; understood their shopping patterns and buying history; and were keenly attuned to their individual preferences regarding products, styles and services. Personal service was a given-and everybody knew your name.

By: Doug Jones - The North Highland Company

Given the choice of working on your company's Order Management Improvement project or the launch of a suite of Web 2.0 technologies to support product development, a quick read of CRM trade publications today would clearly indicate Web 2.0 is the "now" place to be. In fact, many companies don't feel order and billing management are within the domain of CRM at all. Unfortunately for companies with less than stellar performance in these areas, customers might disagree with you. If CRM is about knowing your customer and building trusted relationships, then for most customers the actual buying and paying is not just the most often executed CRM transaction - it is the basis for which all other components of the relationship grow. A quick stroll through the blogosphere reveals scores of public domain conversations about major companies such as the following:

by: Richard D S Hill

Customers are now in charge. Thanks to the growth of the Web, it is easier than ever to comparison shop and switch from one business to another with the click of a mouse. However, research has found that in the online market, customers yearn for trustworthiness more than ever.

Customer relationships are a company’s most valuable asset - worth more everything else combined as no customers = no business. Getting and keeping more customers who stay with you longer is crucial. If your customers are loyal to your business, they will be much more likely to choose you over your competitors. Loyal customers will be much more likely to tell their friends about you. Loyal customers spend more and bring in even more new customers. Loyalty is immensely valuable. Research has shown that a 5 percent increase in customer retention rates results in a 25 percent to 95 percent increase in profits.

It’s easy to say customers are our most important asset but turning CRM strategy into bottom-line results is hard work. It means winning the battle for customers’ hearts and minds every day, with each interaction at every customer touch point. Long-standing relationships only arise from trust gained over many transactions and by customers' belief that the company wishes to keep them around rather than drive them away.