including
smartphones,
televisions,
tablets, computers of all sizes and
dimensions, smart watches and all other
current and incoming access points, has
become the absolute basic need for all
brands. Customers now measure their
experiences based on how closely the
brand is reaching out and how simple it
is to respond. Connectivity has become as
equally important as the main product or
service itself. Maybe more…
The User Experience that contributes
greatly towards the overall customer
experience, necessitates that the product
or service design is pegged on consistency.
Whether a customer accesses a brand
touch point physically or online via
the website or social media portals, the
experience needs to be as near similar
as possible. Technological interventions
need to work towards ensuring the
customer’s experience of the brand is not
varied based on their interaction point.
The Tech team needs to embed marketing
and customer experience inputs into their
development work.
Market intelligence and customer
feedback systems must be constructed
with an effortless customer experience in
mind. The communication portals need to
encourage spontaneous feedback. Today’s
customer world over, has a significant
demographic that thrives in spontaneity,
and love the opportunity to send updates
of their experiences as and when they are
happening. Providing these opportunities
will have brands one step ahead of the
customer experience game.
Real time feedback on what’s working
well and what needs to be improved
will yield much better results than the
traditional marketing and customer
service surveys. Brand response to
technological
advancements
must
appear on the Marketing and Customer
Experience planning sheet.
Emerging Social
Sensitivities
Customers are increasingly sensitive
about social matters, and the need to have
awareness and social etiquette that does
not discriminate has become a top line
conversation in private and public spaces.
The western world is notably performing
much better than Africa when it comes
to recognition of the need for inclusion
across all social strata. Even as we play
catch up, it is only brands that champion
52 MAL32/19 ISSUE
Market intelligence and customer feedback
systems must be constructed with an ef-
fortless customer experience in mind. The
communication portals need to encourage
spontaneous feedback. Today’s customer
world over, has a significant demographic
that thrives in spontaneity, and love the op-
portunity to send updates of their experi-
ences as and when they are happening. Pro-
viding these opportunities will have brands
one step ahead of the customer experience
game.
the cause for customer inclusion that will
stand the test of time.
Stereotyping
customers
towards
delivering on what is thought to be a
common way of being, is becoming less
and less successful as herd mentality is
reducing amongst the customer base.
There is more courage observed towards
customers voicing unique expectations
unabashed. The list of socially appropriate
areas that organizations need to take
a stand on towards committing to
their customers that all customers are
important, increases by the day.
Theone-shoe-fits-all-customers
mentality is fading rapidly and has
since morphed into the need to: have
organizations, social facilities, public
areas and institutions across different
geographies audit their facilities to
ensure disability inclusiveness; consider
gender balance across workplaces both
formal and informal, towards inclusion
at both leadership and operational levels
irrespective of profession or industry
sector; also cater for the widespread
demographic spectrum of age and region
of origin.
Where parity based on religious beliefs,
creed, race, sexual orientation or family
status needs to be observed, it would do
the organization good to comply and to
be visibly seen to be doing so as a measure
of commitment.
Customers are progressively celebrating
diversity in their personal and professional
lives and are on the lookout for brands
that mirror these beliefs. Marketing
communication needs to be aligned
towards having the brand make promises
to either institute or sustain initiatives to
cater for everyone including those deemed
‘different’. This should function both
for the external customers, as well as an
employer with a view towards manifesting
equity for internal customers.
Responding to a more socially sensitive
and equity aware customer base, calls for
decision makers in the marketing and
customer experience space to respond to
customer needs and to speak in a language
that embraces all customer groups.
The ever increasingly sensitive and
discerning customer, waits for the slightest
indication of discrimination to run for
the hills and to take other customers
with them. It most definitely therefore,
calls for brands to inculcate Emerging
Social Sensitivities in the Marketing and
Customer Experience Planning Sheet.
Legal and Regulatory
Changes
That data is the new oil, and that data has
and will continue to inform marketing and
customer experience plans and strategies,
is not likely to change in the coming
century. Brands have over time relied on
market research and customer surveys
to determine how best to proceed with
developing new products and services, and
continue to serve existing customers’ needs.
This has over the recent past been refined to
produce data capturing systems that allow
for identification of individual customers
towards customization of preferences for
personalized communication and delivery.
With the coming into law of the General
Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)