In a world where more and more of the same is becoming the most compelling business proposition, it is extremely hard to make a product stand out in the crowd. We've worn out all of our famous 4 P's long ago - until the level where only rubbing in our brands into the brains of our target groups seemed a sustainable way to distinguish ourselves. But brands are becoming less and less interesting to our customers. Because, once again, all brands are becoming more and more of the same boring same.
Therefore I think branding is also at a dead end track. Customers want a good product, or a good service - nothing less, nothing more. Up till now we have been using - or abusing - technology in the same way we abused marketing communications - mainly as a means to rationalize our operations. To undress our services to the bone. To make our processes more efficient. To make our sales more effective. To improve our margins - preferrably without adding value to our delivery.
Probably one of the most destructive abuses in the history of business has been in automating customer services. Where concepts for self help are presently more popular than concepts to improve a customer's experience. Where premium rate voice response systems lead us into waiting queues, and - only if we're lucky - into the hands of students who read their answers from computer generated Q & A scripts.
What's so entirely wrong about these concepts, is that they completely ignore the fact that only a small percentage of our customers are in fact self sufficient, and even a smaller percentage want to be self sufficient. We've always known this. The art and science of direct marketing has learned us since World War 2 that only a minor part of our markets can be developed through customers who don't need a normal dose of service. Nevertheless, we're presently trying to push complete user bases into the lame claws of our CRM systems.
What most people really want is simply to get appropriate service, especially when they need it, the moment they need it. More service. Better service. Service that makes their lives easier instead of more complicated. Service that takes away hassles. Service that enables them to spend their precious time on things that are worthwile. Service that honestly tries to give them a better customer experience. In a future where we will dominantly have to live with one person markets, we'll have to live with customers who don't accept that they are shouted at, through advertising, and who won't accept that they have to maintain a dialogue with a software.
The future of commercial communications AND of services is in H2H. Human to Human.
"Social CRM" or "Customer helps Customer" already is a widely spread practice in the world of consumer forums. Many of these forums and boards are excellent exponents of "Web 2.0", although they're often much older than that term. Most of the solutions below are aiming at reducing customer delight; only some elements of these solutions and cases may contribute to a better Social CRM practice. This niche is largely open for new concepts!
15 additions in this update, in italic.
24sevenoffice - Web-based crm & erp
Averiware - CRM solution
Bconnections - CRM solution
Corveum - CRM solution
Creativemanager - CRM solution
Ebase - Web-based community CRM
Entellium - CRM solution
Etapestry - CRM solution
E-tranet - CRM
Feedback20 - Engage an audience in a themed conversation
Fixya - Social helpdesk
Freecrm - CRM solution
Helperoo - Email support system
Highrisehq - Online contact manager
Honeypitch* - Proposal automation solution
Interactionchat - Chat with your site's visitors
Oryanoo - Virtual office & CRM suite
Panthius - CRM solution
Pipelinedeals - CRM & sales solution
Pushcrm - Web-based crm
Relenta - CRM tool set
Rightnow - CRM solution
Salesboom - CRM & sales solution
Salesforce - CRM & sales solution
Salesjunction - CRM & sales solution
Simpleticket - Helpdesk solution
Sky-click - VoiP callcenter solution
Solve360 - Groupware CRM
Sugarcrm - Open source CRM
Userscape - Web-based help desk portal
Visiblepath - Relationship management tools
Vtiger - Open source CRM
Zohocrm - Web-based crm
Zolved - Users help users to solve computer problems
italic = new. Updated 061221, 070119, 070303, 070517, 070829.
Therefore I think branding is also at a dead end track. Customers want a good product, or a good service - nothing less, nothing more. Up till now we have been using - or abusing - technology in the same way we abused marketing communications - mainly as a means to rationalize our operations. To undress our services to the bone. To make our processes more efficient. To make our sales more effective. To improve our margins - preferrably without adding value to our delivery.
Probably one of the most destructive abuses in the history of business has been in automating customer services. Where concepts for self help are presently more popular than concepts to improve a customer's experience. Where premium rate voice response systems lead us into waiting queues, and - only if we're lucky - into the hands of students who read their answers from computer generated Q & A scripts.
What's so entirely wrong about these concepts, is that they completely ignore the fact that only a small percentage of our customers are in fact self sufficient, and even a smaller percentage want to be self sufficient. We've always known this. The art and science of direct marketing has learned us since World War 2 that only a minor part of our markets can be developed through customers who don't need a normal dose of service. Nevertheless, we're presently trying to push complete user bases into the lame claws of our CRM systems.
What most people really want is simply to get appropriate service, especially when they need it, the moment they need it. More service. Better service. Service that makes their lives easier instead of more complicated. Service that takes away hassles. Service that enables them to spend their precious time on things that are worthwile. Service that honestly tries to give them a better customer experience. In a future where we will dominantly have to live with one person markets, we'll have to live with customers who don't accept that they are shouted at, through advertising, and who won't accept that they have to maintain a dialogue with a software.
The future of commercial communications AND of services is in H2H. Human to Human.
"Social CRM" or "Customer helps Customer" already is a widely spread practice in the world of consumer forums. Many of these forums and boards are excellent exponents of "Web 2.0", although they're often much older than that term. Most of the solutions below are aiming at reducing customer delight; only some elements of these solutions and cases may contribute to a better Social CRM practice. This niche is largely open for new concepts!
15 additions in this update, in italic.
24sevenoffice - Web-based crm & erp
Averiware - CRM solution
Bconnections - CRM solution
Corveum - CRM solution
Creativemanager - CRM solution
Ebase - Web-based community CRM
Entellium - CRM solution
Etapestry - CRM solution
E-tranet - CRM
Feedback20 - Engage an audience in a themed conversation
Fixya - Social helpdesk
Freecrm - CRM solution
Helperoo - Email support system
Highrisehq - Online contact manager
Honeypitch* - Proposal automation solution
Interactionchat - Chat with your site's visitors
Oryanoo - Virtual office & CRM suite
Panthius - CRM solution
Pipelinedeals - CRM & sales solution
Pushcrm - Web-based crm
Relenta - CRM tool set
Rightnow - CRM solution
Salesboom - CRM & sales solution
Salesforce - CRM & sales solution
Salesjunction - CRM & sales solution
Simpleticket - Helpdesk solution
Sky-click - VoiP callcenter solution
Solve360 - Groupware CRM
Sugarcrm - Open source CRM
Userscape - Web-based help desk portal
Visiblepath - Relationship management tools
Vtiger - Open source CRM
Zohocrm - Web-based crm
Zolved - Users help users to solve computer problems
italic = new. Updated 061221, 070119, 070303, 070517, 070829.
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