Understanding customers delivers a competitive advantage.

The more you know about your customers, the more you can provide them with products, services, content, and communications specific and relevant to them--consequently increasing all the good stuff: revenue, profitability, loyalty, recommendations, and the like. What's more, the more you know about your customers that your competitors don't know, and the more you use that information to deliver all those relevant, useful products, services, content, and communications that your competitors can't because they don't have that same information, the more likely your customers are to stick with you than start all over with a competitor.

So, then, when it comes to sharing data across the organization--a requirement for the kind of deep customer insight that helps to creates a sustainable competitive advantage--why can't we all just get along? Two words: organizational alignment. Or, more appropriately, organizational misalignment.

Continue reading "Why Can't We All Just Get Along?" »

Posted by Ginger Conlon at 8:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Imagine my surprise when I saw 2008 1to1 Customer Champion Chris Zane on my television screen the other day! He and his Zane's Cycles store are featured in the new American Express Open Forum small business commercial. Way to go Chris!

Continue reading "1to1 Customer Champion Goes Hollywood" »

Posted by Elizabeth Glagowski at 2:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If anything can derail social media's rise, it's a lack of authenticity. The power of social sites is the ability to connect people, but often those connections are anonymous. Many sites only require an authentic email address to create a profile; any information entered after that isn't verified. That's the way it should be; you shouldn't have to provide a social security number or a photo ID to post content online, but when people abuse the system it hurts everyone. That's just what a company did in a high-profile case before it was brought down by the NY Attorney General.

Continue reading "No Customer Behind Some Customer Reviews" »

Posted by Jeremy Nedelka at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Something rather amazing happened this week in the Web Analytics realm that was enabled by social media. A longstanding conversation regarding all things Web analytics has been playing out in Twitter under the hashtag #wa. [If confused by this already, you may want to drop off here.]

Recently, Washington state has jumped on the Twitter bandwagon and was creating "noise" on #wa. Thus, a number of Tweets ensued to shift the conversation from #wa to something we Web Analytics wonks could call our own.

Continue reading "Forrester's John Lovett: What Makes a Standard?" »

Posted by Guest Blogger at 2:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

These days it seems as though retailers across all industries are relying heavily on price promotions to ramp up business and retain existing customers.

I've seen offers from $399 roundtrip airfare and hotel to Ireland, to my cell phone service provider offering a month of free service.

Continue reading "Giving Away the Store" »

Posted by Mila D'Antonio at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm staring at a blank document on my computer screen, asking myself, "What is verbal branding?" Then it occurs to me: as I type, I'm expressing a perspective in carefully selected words and phrases and sentences. I'm paying attention to grammar here and willfully ignoring it there. I'm stringing thoughts together. I'm creating a rhythm. I'm defining a voice--and a personality behind that voice.

But to answer my original question, we need to take a step back.

A brand is, on the simplest level, a name given to a product or service. Merriam-Webster offers this somewhat larger, more prosaic explanation: "[a brand is] a class of goods identified by name as the product of a single firm or manufacturer." But those of us in the branding business think of it as all the things--tangible and intangible--that create your experience of a company or product or service. That experience leaves you with an impression. And your impression, once formed and reinforced, is the brand.

But where does the verbal part come in?

Continue reading "Guest Blogger Tom Parrette: You Are What You Say (or Don't)" »

Posted by Guest Blogger at 10:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This morning I went running in Pasadena, re-doing the very lovely 5-mile route I did on Wednesday, but I set off at my training pace this time. Now I'm a fairly fast middle-distance runner, and I've been running all my life. High school and college cross country teams, too. But on this run, around two miles into it, some kid passed me. Damn. NO ONE passes me on a run. I pass other people on my runs. Other people don't pass me.

Competitiveness. Part of our nature as human beings is that we are always comparing ourselves to others. More important than simply being good, all of us want to be better than others. On one level, this is a very valuable trait for our species, because it drives technological and economic progress. But on another level, it can be destructive, as well. Most major religions counsel against envy and jealousy. But envy still happens. It's hard wired in the human brain. And it's better for us to recognize it and deal with it, than to pretend it has no impact on human behavior.

Continue reading " Competitiveness. A Story, A Lesson, and A Joke." »

Posted by Don Peppers at 12:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ah, buzzwords. We all use them. We all love to hate them.

What got me thinking about buzzwords (again) was an article I came across on "viralsourcing," which BusinessWeek writer Ben Kunz defines as a combination of crowdsourcing and viral marketing. So, in essence, a buzzword based on yet another buzzword. Sigh.

OK, I get it. Buzzwords and buzz phrases are an easy way to capture the essence of a thing in one or two words (and, admittedly, I use my share of them). For example, for eons companies have collected feedback from customers and prospects and used that insight to inform their business decisions; today we call that crowdsourcing. Sure, crowdsourcing captures the essence of group feedback that an enterprise takes action on, but it sounds so, well, pretentious.

Continue reading "Marketing Buzzwords: Love 'Em or Loath 'Em" »

Posted by Ginger Conlon at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (25) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm in Pasadena for the three days of Fortune Magazine's "Brainstormtech" conference, featuring speakers from many different companies, usually making their presentations in an interview or talk-show format that also involves a Fortune reporter or editor. On the whole, I found this to be a very effective format for putting across insights and information.

My role here, however, is not to give a speech - which is why I end up attending most conferences I attend. Instead, I've been retained by one of Brainstormtech's sponsors, Pitney Bowes, to sit in the audience and report on it on their various "connection center" blogs, and to Tweet on it for everyone who can't be here themselves, at #brainstormtech.

Continue reading "A Twitterthon at Brainstormtech" »

Posted by Don Peppers at 8:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

First other countries were taking manufacturing jobs, then computers began replacing white-collar jobs; now could volunteers be the reason you're unemployed? Don't laugh, it's possible. LinkedIn recently asked translators who use its website if they'd be interested in translating pages into other languages for the site's international audience. The survey it sent the translators listed possible compensation, but none of the choices were monetary. LinkedIn's response when the translators were outraged was essentially "there's someone out there who will do this just for the prestige, just like people edit Wikipedia for free." Still think there's not a group of people out there willing to do your job for free?

Continue reading "Can Your Job Be Crowd-Sourced?" »

Posted by Jeremy Nedelka at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I've had a number of interesting debates on who should lead the customer social media interaction in the last few weeks. In part, this question comes up because a great deal of social media was initiated in the Marketing department via listening or brand sentiment programs. What we do know is that all departments benefit -- marketing, sales, service, product dev, engineering from the voice of the customer information that results from deploying social media.

And while I know that not everyone will agree, after studying all the various departments that could lead social media, I'm still convinced customer service should lead the customer social media interaction. The reason is that while a sales social media strategy might help sell more products or services or a listening platform might help branding and marketing create more convertible leads, those departments are only interested in their objectives - i.e., more sales or more leads... And that is as it should be.

Continue reading "Forrester's Natalie Petouhoff: Who Should Lead the Customer Social Media Interaction?" »

Posted by Guest Blogger at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Dear Yellow Pages,

I came home from work last night to find that your company is still delivering unsolicited directories on my door step. As someone who hasn't had a land line or used a phone book since 2000, these books are useless to me. Like I do every year, I walk directly to the recycling bin and toss them.

Continue reading " An Open Letter to Yellow Pages" »

Posted by Mila D'Antonio at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

Industry analysts share an important trait with crows: We are often attracted to shiny things. Novelty both keeps our jobs interesting and allows us to stay ahead of the curve. That view of the world may perpetually give us a role in helping to future-proof enterprises, but it also makes it easy to lose sight of the day-to-day experience of consumers and the companies that serve them.

Of late, analysts and other pundits have focused a huge amount of attention on where the ongoing social media upheaval will lead and how it will transform the customer-company dynamic. This is a topic well worth all the effort being expended--but what of the challenges confronting enterprises because of technology decisions they have already made? There is one theme I have been hitting on in discussions with both enterprises and technology vendors over the past six months that I think requires more collective thought and attention: transforming from a multichannel world into a cross-channel world.

Continue reading "Guest Blogger Ian Jacobs: Thinking Through the Cross-Channel Customer Experience" »

Posted by Guest Blogger at 8:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

To stand out in the competitive marketplace, marketers need to to use every advantage they can. In the busy mall food court, Cinnabon knows this very well. Its strategy is to use "aroma-based marketing" to lure hungry consumer to its bakery.

Continue reading "From Aromatherapy to Aroma Marketing" »

Posted by Elizabeth Glagowski at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Did you see Sacha Baron Cohen's new movie "Bruno" yet? If not, you can probably save your money. That's the judgment of John Horn, movie critic and journalist for the LA Times, speaking on NPR's All Things Considered. Why? Because this movie may already have been killed by negative WOM.

Continue reading "Death by WOM" »

Posted by Don Peppers at 5:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

If you read my blog posts with any regularity, you know that I'm not shy about outing companies for their poor customer experiences. So in a case of quid quo pro I feel obligated to share a missed opportunity.

Continue reading "Remembering to Eat Your Own Dog Food" »

Posted by Ginger Conlon at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I constantly hear from B2B executives that it's a challenge to develop strong relationships between the B2B sales staff and clients. But it doesn't have to be.

Continue reading "Peppers Unplugged: Elevate B2B Sales " »

Posted by Don Peppers at 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Last month, in a post titled "Social Media ROI?" I alluded to analyst reports that would define the metrics used to value social media interactions. The most anticipated one, from Natalie Petouhoff from Forrester, was released earlier this month. I'm working on a story that will feature her and many others talking about how to measure interactions on social networks, blogs, and the like (due out in September in the Fall issue of 1to1 Magazine.

Continue reading "Social Media ROI Revealed" »

Posted by Jeremy Nedelka at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Google recently created quite a stir when it introduced its new operating system (OS), Chrome OS. Here's how Google describes its new OS:

Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS. We're designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds.

My take: Will Chrome OS destroy Microsoft? No. Will Chrome shake up the PC market? Yes; especially when it comes to customer experience. Here are a few lessons that Microsoft and others can learn from Google's announcement:

Continue reading "Forrester's Bruce Temkin: Google Chrome OS Sets Off Customer Experience War" »

Posted by Guest Blogger at 3:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Many of the marketers who want to capture the power of social media struggle with how best to do so. According to Lon Safko, these marketers need to rethink their approach.

"They're not looking at it holistically," says Safko, author of The Social Media Bible. "They're looking at it as individual tools. Instead they should consider social media as a new tool set that they should integrate with their traditional marketing efforts. Then create a holistic strategy."

Continue reading "Rethinking Social Media" »

Posted by Ginger Conlon at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

In this time of economic instability, companies are being super cautious with their funds. The marketing organization's belt has become especially tight, with marketers only investing in activities they know will work and show value. It's understandable, but in today's competitive marketplace relying too much on traditional practices may hurt in the long run.

Continue reading "Marketers Need to Experiment Now More Than Ever" »

Posted by Elizabeth Glagowski at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

We've been hearing about both for many years, but so far everyone is still left wondering when the technology will hit the mainstream. Unlike the flying car, cell phone payment systems already exist in many parts of the world; they just haven't caught on in the U.S. So when will this elusive advancement catch on, allowing you to carry only one device and ditch the plastic?

Continue reading "Cell Phone Credit Card Like the Flying Car?" »

Posted by Jeremy Nedelka at 1:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Think you know what your customers want? Think again.

In a new book All Customers Are Irrational, author William J. Cusick contends that customers are completely irrational, with 95 percent of the decision-making process occurring in the irrational subconscious. As a result, Cusick maintains that customers don't make clear-headed logical choices, which makes predicting what they do in the future impossible.

Continue reading "Tapping Into Your Customers' Irrational Subconscious" »

Posted by Mila D'Antonio at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Every time I speak at a conference, at least one person approaches me with a version of the classic, "What should the average handle time be for calls from banking customers in the Midwest?" The person asking is seeking a magic bullet number to prove to his boss that his customer service operation is beating the best practices out there. Often my response is, "You are asking the wrong question."

What you should ask is what your measurements say about you. And, more important, what do your measurements say to your customers, and how do they determine the future and profitability of your business.

Continue reading "Guest Blogger Lior Arussy: What Do Your Measurements Say About You?" »

Posted by Guest Blogger at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yesterday the Yankees won for the 10th time in 12 games. It's an impressive run, and many Yankee fans are excited that they are almost caught up to the Red Sox. But once again the customer experience at Yankee Stadium let me down, and I'm not sure I want to return until the stadium staff changes its policies.

Continue reading "More Customer Troubles at Yankee Stadium" »

Posted by Elizabeth Glagowski at 9:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I was at a Verizon store today for service on my phone, which stopped working yesterday. Normally from what I hear the associates there are fairly helpful (they've been average at best the few times I've been there), but today that definitely wasn't the case.

Continue reading "How Not to Treat a Customer" »

Posted by Jeremy Nedelka at 3:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

For the entire month of June, I drove a rental car while my own vehicle was getting repaired. I rented from Enterprise Rent-A-Car and wrote about my initial experience in this blog.

Continue reading "Completely Satisfied" »

Posted by Mila D'Antonio at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)