Posts Tagged ‘ crm ’

Challenge to say no

Here I am at the lunch restaurant and for the first time I realise what has been bothering me when I pay. It's that question: "would you like to have a receipt?". Why does that question bother me? It is perfectly normal and fits in the context. My take on this is that I am one of those many consumers who in our fast moving world simply cannot take on another thing to make a decision about. That combined with the fear of losing out on something and our not being in the mood for more confrontation makes me stare at the person at the till in strange confusion. I mumble: "errr yes... uh o no, that's OK". So I think it through while I am having lunch, and come to the conclusion that there is more to this. We are simply overloaded with decisions to make just because we have the opportunity to say yes or no. The possibility to have or have not, the right to choose. Now consumers some 50 years ago had the challenge to be able to say "yes". Money and availability had to be forthcoming to say "yes" to something and make a purchase or take receipt of anything, really. In today's developed world, many of us have plenty of access to money and products or services are available in an abundance. That's the challenge. We can have it all. Cheaply. Right now. And then, when we get bored, we can replace it. Cheaper and better. The challenge is not to say 'yes' anymore. The challenge is to say 'no', the challenge is to be selective and focus on the important things available to us consumers. Many of us spend time considering these alternatives. New car, change of phone, what about that satnav? I need a new mp3 player. Where to get it? Who offers the best price? Shall I wait until I can get cheaper and better but later? We have become customers with so many choices and we are at risk of becoming bothered customers who forget to enjoy the ride. A good friend of mine once deliberately moved country and cut all ties to start up a new life elsewhere. I, bewildered at his strength and, in my view, madness, wanted to know why he would deliberately limit his choices so rigorously. His reply was simple and very provoking especially in a world which drives to expand our possibilities and our accessibility to anything our customer hearts may desire. "Choice is choice" he said. Draw your own conclusions[ READ MORE ]

Not enough customer information? Time to get paranoid.

There’s a saying that goes: ”if you’re not paranoid, you don’t have enough information”. It is derived from the premise, that even when you think you have everything under control, there is probably something you don’t know about which could and will bite you in the backside when you least expect it. Recognise this from your adventures in CRM world? Sure you do. Of course, if you lived by this rule, you would never be able to relax again. So you don’t live by this rule. Ironically though, this saying represents the exact most current challenge that all of us in CRM-land are facing. The fear of being confronted with something customer related that we don’t know about. How do you have an intelligent conversation with your customer if you don’t have the relevant information[ READ MORE ]

Still not getting the basics right.

Yesterday I referred to not having been treated as I think a customer should. With service and respect. And wouldn’t you believe it. This morning I stroll into a huge retail outlet specialising in elecronics to buy a camera. They have just opened, so shop attendants are still standing around doing nothing, talking, joking with each [ READ MORE ]

Relationskipping, Relationworshipping – it all depends on the market.

Those of us who have been working in the CRM arena for a while get a bit tunnel-visioned, I must admit. We talk, eat, and dream CRM to try to achieve that ultimate goal of complete customer satisfaction and everything that goes with it. It's easy to forget that of course the market, industry and type of business you are in determines just how influential your customer relationship really is and what the ideal composition of it should be. As a hobby, I have run a Christmas tree plantation for some 11 years now. I decided I would start a business selling a product I knew nothing about, in a market equally unfamiliar. I met hands on with challenges such as finding a field, baby trees, a planting machine, putting up a fence to keep the baby trees safe from rabbits. They were tough challenges, as I had to build up everything from scratch, including a production/source network. Now the standard 'old fashioned' christmas tree takes about 5-7 years to reach a height of 5-7 feet tall, about a foot a year[ READ MORE ]

Customer Retention Tension

It's in our human nature to be drawn to the excitement of new things. Same thing applies to commerce. New customers and new orders from existing customers are the coolest of all things commercial. They rule. Most organisations when they talk CRM have fantasies of a business process architecture with supporting software and integration built to drive in more sales from new customers. The intention to make life better for existing customers is usually there as well, but always gets less focus. It's because the business case for investing in customer rentention is a fuzzy one[ READ MORE ]

CRM is not a fashion accessory, it’s elementary clothing.

CRM is not a fashion accessory, it’s elementary clothing. Don’t get caught naked on the high street shopping for a scarf is my advice to you. [ READ MORE ]

‘Cool’ is in the eye of the beholder.

Cool is in the eye of the beholder[ READ MORE ]

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