How mobile marketing can be used to support customer service

A lot of attention is given to the way mobile devices have changed the way we communicate at work and how marketers can target consumers.  But the big secret of mobile communications in today’s organisation is the impact on customer service. Most contact centre systems and processes are still designed around the need to handle high volumes of customer calls via the landline. But the new mobile customer behaves very differently. The mobile device, with the new features it brings and ‘always on’ connectivity, affords huge power to the customer. More often than not mobile customers are looking for speed and convenience, whatever channel they choose, whether online self-service or a conversation with an agent. It’s no coincidence that the companies that have innovated most in this space are those whose mantra has always been about serving…

Google chief questioned by US Congress about political bias and data transparency, UK regulators banning harmful gender tropes in advertising, Marketers concerned about data freedom after Brexit and Facebook's pop-up attempt to re-build trust

One of the biggest news stories this week has to be Google being questioned by Congress about how search works, data privacy, China plans and political bias. In just under four hours of questioning, the covered a lot of ground, some of which our roundup will take a look at. When it comes to marketing and advertisiting in the UK, the big announcement was that negative gender stereotypes are going to be banned in adverts. In a bid to avoid stereotypes causing real-world harm, new regulations are st to come into effect in 2019. Our roundup also takes a look at the concerns that marketers have about the impact that Brexit could have on the free flow of data.…

Learn how to transform uncertain prospects into brand advocates one step at a time

Marketers often see the customer journey as a linear progression of four stages: Awareness Interest Consideration Purchase But there’s one important thing most of us tend to forget - the customer journey is no longer linear. Gone are the days when you could easily walk alongside your customers, guiding them all the way to the checkout page. [si_guide_block id="86160" title="Download our Free Resource – 10 common website customer experience mistakes" description="This guide reveals examples of poor website design from different sectors which are commonly seen, but best avoided."/] Today, your prospects can unexpectedly jump in or out at any point. Now, this doesn’t mean that the framework of the customer journey is no longer relevant. You should still think about these stages, but the way you approach them needs to change. Your ultimate goal today should be to provide a…

Chart of the week: 37% of consumers who use social media to complain or question brands expect to get a response in under 30 minutes

Delivering great customer service is getting more and more difficult for brands, as customer expectations change. Consumers now want instant service that offers fast results, which means brands need to deliver the best possible customer service via their digital channels. Over a third (37%) of consumers who use social media to complain or question brands expect to get a response in under 30 minutes. According to Conversocial’s report ‘The State of Digital Care in 2018’, people want almost instant responses to issues they air on a social platform. The report shows that the majority of respondents expect a response the same day via social media, with 31% wanting one in under two hours and 26% expecting to hear back in under four hours. In fact, only 6%…

What Blockchain is and how it will affect the future of digital marketing and customer data privacy

What is Blockchain?

Blockchain technology has been in the news for the past few years. Almost everybody in the corporate world has heard of it, one way or other. However, only a few know what exactly this buzzword is all about.

In this world of cyber-crime and data theft, no one wants to compromise on data security. It is of utmost importance. Blockchain was originally developed for secure transfer of value, from one person to another without the need of an intermediary like a bank. It is a network of distributed databases in which the data is encrypted via cryptography and provides an easy way to send, receive, record data, and trade digital currencies.

One of the best things about Blockchain is that it is decentralized. It…

Chart of the Day: Brand loyalty is alive, but customers have expectations

Everyone wants to create brand loyalty with their customers. It means that you’ve become a go-to brand for their needs and that customers will choose your products over competitive offers and sometimes technically-superior models from other brands. Nintendo is one of the biggest companies that rely on brand loyalty. They’ve rarely had the most powerful games consoles on the market (Sony and Microsoft constantly duelling for that honour), but Nintendo fans know that Mario and Zelda titles are only available on Nintendo consoles, so they remain loyal. I will personally ride for Nintendo to the end of my days thanks to their great games I have enjoyed throughout my life (even if they also made the Wii U). While brand loyalty is a goal for many retailers, it can be tough to know just how many purchases it takes from a…

Is there a place for snarky comments when responding to customers on social media?

In a recent report, by Sprout Social, it was found that brand personality on social media affects consumer purchase decisions. Respondents said they wanted more honest, friendly and helpful brand personality on social media over snarky and politically correct comments.

How one company uses snarky comments to engage and produce viral content

Yet, Wendy’s has developed quite the reputation on Twitter. From burying a troll at the mere suggestion that its meat was frozen to throwing shade at its burger rivals, snark has become such a specialty for the fast food chain that you’d half expect to see it listed alongside burgers and fries on the value menu. [si_guide_block id="82119" title="Download FREE Resource – 10 common social media marketing mistakes guide" description="Our actionable…

From productivity and revenue to a deeper understanding of customer behavior, businesses are living and dying by their CRM data

The need for that data is growing, too. CRM as an industry is expected to boom to over $40 billion by the end of 2017. Meanwhile, the ROI of a well-implemented CRM system is nothing to scoff at, with oft-cited stats ranging anywhere from $5.60 for every dollar spent to $8.71 and beyond. But as is the case when dealing with heaps of data, organizations oftentimes to fall into one of two traps: Those looking at their organizations’ data are drowning in it, completely overwhelmed and in over their heads in terms of what their CRM numbers actually mean. Companies are making data-driven decisions thanks to CRM; however, they’re not focused on the most prudent elements of their business. These problems plague marketers in particular. Econsultancy notes that only 33% of…

Marketing strategy can use privacy as a strength, not a weakness

There has been a lot of controversy about data and privacy for businesses and consumers alike in 2018.This has been highlighted by the introduction of GDPR in the EU on May 25th, which has heightened consumers’ concerns about privacy. When you look at recent incidents such as Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, companies have been alerted to ensuring that regulations are met and revenue is not affected. In this article, I’m going to look at ways that businesses can see data privacy regulations as a marketing tool. I’ll include good and bad examples to help drive some points home. [si_guide_block id="37500" title="Download Premium Resource – Managing Customer Data to Improve Marketing ROI" description="Improve marketing data management to compete through insight"/]

Let’s look at an example of where the response to privacy by marketing, perhaps goes too far,…

The aim of multi-platform customer service is to provide customers and audiences with options on how they would like to communicate with brands

These platforms also deliver a seamless service experience for customers, regardless of what channel they may choose to use. Delivering a smooth customer experience means having to understand your customers in order to better assist them with their queries and concerns without hassle. According to Exo Level Seamless Retail Study, 49% of consumers believed that companies should focus on integrating in-store, online, and mobile shopping channels to improve transactions. An overwhelming 89% of respondents wanted to shop for products in a manner that is most convenient for them, whether they use mobile devices, in-store transactions or online catalogs. Multi-platform customer support services should focus on the ability to track customers’ communications and their purchase behavior across various service channels. Having a multi-platform customer support service is by far the most…