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The new world customer

Shawn Sipman of UCS Solutions discusses the changing customer experience in the digital age.


Johannesburg, 25 Aug 2016

Customer relationship management (CRM) is not enough in the new world we live in. Instead CRM is only one part of a strategy that businesses need in order to put the customer at the heart of everything they do.

Businesses need to move beyond CRM and start embracing customer engagement solutions. With the advent of the 'always-on', digitally connected and socialised customer, the game is changing. Customers are more and more in the driver's seat. Put slightly differently, the opportunity for companies to sell is decreasing and the buying decision is increasingly sitting with the digitally-empowered customer.

What this means is that, for you to reach your customer, you need to understand that the customer journey has changed significantly from a linear one, to one that takes place over a multitude of channels and touchpoints, and is constantly evolving. The challenge is for companies to engage their customer with the right message, for the right reason, at the right time, across multiple channels.

For companies to do this successfully, it is imperative that they have a single view of the customer. Therefore, your customer engagement solution has to include customer data from all sources, including social media, Web, back office systems, digital devices and point of sale. Leveraging this data will provide you with the insights you need to form a consistent view of your customer, understand their intent, and know how, when and where to talk to them in real-time.

It is important that when you engage your customers, you do so consistently across all channels and devices. This communication needs to be individualised for that customer.

While many companies are struggling with this, the alternative is that they will not survive the digital age, or will be taken over by their competitors or even a disruptor from outside their industry.

Uber is a prime example of a company that owns no vehicles but is the biggest taxi service in the world. The starting point for their business was the customer and their experience, and, through their understanding, they are able to offer customers an experience tailored to their needs.

By understanding your customer and the customer journey, leveraging the various data points and listening to the various channels to understand the signals of intent, you can start to understand how to offer your customer a solution that is perfectly suited to them. If you have not yet embarked on this journey, feel free to contact UCS Solutions to help you make that start.

For more information visit www.ucs.co.za

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