New technologies like social networking, and new legislation such as the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), are empowering consumers like never before. Speakers at ITWeb CRM 2.0 Summit, in Bryanston, last week pointed out that the contact centre had to be reinvented, enterprises had to pay close attention to what was being said about them online, and businesses needed to study the new CPA or risk running foul of stringent new laws.
Here are 10 highlights from the discussion:
1. Never do business with anyone who's always in a meeting, who's unavailable, who won't give you his cellphone number. - Peter Cheales, HelloPeter founder
2. The Consumer Protection Act (CPA) is misunderstood because it hasn't been read. - Roger Knowles, Attorney
3. The CPA is the first American-style legislation that SA has seen where the customer is always right. - Roger Knowles, Attorney
4. Place and time matter. Location makes the occasion, and in the occasion lies the opportunity. Are you ready to seize it? - Anonymous (cited by Etienne Louw, MD of MapIT)
5. Vodacom and MTN both expect smartphone penetration to overtake the feature phone in SA by end of 2013. - Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx
6. CRM is a business strategy first and a technology strategy second. - Graham Davis, director of IMMIX online solutions
7. 'Word of mouth' has become 'world of mouth', thanks to technology. - Ingrid Thomas, SAP
8. We are experiencing a Copernican moment: the customer is now the centre of the business universe. - Micheline Logan, BPGroup
9. Eighty percent of CEOs believe their brand provides a superior customer experience. Only 8% of their customers agree. - Micheline Logan, BPGroup
10. World Wide Worx expects as many as 15 million Internet users in SA by 2015.
Click here to view the CRM 2.0 Summit gallery
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