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November 22, 2010
September 15, 2010
Inktel attends National PCC Day 2010!
Fred, Deanna and Scott attend National Postal Customer Council Day at the Greater Illinois Postal Customer Council in Addison, Illinois.
June 29, 2010
Incorporating Behavioral Science into the Contact Center Experience
Thought this was a pretty interesting piece. In a recent post in McKinsey Quarterly entitled, Using behavioral science to improve the customer experience , John DeVine and Keith Gilson discuss the concept of utilizing key principles of behavioral science into the contact center experience. Through the application of tried-and-true observed patterns of human behavior and what people tend to remember most from interations, contact centers can maximize the customer experience through the understanding and incorporation of some very simple concepts. Below is an excerpt:
Likewise, for every restaurant that surrounds a bill’s arrival with a succession of complementary desserts—thereby capitalizing on the customer’s preference for service encounters that end positively—there are a lot of call centers that ignore the importance of a strong finish. Indeed, many companies actively work against one by placing so much emphasis on average handling times that they inadvertently encourage agents to end a call once its main business is complete, leaving customers with memories of brusque treatment.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Academics such as Professor Richard Chase at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business have used research on how people form opinions about their experiences to design actual services. In a 2001 Harvard Business Review article,1 Chase and his team even laid out principles for managers to consider when designing any customer interaction. Get bad experiences over early, so that customers focus on the more positive subsequent elements of the interaction. Break up pleasure but combine pain for your customers, so that the pleasant parts of the interaction form a stronger part of their recollections. Finish strong, as the final elements of the interaction will stick in the customers’ memory. Give them choice, so they feel more in control of the interaction. And let them stick to their habits rather than force them to endure the discomfort and disorientation of unexpected change.
Here we review the experience of an insurance company that used those principles to improve its customers’ satisfaction significantly, with no incremental costs or fundamental changes in people or infrastructure. A systematic approach like this one is needed to counteract the natural tendency of service operations to focus on the needs of IT systems and work flows, not to mention the preferences of employees, managers, and service providers, largely ignoring the way customers perceive their service interactions. If companies in a broad range of service industries—including banking, telecommunications, and retailing—applied a rigorous approach, they would reap significant economic benefits, ranging from reduced churn to greater cross-selling to additional customer referrals.
January 21, 2010
The 4 Lessons Glee Can Teach Direct Marketers
Glee is definitely one of my favorite TV shows – it’s full of teen angst, song, dance and direct marketing take-aways. Yes, you read that correctly, the musical, dramatic comedy on FOX can teach direct marketers and their nay-sayers the importance and continued relevance of the direct marketing industry.
1. Bring back the old and make it new
For those of you that are either new to Glee or have never heard of it, the show deals with the repositioning of the old Glee Club into a new musical group and the trials and resistance the members face along the way. They created something new and relevant that people wanted to join out of an old idea.
Direct marketers need to take the well-established tools and ideas of our industry and reinvent them to fit into modern society. The original concept behind direct marketing was to directly reach out to customers – that has not changed. We just need to redefine how we directly communicate and engage customers.
2. Be successful without worrying about popularity
Think back to your high school days – being a part of glee club was not – and probably will never be – as popular as being a jock or a cheerleader. But, that doesn’t stop the New Directions from setting their goals high and succeeding.
Even amidst all the discrimination and bullying, direct marketers need to stop worrying about being the popular choice and focus on getting results. Are clients switching to cheaper, more popular forms of marketing? Remind them of the impact you make. For example, this recent article from the Wall Street Journal describes how old-fashioned, personalized direct mail pieces can actually make a stronger impact than digital media pieces.
3. Accept that it’s ok to be both
Many members of the New Directions aren’t just in the glee club – they are also cheerleaders and football players. They struggle with figuring out how to be faithful to both of their tribes while receiving criticism and ridicule to being attached to such an unpopular group. While balancing their two, separate interests, they come to accept that while their loyalty to one group may be stronger they are still a part of both groups – and it’s ok.
While direct marketers aren’t getting slushies thrown in their faces, many do struggle with identifying what tribe they belong to in the digital world. Unless they’ve been living under a rock, most are actively involved in social networks and understand the importance of maintaining an engaging online presence. It’s ok to acknowledge and be a part of the popular crowd and still be a direct marketer. Use that opportunity to educate others about the benefits of direct marketing and debunk any lingering myths. Marketing is at its most powerful when integrated.
4. Stand up for what you believe in
A major theme throughout the entire series is standing up for what you believe in. The members of the New Directions suffer many setbacks for choosing to be a part of glee club. They get slushies thrown in their faces and are the victims of countless pranks. Their director, Will Schuster, constantly battles the cheer coach – who has it out for him – for money to fund the needs of the club. And in the end, even with all the resistance, the New Directions succeed in making it past sectionals into the regional competition.
Are you supposed to stick up for direct marketing when other marketers ridicule and criticize it for being old fashioned? YES!
Are you going to fight when someone says direct marketing is useless and their funds should be allocated somewhere else? YES!
Why? Because you believe in direct marketing. Because you see the impact it can make on reaching a company marketing goal. Because you know it still is a valuable marketing tool. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Don’t be afraid of the slushie.
December 21, 2009
The Top 5 Direct Marketing Trends of 2009
Source: Flickr, Alex E Proimos
In 2009, the economy shaped the trends that dominated the direct marketing industry. Many companies found themselves challenged by an unprecedented recession.
People were asked to do more with less. Companies took a look at their programs – especially marketing programs – in an effort to cut costs. Customer service and retention became a top priority with a major focus on analyzing ROI. Take a look at the top trends of 2009 and their impact on the direct marketing industry:
Top 5 Trends of 2009
1. Focus on metrics and ROI
With limited funds and looming threats of budget cuts, many marketing managers depended on marketing campaigns with easily obtainable metrics to showcase the ROI of their campaigns. Due to the pressure from company executives, marketing managers cut any programs that could not demonstrate a positive ROI in favor of ones that could.
The focus on ROI drew many marketers to launch or invest more in direct marketing campaigns where ROI can easily be calculated. Marketers graded campaigns on their ROI and placed more emphasis in reaching optimal service levels.
2. Customer satisfaction, retention and personalization
Companies are not the only ones strapped for cash – consumers are feeling the pinch. With less disposable income, customers are reluctant to spend their money needlessly. Instead of turning to their normal buying habits, they are more inclined to shop around for the cheapest price.
To prevent customers from straying, marketers have invested more money into customer satisfaction and retention programs. A satisfied customer is less likely to switch brands. Exceeding customer expectations through excellent service will give the customer the feeling they are getting more value for the price of the product/service
In 2009, we saw the revision of call scripts to make the customer experience more. Clients made customer service a top priority. Marketers tested scripts, demanded high service levels and focused on personalized service.
The personalization demonstrated each company’s dedication to the customer as an individual. Consumers are less likely to switch brands if they feel a personal connection to the company. The more personalized the customer experience is the more connected they feel to the company – the company is no longer a faceless entity.
Direct marketing has shifted from mass distribution and reach to precise targeting of specific market segments to increase personalization and relevancy.
3. Outsourcing to cut costs
As companies reevaluate their cost structures, they turn to outsourcing to increase the effectiveness of auxiliary programs. Outsourcing provides a cost-effective way to achieve campaign goals without losing focus or removing resources from the company’s core competency.
We have seen an increase in the number of organizations seeking to outsource previously inhouse fulfillment or contact center programs to reduce costs. Companies with existing outsourced programs have continued to invest in outsourcing reaping the benefits of dedicated account management teams.
4. Mobile marketing
Although mobile marketing hasn’t taken off in the US as quickly as in Asia or Europe, it has continued to steadily rise with the increase of mobile devices with browser and internet capabilities. In an effort to diversify their marketing campaigns and increase ROI, marketers increased the amount of spending on mobile advertising and selling programs.
Many outbound selling programs and brand loyalty programs now incorporate some form of mobile marketing in either the form of SMS coupons and exclusive offers or advertisements made for mobile web browsers.
4. Digital marketing campaigns
Social media and digital marketing have become a bigger part of the marketer’s arsenal. Although harder to determine ROI than traditional direct marketing campaigns, digital campaigns like e-mail marketing and social media are usually cheaper and establish a deeper connection with customers.
Social media and other inbound marketing programs are on the rise. Companies are slowly starting to realize the long term value of online relationship building programs. Establishing the relationship requires a long term strategy- results slowly build up over time. Marketers still face a difficulty in calculating an accurate measurement of social media ROI.
5. Decline of traditional marketing
This year saw the sharp drop of spending on traditional marketing campaigns such as media and publication advertising and direct mail. Marketers are trying to differentiate themselves through innovation in the digital realm.
Not only are they spending money on building relationships but they are investing in paid per click (PPC) campaigns and search engine optimization (SEO) instead of traditional advertising to increase awareness. Direct mail volume continues to decline as mortgage and credit card companies pull back on their direct mail programs. Companies are hesitant to use direct mail for mass campaigns – instead direct mail programs are smaller and more personalized.
What to look out for in 2010
All signs point towards the trends in 2009 continuing to strengthen and shape the direct marketing segment. While the worst may be over regarding the recession, the effects will linger causing companies to hesitate spending their budgets on just one campaign. Instead, we will see an increased number of “mini” campaigns with a high focus on ROI. As the focus on ROI increases, companies will find new ways to calculate ROI for direct mail, digital and social media campaigns.
All companies should be looking for different ways to exceed customer expectations, drive value and continuously improve processes and reduce costs. As companies continue to outsource programs, they need to find ways of integrating their campaigns across channels to maximize effectiveness. Inbound and outbound campaigns need to balance each other – companies need to establish both “push” and “pull” campaigns.
Now is the time to reevaluate stagnant programs, future goals and differentiate themselves through innovative, integrated strategies. 2010 will showcase the start of the integration of social media, digital and direct marketing for increased ROI.
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