“
Everyone thinks of changing the
world, but no one thinks of changing
himself.” - Leo Tolstoy. Indeed the
world is rapidly changing and the age old
adage that the only constant thing in this
world is change, still remains applicable in
the here and now. Customers are changing,
markets are changing, buying dynamics
are changing, communication channels
are changing, and everything in the brand
book that was then needs to adapt to the
new world now.
To
deliver
sustainable
customer
experience excellence that drives brand
success, organizations must strive to
anticipate, meet and exceed customer
expectations. This requires an assessment
of the changing customer landscape, and
the need to rewire corporate strategy for
fluid change.
Strategic plans have over time had a
shortened scope from ten year, to five year
to three year strategy blue prints, because
of the sheer level of change experienced
in these periods. And even with the three
year plans being the short stretch ones,
annual reviews to determine what is still
relevant, what needs tweaking and what
is obsolete based on global, regional,
national and local changes must be done,
to inform relevant planning.
One year in the space of legal and
regulatory,
environmental,
socio-
economic, political and most importantly
technological changes, means a critical
look at the brand’s ability to deliver on
customer needs and brand promises. Any
serious organization must ensure that
these reviews are undertaken as a regular
activity.
Marketing promises make or break
brands, and delivery on these promises to
elicit customer satisfaction is the brand's
lifeline to consumers. Taking charge of
change for success needs to be at the heart
of every marketer, and every customer
experience professional. This requires
examination of what aspects to have on
the main dashboard for marketing and
customer experience excellence, and
what these mean for the organization’s
customers both current and potential.
Increasing Environmental
Consciousness
Customers love brands that give back to
society and will make buying decisions
based on if their spend will contribute
towards doing good. So much so that
marketing materials strategically placed
on goods or tagged on services, that
indicate that a percentage of the amount
spent will be used as a contribution to a
cause, get more traction.
With the increased focus on the vagaries
of environmental destruction, the world
has shifted gears towards enhanced
environmental prudence, and customers
are becoming more sensitive to this end,
especially as the end that seems nigh is
not a rosy picture. It therefore behooves
marketers to communicate the efforts
their brands are making to not contravene
environmental conservation guidelines,
as well as any proactive efforts towards
contributing to the global environmental
goals.
The market research team’s work, and
the Voice of the Customer polling
initiatives, need to listen out for what
matters to customers with regards to the
environment. Customers are increasingly
on the look-out for: the materials used
for packaging and whether their favorite
products are wrapped in environmentally
friendly casing; whether what they are
consuming is organic and or has been
produced in a manner that does not
degrade the environment vide the use
of pollutant chemicals; that the waste
management practices of the brands they
consume and support are environmentally
sound and do not cause harm; and that
they are part of the global climate change
drive towards reducing their individual
and collective carbon footprints.
Gone are the days that marketing and
customer service professionals would
separate global environmental concerns
from their brand and marketing strategies.
The changes in this sector touch on the
very customers they are reaching out to
persuade, convert, maintain and continue
to service.
What is important to the customer
must be important to the organization
that the customer patronizes, either by
product purchase or service consumption.
Environmental changes must appear on
the Marketing and Customer Experience
planning sheet.
The Digital Transformation
Age
Today’s customer has morphed more
than three hundred and sixty degrees
when it comes to their desire for real time
experiences. The three ‘A’ customer - who
breathes the oxygen of access to their needs,
wants and desires Anytime, Anywhere and
on Any device - has revolutionized the
role of technology in delivering brand
promises and customer expectations.
Technology as an enabler for customer
experience excellence towards creating
seamless experiences, has been the genesis
of today’s strategic focus by brands
on the Experience Economy and the
Convenience Economy. Two emergent
trends that summarize buying patterns.
Marketing and Customer Experience
departments need to be in very close
contact to ensure that new product
development, product and service access
processes, and communication structures
have the customer at the center of focus.
The ability to get information and
transact from all manner of devices
Marketing promises make or break brands,
and delivery on these promises to elicit cus-
tomer satisfaction is the brand's lifeline to
consumers. Taking charge of change for
success needs to be at the heart of every
marketer, and every customer experience
professional. This requires examination of
what aspects to have on the main dashboard
for marketing and customer experience ex-
cellence, and what these mean for the orga-
nization’s customers.