Trend 1: Enterprises must navigate digital disruption. Thanks to digital platforms, your customers live in a world of heightened expectations and abundant options; they can get more of what they want, in more places, at more times, than ever before.
Trend 2: Companies will transform to become experience-driven organizations. More enlightened companies are defining customer management strategies from the outside in, articulating a customer management strategy defined in customers’ terms that can be used to guide organizational improvement efforts.
Trend 3: Brands turn attention to CX design. The right customer interactions, implemented the right way, don’t just happen. Instead, they must be actively designed. Brands must understand and manage their customer experience ecosystems, which comprise all interaction points across customers’ journeys.
Process
Trend 4: Untamed processes will get more attention. More organizations will move from isolated business process management (BPM) and/or front-office CRM projects toward cross-functional transformation initiatives to support the invisible and untamed customer management processes that are critical to delivering an exceptional customer experience.
Trend 5: Agile implementation approaches will scale to the enterprise level. Organizations are adopting Agile project management and software development methodologies to help them to become more nimble and implement more flexible business management approaches.
Technology
Trend 6: Social customer engagement will move into the mainstream. The key to adding value to social customer engagement is to be clear about your objectives: 1) listening to better understand customers; 2) talking to spread messages about your company; 3) energizing to supercharge the power of word of mouth; 4) supporting your customers to let them help each other; and 5)embracing your customers by enlisting them to help design your products and improve your processes.
Trend 7: Mobile applications will empower consumers and employees. Mobility technologies provide new ways to improve the productivity of front-line employees and engage more deeply with customers. Technology vendors are rushing to provide solutions that work across all mobility technology platforms and support all device form factors (laptops, smartphones, and tablets). And these solution will enable “write once, deploy on any device” capability.
Trend 8: Marketing tech will drive customer engagement innovation. Once relegated to the province of direct mail teams and analysts, customer data and marketing technology are now essential to every marketing function, from strategy to creative development to execution. Defining aroad map that matches short-term and long-term marketing goals with specific technology solutions to help meet those goals is now a critical priority.
Trend 9: Navigating the customer analytics ecosystem is crucial. Organizations across industries increasingly view analytics and measurement as key capabilities to improve firms’ understanding of customers, continuously optimize marketing campaigns across channels, and enhance the relevance of customer experiences using data-driven insights. But the customer analytics ecosystem is complex and difficult to master.
Trend 10: Organizations will adopt flexible CRM management practices to capitalize on SaaS.Organizations are rapidly adopting software-as-a-service (SaaS) CRM solutions — often referred to as CRM in the cloud. But to take advantage of these more flexible solutions, you must embrace a new solution governance approach where technology innovation is embedded in the business — not in IT.
Un hombre
lunes, 24 de junio de 2013
CRM Trends
Do a web search on the phrase "CRM sucks" and you will find scores of articles, webinars, and blog rants dedicated to the theme. Indeed, if you use constituent relationship management software, you're probably familiar with the litany of complaints: CRM systems are too complicated; they waste staff time; they do nothing to improve the bottom line. But now is not the time to contemplate divorce. Think second honeymoon instead.
After all, this is one relationship that really needs to work, because it impacts thousands of other relationships treasured by your institution. Despite some rocky patches, schools have become increasingly reliant on these CRMs for their capabilities around recruitment, communication, and retention. Typically, they provide tools for collecting data, and for generating campaigns, communications, analysis, and reports based on that data.
The good news is that CRM vendors have been willing to do the hard yards to make their offerings more attractive. For one, CRMs are now much easier to use. And whether you are involved with recruitment or admissions, retention or learner management, personalization makes possible more targeted interactions. And that's just for starters.
Here are the seven biggest trends in CRM technology in higher education today:
1) Cloud-Based Solutions
Like most data-based applications, CRM is now in the cloud, and the benefits are many. Users can access CRM functionality through browser-based applications from anywhere, anytime--and the tools are generally streamlined and easy to use. As a result, they're also more economical. But perhaps the biggest benefit is that cloud-based CRM facilitates enterprisewide storage and sharing of data.
Indeed, centralized data storage is a real game changer, says Brian Niles, CEO and cofounder of TargetX, a cloud-based enterprise CRM package. According to Niles, some schools are spending an inordinate amount of time simply moving data around, leaving little time for productive work. One school used 20 different tools, including e-mail, marketing, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, as part of its recruitment process. To do a marketing campaign, for example, staff would move data from the school's ERP into the e-mail program. When responses arrived, they then had to move the data back into the ERP
After all, this is one relationship that really needs to work, because it impacts thousands of other relationships treasured by your institution. Despite some rocky patches, schools have become increasingly reliant on these CRMs for their capabilities around recruitment, communication, and retention. Typically, they provide tools for collecting data, and for generating campaigns, communications, analysis, and reports based on that data.
The good news is that CRM vendors have been willing to do the hard yards to make their offerings more attractive. For one, CRMs are now much easier to use. And whether you are involved with recruitment or admissions, retention or learner management, personalization makes possible more targeted interactions. And that's just for starters.
Here are the seven biggest trends in CRM technology in higher education today:
1) Cloud-Based Solutions
Like most data-based applications, CRM is now in the cloud, and the benefits are many. Users can access CRM functionality through browser-based applications from anywhere, anytime--and the tools are generally streamlined and easy to use. As a result, they're also more economical. But perhaps the biggest benefit is that cloud-based CRM facilitates enterprisewide storage and sharing of data.
Indeed, centralized data storage is a real game changer, says Brian Niles, CEO and cofounder of TargetX, a cloud-based enterprise CRM package. According to Niles, some schools are spending an inordinate amount of time simply moving data around, leaving little time for productive work. One school used 20 different tools, including e-mail, marketing, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, as part of its recruitment process. To do a marketing campaign, for example, staff would move data from the school's ERP into the e-mail program. When responses arrived, they then had to move the data back into the ERP
Top 6 CRM Trends for 2013
1) Multi-channel: Every business needs to be a multi channel publisher now. This includes mobile! Mobile is not “wait and see” for Marketers, it is “here and now,” so get on board with deep mobile strategies e.g. Target allowing guests to scan QR codes in store and instantly purchase from Target.com.
Multi-channel strategies should also include plans for mobile wallets - which touches everything from loyalty to payments (including alternative payments e.g. redemption of reward and frequent flyer points at point-of-sale). While the eventual winners in the mobile wallet platform space are yet to be determined, the time is now to begin executing on your strategy. It may take five to ten years for mobile wallets to truly explode, but the definite trend is in that direction - so don't be late, plan and test now as it may take you that full amount of time to get the execution right.
2) Social Media Optimization: This is the year that efforts are redoubled to improve the effectiveness of social media marketing and to create more shareable moments, especially as Facebook becomes a more meaningful Marketing platform. This includes segmenting your customers by social role, and using social activities to support search engine optimization. Imagine, what would happen if everything you did was designed to be shared?
3) The rise of the Datarati. “Big data” will be two of the most over-used and over-hyped words in 2013. While much of it is hype, what is not are companies’ continued focus on data analysis as companies continue to invest in measuring social media, understanding customer value and modeling customer behavior. If you do not use your data to talk to your customers, others will. Google's Chief Economist, Hal Varian once said that "Datarati are companies that have the edge in consumer data insight...Data is ubiquitous and cheap, analytical ability is scarce... The sexiest job in the next ten years will be statistician." How true. Investments in data aggregation and the hiring of "sexy" statisticians is going to be a major trend in 2013.
4) Customer Experience: Today, customers have more choices than ever and are more frugal. This affords them the luxury of demanding more. This is the year that the CRM Marketer will be charged with offering a holistic experience across all company touch points and developing the infrastructure that allows for knowledge sharing and smart communication. Smart organizations will hire a Chief Customer Experience Officer to identify and capitalize on unmet expectations. Tactics like loyalty programs andgamification will continue to play an integral role in the customer experience development, but so will initiatives that enable a holistic experience e.g. Uber which allows customers to hail, track and pay for a taxi via its website and/or mobile app.
Multi-channel strategies should also include plans for mobile wallets - which touches everything from loyalty to payments (including alternative payments e.g. redemption of reward and frequent flyer points at point-of-sale). While the eventual winners in the mobile wallet platform space are yet to be determined, the time is now to begin executing on your strategy. It may take five to ten years for mobile wallets to truly explode, but the definite trend is in that direction - so don't be late, plan and test now as it may take you that full amount of time to get the execution right.
2) Social Media Optimization: This is the year that efforts are redoubled to improve the effectiveness of social media marketing and to create more shareable moments, especially as Facebook becomes a more meaningful Marketing platform. This includes segmenting your customers by social role, and using social activities to support search engine optimization. Imagine, what would happen if everything you did was designed to be shared?
3) The rise of the Datarati. “Big data” will be two of the most over-used and over-hyped words in 2013. While much of it is hype, what is not are companies’ continued focus on data analysis as companies continue to invest in measuring social media, understanding customer value and modeling customer behavior. If you do not use your data to talk to your customers, others will. Google's Chief Economist, Hal Varian once said that "Datarati are companies that have the edge in consumer data insight...Data is ubiquitous and cheap, analytical ability is scarce... The sexiest job in the next ten years will be statistician." How true. Investments in data aggregation and the hiring of "sexy" statisticians is going to be a major trend in 2013.
4) Customer Experience: Today, customers have more choices than ever and are more frugal. This affords them the luxury of demanding more. This is the year that the CRM Marketer will be charged with offering a holistic experience across all company touch points and developing the infrastructure that allows for knowledge sharing and smart communication. Smart organizations will hire a Chief Customer Experience Officer to identify and capitalize on unmet expectations. Tactics like loyalty programs andgamification will continue to play an integral role in the customer experience development, but so will initiatives that enable a holistic experience e.g. Uber which allows customers to hail, track and pay for a taxi via its website and/or mobile app.
Those companies that understand that the brand’s offline dynamism needs to be recreated online - that sense of discovery, inspiration and entertainment - will be the companies that survive and prosper. Who says that e-commerce sites can’t intermingle presentation, curation and yes, personality? This is the year that the customer's mobile and online experiences will evolve and rival the customer's offline experience - hopefully with some fun and humor mixed in.
5) Personalization and customization: In order to be effective in this new year, companies will seek to know more about its customers and use that insight to talk, engage and interact with their customers more often and more meaningfully in new and innovative ways (including dynamic content, apps, blogs to other social networking). Nothing is stopping you from offering onsite curation, “try it on” offerings, or discounts to selected customers on selected products or services (including shipping and/or same day delivery) based on their online behavior and/or value. So give it a try. 2013 is going to be up close and personal, like it or not.
6) Cross-channel For many organizations, Cross-channel Marketing has merely focused on messaging - integrating email and display with at least one other channel. It is so much more than that. In our view, both Customer Experience and Cross-Channel Marketing are symbiotic and mutualistic. In the absence of a Chief Customer Experience Officer, it is incumbent upon Cross-channel Marketing to guide a holistic marketing strategy and customer experience.
We see a trend in companies whereby they are creating whole departments around the concept of integrated/Cross-channel Marketing to allow for a consistent brand and customer experience. We applaud this trend. Two traps to avoid are: a) not adding to a Marketing bureaucracy an “influencer” group with no accountability, power or budget, b) not only focusing on great in-store, digital and creative execution, but ensuring that you are developing a differentiated value proposition for your organization along the way.
5) Personalization and customization: In order to be effective in this new year, companies will seek to know more about its customers and use that insight to talk, engage and interact with their customers more often and more meaningfully in new and innovative ways (including dynamic content, apps, blogs to other social networking). Nothing is stopping you from offering onsite curation, “try it on” offerings, or discounts to selected customers on selected products or services (including shipping and/or same day delivery) based on their online behavior and/or value. So give it a try. 2013 is going to be up close and personal, like it or not.
6) Cross-channel For many organizations, Cross-channel Marketing has merely focused on messaging - integrating email and display with at least one other channel. It is so much more than that. In our view, both Customer Experience and Cross-Channel Marketing are symbiotic and mutualistic. In the absence of a Chief Customer Experience Officer, it is incumbent upon Cross-channel Marketing to guide a holistic marketing strategy and customer experience.
We see a trend in companies whereby they are creating whole departments around the concept of integrated/Cross-channel Marketing to allow for a consistent brand and customer experience. We applaud this trend. Two traps to avoid are: a) not adding to a Marketing bureaucracy an “influencer” group with no accountability, power or budget, b) not only focusing on great in-store, digital and creative execution, but ensuring that you are developing a differentiated value proposition for your organization along the way.
Suscribirse a:
Entradas (Atom)