Friday 30 May 2014

The Delicate Balance Between Automation and Customization

With the business world becoming more and more connected everyday, and customers looking for brand touch points online more frequently it becomes harder for companies to provide constant and meaningful information. With the constant pressure to keep customers engaged while also constantly providing meaningful information a delicate trade off arises.  Should a company create the best and most standardized communication possible and then simply automate the process, or should a company focus on personal communication?

Well, the simple answer is that a mix of both will get you the furthest, but a much stronger focus on personalized communication will pay dividends over and above an automated process.  When developing a client communication campaign you have to keep many things in mind, such as: your companies goals and objectives, what you are trying to accomplish from this campaign, can we measure the results of this communication campaign, and lastly, what exactly do your customers respond to. At BluRoot we always make it a priority to learn the culture of the company that we work with as well as the customers that our clients serve. Without a thorough understanding of your customer base you cannot effectively communicate with them.

Another very important thing to remember is not all of your customers are the same, and because of this you have to learn how to segregate your clients internally based on different demographic, economic, and personal traits. Once the clients are segregated you can get a better feel for how they appreciate to be communicated to, and will be able to learn about their reactions much easier. For example, if a client lives in a certain demographic area, the likelihood of them being similar in terms of local interests to others in the area is very high. As well if the client has a similar economic standing based on the mortgage details they will most likely react to a certain type of email campaign as compared to a client from a different demographic.

It is important to always keep in mind that although you have segregated these clients based on certain characteristics you still have to be weary of your social offering. You must keep in mind that clients go to different sites for different information; Facebook is more of an information source with a personal touch, whereas email campaigns are normally purely kept for informative purposes pertaining to the product or service you supply. Whereas Twitter can be used for up to the minute information for the client, no client will want to see a constant twitter feed of your Facebook posts, it simply looks like automation.

Whenever we talk to a new client we ask them to remember that we want this communication to resemble a face to face conversation, and because of this one always must keep in mind the personal touch, and not be drawn into the mass automated methods.

CRM or customer relationship management is an ongoing endeavor that forces companies to learn more about its customers and for customers to feel more comfortable with the company. Together it is a very powerful tool and one that should not be ignored. At BluRoot we specialize in creating CRM solutions for our clients that allow them to bridge the gap between themselves and their clients. Let us help you!


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