Posted by terry
January 16th, 2012 at 11:48am
There was the sales department (where you bought stuff) and the service department (where you fixed and returned stuff).
Now you see an ad online, read the online reviews on your phone, call to buy, pickup in the store, tell your friends about it on Facebook, complain about it on twitter and if it breaks mail it back for free!
So many companies I talk to today still have silos for sales and service.
When Best Buy tweets me that they don’t have exactly the right product, but had I considered this one...is that sales or service? When Beau Ties puts their proposed winter collection on FB in July to gauge which they should make is that sales or service?
21st century customer service recognizes that every sales channel is now a service channel as well.
Reorganize for successful customer conversations and conversions.
Posted by admin
October 17th, 2011 at 17:43pm
Two Way Street
Marketing used to be a one way street, with the brand shouting at you.
Today marketing is a two way street, with consumers engaging brands via Facebook, Twitter and dozens of other social tools.
If you are a social media beginner, start by listening. Understand what customers are saying about your brandyour service and your pricing.
As you get more experience you can begin reaching out and communicating with the most engaged set of customers we've ever seen.
Posted by terry
October 17th, 2011 at 17:33pm
Forrester estimates that by next year 50% of retail sales will be either online or web influenced. Think about your own buying habits. Don't you check out price comparison sites, review sites, both manu-facturer and retailer sites...all before you buy?
Thus selling is no longer just the responsibility of the retailer.
In this multi channel, web influenced world consumers fire off information requests about products in all directions. Every participant in the supply chain has to recognize that everyone is selling, and everyone needs to tailor their web presence with high quality product information and help the consumer in making their buying decision.
Customers are getting smarter
Tom Cruise, the mouse (above) is going to get that piece of cheese. He's smart, nimble and well equipped.
Your customer is just like, "Tom". He's going to get that piece of chese and not get caught in your purchase trap.
- If you don't measure every customer interaction
- If you don't insure you disclose all your costs upfront (no surprises)
- If you don't lubricate your purchasing funnel so it is easier to buy than not
Then 'Tom' will take your information, your reviews, your product codes and pop them into Google and buy from someone else.
Focus on your analytics, test, measure, change and test again.
At Kayak.com where I'm chairman, about 20% of our customers see something new, that we are testing, every day. Their behavior tells us what stays, and what goes.
Everyone in your company has an opinion about how your website should work, and none of their opinions really matter.
Customer behavior is all that matters!
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