May 2008
Your Hidden Piggy Bank
May 5, 2008 | by Max IsraelThere is a huge secondary benefit to having a healthy customer feedback platform on the web: A rich database of customers and their contact information that grows every day.
As you read this, people everywhere are going online and grading our client companies. To encourage this we work with our clients to devise an incentive – a bounce-back coupon or a sweepstakes drawing, for instance – to get these customers online and grading.
Survey respondents are generally willing to include their contact information when grading companies they like and trust. They’re even more willing to do so when they’re getting an incentive. After all, we have to contact them if they win.
Most of the people who see customer grades within any organization are operations folks. The VP Stores, Regional, District and Store Managers log in to check grades every day. It’s part of their work process.
But that’s not always true for the marketers in the business. We’re making a point these days of introducing ourselves to the marketing department within our client companies to be sure they’re aware of this potential treasure trove of information – freely available to them!
Most marketers would kill to have lists of their retail customers and their contact information. This information is even better because we also know a great deal about this customer’s last visit based on their grades.
Marketers use this information in a variety of ways, including targeting email offers to their existing customers based on the feedback they gave. Did that customer give a perfect score on the question “I’d recommend you to a friend?” I’m sure your company’s marketing department could help them do that.
Any company with a healthy online customer feedback program has a hugely valuable asset in the contact information customers leave when they grade you. Don’t leave this money on the table.
Guest Blogger: Rich Carr
May 12, 2008 | by Max IsraelWhile email open rates differ from site to site, concept to concept, and campaign to campaign, there is absolutely no question that an email that was given to you by a customer is one of the most valuable pieces of information you own. Why? With that email they’re literally saying, “Send me something relevant and I’ll do more business with you.”
An average reported open rate for a typical, reasonably targeted marketing email to an opt-in list would be between 22% - 26%. However, knowing what to send to that list, or segments of that list, can result in openings as high as 80% depending on many variables including subject line, content of the email, day sent, time sent, offer included, behavioral targeting, and many other nuances it takes to court a customer through Email Marketing.
What’s more important than the Open Rate is the Conversion Rate - also known as Return On Investment. Goals should be set for every email that leaves your Outbox with your name on it. If you’re sending an email and you get a low open rate, you’re just not relevant to the receiver.
Email Marketing metrics, a strong strategy, goals on each send, testing and the reporting and segmentation of your email list into groups of customers that react differently to your emails will always result in higher opening rates and higher conversions.
Customerville Welcomes Guest Blogger Rich Carr
May 12, 2008 | by Max IsraelLast week’s post on tapping into the contact information your customers volunteer when they grade their experience with your organization garnered a ton of feedback — and requests for more details.
This week we asked marketing guru Rich Carr, CEO of Carr Knowledge, to share his thoughts on typical response rates and — more importantly — the essential elements of leveraging this type of information. Feel free toemail Rich your questions.
Getting the Greeting Right
May 20, 2008 | by Max IsraelDoes every employee on your front line know what’s expected when a customer walks through the door? That moment can be a defining one for most companies. How you evaluate your success on this issue says as much about your business as does the grade you get.
Over the years we’ve come to advise our clients not to create a specific time frame on how quickly customers are greeted or, for that matter, overly rigid rules about what that employee should say.
Why? We think that the interaction at the front door is too important to leave to a simple formula. Rather, we’d like to know that employees understand your overarching objectives and are then using their own social skills to do the right thing based on what they see. Customers are always glad to tell you if your employees are making these decisions well.
“I felt welcome.” We learned a great way to ask customers what happened when they walked in the door from one of our favorite Northwest companies – Hanna Andersson. This Portland-based retailer of high-quality children’s apparel likes to ask if its customers “felt welcome” when they walked in the door.
The Skills We All Have. What I’ve always loved about Hanna Andersson’sapproach to this is how it puts the responsibility on each employee to use their best judgment on how to greet a customer based on the circumstances. People – your people – generally have good social skills.They can naturally spot a person who’s looking for a gregarious welcome, and one who might be more comfortable with a lower-key greeting.
Think about that. Would you be able to tell me whether or not you made people walking through your door feel welcome? I bet you could.Wouldn’t you get a better results if I left the details up to you instead of instructing you to greet everyone with a certain phrase within 10 seconds?
Putting the onus on employees to determine the best way to greet individuals through the door is a good idea — especially when you consistently show them how customers rate that interaction. It results in customers who feel comfortable spending time in your business, asking questions, and getting to know your team.
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