In the last couple of months I had the opportunity to meet a few established players with specific customer management KRAs in financial services industry.
Though its been a couple of years of India waking up to the Customer Management and associated priorities in business management, my initial interactions with aforesaid folks, reemphasized upon the state of affairs being still nascent and yet to grow, the statement of Campaign Management as a priority item in the scheme of things its quite a good evidence on the industry’s nascent stage.
I respect their …

Many marketers in the Asia Pacific region I have talked to in various occasions have asked if the entire marketing (campaign management, specifically) process can be automated. The response to this question is technically YES, it can be automated.
However, the real question is, do you, as a marketer want to automate the entire process? You might ask, if it is a relevant question? Yes, it is!
Let me give an analogy in aviation industry. The role of technology in aviation space has increased so much; flying a passenger aircraft from Helsinki …

50 Ways to Improve Your Customer’s Experience
Three years ago I shared with readers a list of 50 ways to be more customer-focused and deliver a better experience.  I’ve decided to update the list and publish it again.  It’s a bit long so you might want to print it out and read it later.  Even better, check off those actions you and your team take on a regular basis.
Here are 50 Ways to Improve Your Customer’s Experience:
1. Open the door for your customer whenever possible.  This is especially important if …

Wondering if you should go for a Best-of-the-Breed or an Integrated Customer Management Solution? Then, this article is just for you.

A while ago I watched a video from one of the executives from a leading Financial Services company in the world on how he watched his Customer Management initiatives go down the drain.
Yet another case to add 55% of failed CRM cases. As a result of the failure, he is prone not to recommend anything pertaining to Customer Management to his official and social peers in an open way. Well, what is the idea behind this post?
The gentleman in the aforesaid story must have been one of those who must have fallen prey …

Those who have visited CXOToday.Com in the last few days would have read an article on Aligning IT & Business Strategy and if it can pay off? If not, please do read it here and resume reading this post.
In a nutshell, the aforesaid Article unearths some interesting facts around IT and Business Strategy alignment basis a research done Bain & Co. As you must have read, Organizations that have gone ahead with an accelerated IT focus have been proven to be performing better than those who are waiting for the D-Day for IT and …

The following statistics is from one of the leading Analytics blogs on Retailing. Though the following information is a bit peripheral, I am sure it’s useful.

“Customers who shop multiple channels are worth seven times as much as customers who shop just one channel”.

“Customers who research items online and buy in-store spend $72 more during their in-store visit than other customers spend”.

“Customers who conduct a live chat session are three times as likely to convert to a purchase as customers who don’t conduct a live chat session”.

Last weekend I was at Shoppers’ Stop, to my surprise the whole of ground floor is going through a revised floor plan. Except for perfumes and the watch counter every other section is either moved elsewhere or and has been closed.
I am sure the marketing team has found camera sales is virtually nothing in the shop and has shut down the section, the remaining merchandises are going to find the new neighbours, hopefully by the direction they got from some business analytics.
Yes. As per one of the research outcomes, it’s …

A few days ago, my building security guard had called and asked if he can collect a large size courier from a leading Retailer. The term ‘Large’ drove my attention and was wondering what it could possibly contain. Decided to stretch the suspense and had asked him to collect the shipment.
As per the last interaction I had with the retailer, I am expecting a upgraded loyalty card as I have crossed the limit of the current one. Also, I might be receiving a co-branded credit card from one the large …

We all understand the role of Technology in Marketing for FMCG/Marketing is relatively lower than industries that deal with end-consumers/customers directly such as retail banking or telecommunication. Though a few Retail/FMCG organizations like L.L.Bean et al has CRM strategies in place, it is important to note they have direct-sales channels to interact with customers.
Having said that, it is important to note that it is incorrect to embrace the old philosophy of marketing automation in FMCG/Manufacturing industry is not viable. You might say “So How?”.. Please read up.
Though it is not possible …