Web 2.0 Expo: service as marketing
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One of my favorite sessions at last week's Web 2.0 Expo (and I'm not just saying this because he's an old industry friend) was Lane Becker's Customer Service Is the New Marketing. Lane runs Get Satisfaction and sees these things firsthand. His insights were smart and useful for anyone selling products in the 21st century.
Lane's big takeaway: "Act like a hotel concierge." Stark and obvious, it is nevertheless an important reminder to anyone in business. Consumers treated with respect and a can-do mentality will develop loyalty and appreciation above and beyond a basic liking of product or service.
This theory is important for us locally, both inside and outside Ai. We don't have an account management team, which makes our project managers (and our president, and assorted other employees) directly responsible for keeping our clients happy. This makes communication a priority and minimizes siloed output, both of which Lane cites as vital to success.
Lane's suggestions have a more obvious application with our clients, many of whom run successful ecommerce businesses. The more they listen to customers and gear their sites toward client satisfaction, the better they will be at pleasing and retaining business. And as Lane noted, even a modest increase in customer retention can nearly double a company's profit.
These concepts also touch upon a recurrent theme of the expo (and of Web 2.0 in general): the power of users to beneficially transform businesses. The time has come for companies to embrace the shift in customer communication.
Lane's big takeaway: "Act like a hotel concierge." Stark and obvious, it is nevertheless an important reminder to anyone in business. Consumers treated with respect and a can-do mentality will develop loyalty and appreciation above and beyond a basic liking of product or service.
This theory is important for us locally, both inside and outside Ai. We don't have an account management team, which makes our project managers (and our president, and assorted other employees) directly responsible for keeping our clients happy. This makes communication a priority and minimizes siloed output, both of which Lane cites as vital to success.
Lane's suggestions have a more obvious application with our clients, many of whom run successful ecommerce businesses. The more they listen to customers and gear their sites toward client satisfaction, the better they will be at pleasing and retaining business. And as Lane noted, even a modest increase in customer retention can nearly double a company's profit.
These concepts also touch upon a recurrent theme of the expo (and of Web 2.0 in general): the power of users to beneficially transform businesses. The time has come for companies to embrace the shift in customer communication.
Labels: conferences, customer experience, web 2.0
