Do Business Well

External Activity

<CROSS-CHANNEL CONTACT HISTORY (MAIL, TELEPHONE), PENDING SUPPORT ISSUE, FIRST AND LAST SUPPORT CALL AND EMAIL, SUPPORT LOG/EVENT HISTORY, PRODUCT RETURN HISTORY …>

Data generated from your direct mail, telemarketing, customer support, and product return operations can be a critical part of measuring true customer value, cost to serve, and cost of customer contact and conversion. Linking this type of external data with your email marketing system will enable you to spot—and avoid— potential problems. Imagine, for example, that a customer has sent you an email complaining about a product defect. If customer service doesn’t let marketing know about the problem, marketing might send the already-angry customer an email offering the latest add-on to the product he or she is complaining about. Continue Reading »

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12. CULTIVATE ONE OF YOUR MOST POWERFUL ALLIES IN THE DELIVERY OF SUPERB CUSTOMER SERVICE:YOUR SUPPLIERS (OR REALLY YOUR EXTERNAL PARTNERS)

Your suppliers can be powerful allies in the quest for exceptional customer service. In fact, they shouldn’t even be called suppliers - they should be called your external partners.

As you plan your business, identify those external partners who are the best of the breed. Pinpoint those companies who are recognised as the leaders in their fields. And then romance them the way you would romance your customers. Invest as much time and effort as it takes to get close to your external partners. Treat them extremely well. Pay them on time. Let them know what’s happening in your business. Recommend them to others. Involve them in your business. Invite them over for drinks. Buy them lunch. Get their ideas for improving your business. Continue Reading »

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Since the pioneering work of Burns and Stalker (1961), it has been accepted that unpredictable market and technological environments may require ‘organic‘ organizational structures rather than the more traditional ‘mechanistic’ forms best suited to more stable conditions.

• An example of a ‘mechanistic’ structure would be the hierarchical and functionally divided arrangements still common in long-established organizations such as banks.
• An example of an ‘organic‘ structure would be the creation of flexible cross-functional project teams within a firm to develop specific new products as the occasion demands.

The assumption is that organic structures can generate a high degree of ‘fit’ between the external environment and the internal organizational form. However, the scenario of organic structures enabling ‘matching’ to take place with changing external conditions is increasingly problematic for several reasons:

• The capacity to ‘read’ the requirements of the external environment is seen as relatively straightforward.
• The boundary between the external environment and the organization is assumed to be clear and distinct.
• The achievement of optimum ‘fit’ is regarded as a stable and sustainable configuration.

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The key role of research in effective marketing planning was introduced. The marketing audit comprises research and analysis of the internal and external environment as follows:

• The internal audit reviews existing marketing activities and assesses their effectiveness in terms of contribution to revenue, brand enhancement, customer service, customer retention, market share or sales leads.
• The external audit considers the micro-environmental influences (customers, suppliers, partners, distributors and competitors) and macro-environmental influences (political, economic, social, technological and legal) within which the company operates.

The circles representing different aspects of the business environment show that from a company’s perspective, the various components of the micro-environment are intimately connected with the operations of its business, but the macro-environment is one step removed. This means that a company has some degree of control over the micro-environmental influences, but cannot directly influence the ‘bigger picture’ of the macro-environment, which would include such issues as interest rate changes, new legislation, etc. By conducting a marketing audit, a company can at least monitor and be aware of the implications of likely changes in the macro-environment, even if it cannot directly control them.

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