CRM

  As we enter the second half of 2021 and continue our foray into the “AC” era (after Covid), it’s possible and even prudent to look back on some of the trends and lessons learned during the pandemic as a primer for how brands need to react quickly and pivot strategically when outside circumstances call for speedy maneuvers. The pandemic highlighted the need to listen to and encourage feedback from consumers in order to regularly meet current needs and predict upcoming trends. This need to always have an “ear to the streets” isn’t going to change now that Covid is waning; in fact, recent consumer studies indicate that in order to create true customer loyalty and boost engagement, it will be crucial for brands to adapt to a strategy that both personalizes the customer journey and promotes messaging that reflects the current lifestyles and values of their customer base. What challenges and opportunities should customer loyalty and engagement specialists consider as they plan for 2021...

  “The customer is always right.” Although this is a phrase that has been a staple of business for decades, in this era of customer-focused marketing, it takes on both new shape and importance. We are living in the age of the smart consumer; they know what they want, and they also know that if one business doesn’t provide it for them, there’s likely many others just a mouse click away that will. The crowded marketplace means that customers are less likely to remain loyal to one brand, and the advent of social media has also empowered consumers to share both positive and negative brand experiences online. E-commerce has provided customers with a plethora of opportunities and choices sitting right on their smartphone, which can be a positive for businesses who pay attention to their customers’ needs and a drawback to those who aren’t using customer data to empower their marketing strategy. If you’re not collecting and utilizing customer data in your efforts or are unsure of how to us...

  Group FiO offers intelligent CRM (iCRM) it will help to Interact With Your Present, Past, and Future Customers. With iCRM you can automate your marketing processes by turning the customer information you have gathered into actionable marketing data and strategies. This is accomplished by using a closed-loop integration along with predictive analytics and machine learning. The integration is closed-loop as iCRM manages the entire customer experience in one convenient solution. Using predictive analytics allows you to see the propensity for customers to open, click, and buy, thereby allowing you to choose the clump of customers for the campaign you are looking to run. The machine learning will constantly improve with time, becoming more and more accurate with each campaign and customer purchase. Making your CRM an intelligent solution will ensure that you are touching the right customer clumps with the right message, through the right channel. iCRM is made up of five platforms tha...

If you need proof of the impact that millennials are having on the food and beverage industry, here’s a story that might provide it for you. A lifestyle reporter for the Washington Post hosted a holiday party for her spouse’s employees at his law firm (pre-Covid, of course.) As most of her husband’s staff attending the event were comprised of millennials (those born between the years of 1981-1996), she wanted to ensure she had a liquor and beverage selection that would be commensurate with their tastes and preferences. She texted a new associate attorney she’d come to know, a 30-year-old graduate of Georgetown’s prestigious law school, for ideas of beverage selections she should put on the list for her shopping expedition. First, he told her, there’s no need to go physically shopping for the supplies. “You should download an app like Drizly, and they’ll find everything and deliver it for you,” he informed her. Second, he informed her, you’ll want to make sure anything you buy has the...

  We know you’ve been hearing A LOT about the vital importance of customer data and using it to maximize your CX and customer journey; in fact, you’ve probably heard so much about it that you could find yourself stuck at a point of trying to determine the path between where you are now and where you know you need to go. Keeping up with all of the innovations and advice on creating a seamless, sensational customer journey can be somewhat daunting. Having a road map that points you on the right road with some clear, implementable insights can maximize your CX efforts, and help you optimize and influence the end-to-end journey of your customer. With this in mind, here’s four solid fundamentals to begin working on now: Build One 360 View of Your Customer Creating one unified view of the customer is essential, and best-in-class organizations start building their customer journey optimization process by building a fully dimensional view of their customer through data insights. By buildi...

The basic concept of the franchise model resides in the notion that the products or services you offer are so good, people in several different cities, regions, or even countries will want to buy it, and this has clearly proven to be true for many franchise brands. While this may be true of products and services, the way we look at customer service and how to reach consumers has become much more individualistic. Today’s consumer expects to have a uniquely personal experience from the brands they patronize, one that is centered on their preferences and considers their emotional connection to the brand. To do this properly, franchisees need to look more at local trends and habits and focus on how to use data from their local community to grow their franchise profits. By using data collected from loyalty programs, purchasing habits, and social media interactions to inform strategy, franchisees can build a brand-to-consumer experience that boosts customer retention and attracts a steady st...