The Tao of Relationship Marketing: Value Customers at Every Step

The Tao of Relationship MarketingValue Customers at Every Step

Atul VohraVice President, Dell Services Marketing

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If a brand is the promise, the customer experience is that promise kept or broken.

Like any relationship, it needs to be nurtured

and not taken for granted.

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Start a Relationship• The customer experience

begins with the start of the relationship. It must be easy and full of promise with minimal commitment.

• Customers want to feel recognized, appreciated and in control.

• Consider how many times a customer has to provide his or her contact information?– If it is more than once, you've

already failed.

Things to Remember:• You must show the customer that

you know who they are and they matter.

• First impressions must be welcoming, open, easy and self-paced.

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Avoid the “Deli Effect”

• A company should keep decision-making as simple as possible and avoid the “deli effect.” – In a deli, customers can be faced with too many options.

• Yet at the same time, do not patronize the customer.

• Consider the financial services industry:– Financial institutions understand this dilemma and in response have

created cash management accounts and variable annuities.

“The consumer is not a moron, she is your wife.”- David Ogilvy, Advertiser

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Access the Relationship• Ensure seamless and consistent touch-points with

the customer.– The same level of quality should apply across all touch-

points

• Consider the travel industry’s online experience: – They market fantasy and make online transactions easy

and fast

– But what about offline interactions?

› In-person Airport Check-in

› Customer Service Call Centers

› Security

Don’t Forget Social Media:

• How are you leveraging social channels to facilitate interacting with and listening to customers?

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The New Standard: Are You Ready?• In-person engagements are the moment of truth, but far

less frequent as websites, automated phone systems, and social channels become more prevalent.

• Face-to-face communication is the most expensive form of contact but cements the customer bond. It should be the gold standard.

– Do you have the right people working in positions that match their strengths?

– Does your company create a fabulous experience that can be spread by word of mouth?

• Employees should feel empowered to go beyond protocol to enhance the experience.

– Are there approval barriers stopping them from solving customer experience issues?

– What is the discretionary customer experience budget available for front-line representatives?

The Tao of the Relationship:

• Improving the customer experience should be a way of life for the company.

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A brand is not contained in a single logo, ad, or even a

series of transactions. It is the relationship a customer

has with that organization.

Thank You