Optimizing customer engagement requires more than quantitative surveys

I’m not from Texas nor am I a big fan of country music, so I have never understood the plethora of purchase options or the extensive price range for cowboy boots. However, after reading an article about Paul Hedrick, a young man who took his cowboy boots business, Tecovas, direct-to-consumer, a lightbulb went off in my head — no, I still don’t understand the need for cowboy boots, but I understand why it made sense for Hedrick to have a B2C business.

Too often customer retention is not treated with the same level of focus and care as net new sales. Given the amount we spend on net new sales it is critical for companies to put the same energy and focus - or more into retention.

It’s not surprising that companies are searching for ways to use Artificial Intelligence. At Farland Group, we hear from clients who are using AI within their own organizations — whether to cut down on manual tasks for employees or to create a better customer experience. We are seeing the use of AI on a consumer level too, so it makes sense that the people behind these capabilities are looking for ways to humanize them.

[AS SEEN IN HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW] Advice on how to bring value to your customer engagement strategy.

Disruptors — no matter who they are — may not be the people you look to for motivation. But, more companies are encouraging the role of “disruptor” over being “disrupted” within their organizations. Jane Hiscock, President, Farland Group, understands this balance can be difficult, and explains how you can embrace disruption without compromising your business.

[AS SEEN IN CUSTOMER THINK] Gathering feedback from your customers is important, but not every customer is apt to voice their opinion or review — whether negative or positive. Jane Hiscock, President of Farland Group, highlights specific tips to turn data into a customer-first strategy, and why the follow-up is imperative.

To be thanked for helping to make someone else’s job easier brings a smile to the face and adds a spring to the step and makes those early mornings and late nights worth the effort.

Finding and winning new clients is imperative for any business, but in this digital age where social media mentions and word of mouth can make or break brands, organizations must adopt strategic plans to keep their clients – and keep them engaged, happy and delighted.

It’s no secret that technology is ever-changing and with more ways to reach your customer, it’s also no surprise that the Chief Marketing Officer—especially—is feeling this transformation.

B2B marketers have enormous opportunity to influence their business transformation through ecosystem development

Today, businesses are in a constant state of transformation and the way marketers think about the customer has never been so important. Jane Hiscock, Farland Group, and Alison Orsi, IBM, recently discussed the impact of this digital era on organizations and their approaches to gain customer advocacy.

Building a remarkable, memorable, meaningful, pick a positive adjective—customer experience is what marketers are chasing today. And it isn’t just marketers—CEOs place building compelling customer experiences as their number one priority.Why is this such a difficult challenge to tackle?

In this time of fundamental disruption, one of the most powerful assets to survive the tumult is a strong, loyal customer base. Tap into key lessons learned in what it takes to create sustainable customer engagement and advocacy.

Customer engagement tips for the C-suite

Jane Hiscock, President, Farland Group and Alison Orsi, VP of Marketing, IBM will be presenting at the B2B Marketing Summit, London, June 22, 2016.

The Net Promoter Score (NPS), has provided marketers and customer experience leaders with one way to determine how customers feel about their products and services. It was – however – never intended to lead to the instant star ratings and recommendations on-demand that our digital world has built

Choosing the phone over email adds value to your relationships with your customers, enriches the customer experience, and increases efficiency.