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Companies
Must Re-Think How
They Value Customers
Companies looking to cut back on training and investment in Customer
Service Call Centers will face serious financial consequences. A
groundbreaking research study, recently undertaken by Ernan Roman
Direct Marketing, has uncovered startling new insights into the
world of customer service.
The goal of the study is to understand how customers’ attitudes
toward a company are influenced by their experience calling Customer
Care Centers. The results could have a profound effect on the way
American companies conduct business.
The majority of recent Customer Call Center experiences have not
been positive. In fact, two thirds (66 percent) report negative
or neutral experiences. If a customer has a negative experience
calling a Customer Care Center, 95 percent perceive the company
negatively. This perception can be extremely damaging to profits,
as the likelihood for repeat purchasing declines by 86 percent.
Additionally, 83 percent will be unlikely to recommend the company
to others. These figures indicate that the business world needs
to re-think how they value customer relationships.
“My passion is to change the way American companies treat
their customers,” says Ernan Roman, president of Ernan Roman
Direct Marketing and the co-author of Opt-In Marketing: Increasing
Sales Exponentially with Consensual Marketing. “By fundamentally
changing how they respect and value the relationship with customers,
they will achieve a significant increase in customer loyalty and
an exponential increase in revenue.”
Customers have forced a change in the way they wish to be treated
and successful companies will have to adapt to meet their needs.
“This puts the burden back on the marketer,” says Roman.
“If marketers wish to attract and keep customers, they must
learn their needs and deliver value per the requirements of those
individuals! This applies not only to customer’s experiences
with Customer Care Centers, this applies to all customer touch points.”
Innovators like IBM and Hewlett-Packard have seen significant increases
in response and revenue after employing Roman’s Consensual
Marketing Opt-In Process. IBM and Hewlett-Packard found success
by engaging customers in consensual relationships where customers
are engaged in highly personalized communications based on the person’s
individual preferences and needs. “Truly understanding the
needs of your customers is the key to this process,” says
Roman. “Customers and prospects quickly see the difference
when they are treated in this manner and the exponential increase
in response and revenue prove it.”
It is clear that there needs to be a serious change. When given
the opportunity, people “opt-out” of the marketing process
in droves. As the overwhelming popularity of the Do Not Call Registry
illustrated, people are sick and tired of being marketing to. “The
chasm between marketers and customers has never been greater,”
says Roman. “Marketers need to come up with new strategies
to engage an overly cynical public. The days of spray and pray marketing
are ending quickly.”
Developed by Roman, the Consensual Marketing Opt-In Process is designed
to help companies build beneficial relationships between companies
and their publics. “They tell us what they want, when they
want it, and how they want to get it,” says Roman. “The
customers allow themselves to be contacted with the expectation
that the company will provide meaningful value in return.”
The communication may come in the form of direct mail, a well-placed
phone call or a highly-personalized e-newsletter.
“The Opt-In Marketing Process may change the very face of
business,” says Roman. “It is vital for all organizations
to be familiar with its principles.” Along with IBM and HP,
Roman also counts the United States Postal Service, Microsoft and
Golden Rule Insurance among his clients. These principles aren’t
only for the big companies, though. These techniques can also be
applied successfully to smaller mid-sized organizations.
By ignoring the wants and needs of their customers, American companies
risk losing customer loyalty and repeat business. The burden has
shifted to the marketers and the time for change is now. “Opt-in
marketing simply puts the power back in the hands of the people,”
says Roman. “It is time that we listened to them.”
© Contacto Magazine - September 28, 2006 |
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