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Personalised marketing boosts loyalty

Regina Pazvakavambwa
By Regina Pazvakavambwa, ITWeb portals journalist.
Johannesburg, 20 Oct 2014
The online shopping experience should mirror the one customers have in a store, says Genesys' Peter Flanagan.
The online shopping experience should mirror the one customers have in a store, says Genesys' Peter Flanagan.

Personalised consumer marketing is becoming an important part of getting sales, helping companies build a loyal customer base through integrating customer service information with marketing across multiple touch points.

So says Peter Flanagan, regional director for southern and eastern Africa at contact centre solution provider, Genesys. He notes by providing a more personalised experience, brands have a huge opportunity to provide a personal approach to consumers across an ever-growing amount of communication channels.

Flanagan believes by using contextual history, which dwells in the contact centre, marketers will be able to better understand customers' needs and also review their previous interactions with the company.

"To be able to personalise your marketing strategy, a lot of data is required to gain relevant information about your customers, and this is often found within the customer service department," he adds.

"Personalisation is much more than just welcoming back a returning customer or showing recommendations based on what they have bought before. It is about using the data you have to create an enjoyable experience that encourages the customer to keep returning to you."

Targeted and proactive Web chats can be a great way to provide assistance at the consumer's point of need, says Flanagan. Also, it can reduce call handling, help maintain customer loyalty and boost customer retention, he adds.

He believes the online shopping experience should mirror the experience customers would have in a store. This includes talking to the customer to find out more about what they are looking for.

"It's all about building a personal profile of the customer - and this means integrating the contact centre customer information with marketing across multiple touch points - from Web chat to e-mail, across to text."

Marketers can also use cloud technology to get real-time access to customer information from whatever device they are using ? to create and deliver relevant customer experiences that encourage long-term engagement, says Flanagan.

Cloud offers a flexible deployment model for tools to enhance the customer experience, enabling companies to adjust campaign strategies to cater to customer needs, increasing marketing effectiveness and, in the longer term, improving revenues.

By monitoring and responding proactively to buying signals, companies can utilise the value of bringing a sales person into the digital customer experience at the right moment, concludes Flanagan.

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