So lately I've been in the market for a new computer to replace the aging desktop I'm writing this article on now, and to expedite the process I installed a Newegg app on my Android phone. The app had this neat “Wish List” feature where I could put items in a wish list rather than in a cart, so that I can view, compare, and edit later on. After a few days of use I started to think that this was a pretty nice app. It had all the features that the full-blown web site has, but organized in a way that was easy to use and understand on a mobile device.
The Key to Positive Customer Relationships is Making Them Feel Appeciated
Fast-forward a day or two. Like most Newegg users, I am subscribed to their “Shell Shocker” newsletter email blasts. So when I got yet another email from Newegg I thought nothing of it. That is until I opened it and realized that they had sent me a full-blown graphically-rich personalized email letter notifying me that one of the items on my wish list was on sale. The email even provided me with a special coupon code to use during checkout to get the special price.
It was then that I felt what all consumers should be able feel and all merchants should be striving to provide: Surprise, enlightenment, and a sense of being appreciated.
Smart Marketing Automation = Happier Customers
Newegg has discovered and expertly deployed a model that many modern businesses can benefit from: Listening, learning, and communicating. You listen to what your customers have to say, learn from it, then communicate with them using what you have learned.
Oh sure, I know better than some that the email was probably automatically generated by some nice marketing automation software, but that didn't make the magic show any less appealing.
Bottom line is, consumers of products and services like to feel like they are important, appreciated, and most of all, like they have been listened to. The challenge for many vendors and merchants is that tight budgets and a dwindling work force have made it impossible for many to meet much less exceed their customer's expectations.
This is where the right marketing software solution can help. A timely and well thought out Marketing Strategy paired with a great automation platform can mean all the difference between happy returning customers and unhappy product-returning customers. Nicely implemented mobile applications and a mobile-friendly site, a highly accessible customer support system, and an intuitive online account management system will also boost your company's efforts by making your company's products, services and expertise accessible and user-friendly.
In addition, allowing software to take on some of the customer-service and customer-relations load will give your service staff the freedom to perform quality customer-relations and sales tasks. All of this will certainly improve your company's optics and reputation.
Automation is Too Costly
So how about cost? Can a medium to small business afford such luxuries as a mobile app, sophisticated Marketing Automation software, mobile-friendly web sites, intuitive shopping cart systems, bill-pay and customer support?
The greater question may be how long can you afford not to?
If you have any questions about this topic, please don't hesitate to sound off in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you!
Or, if you're thinking about looking into marketing automation and strategies for your business, and would like to get some expert advice, hit the "Talk to an Expert" button below.
