The Tao of Relationship MarketingValue Customers at Every Step
Atul VohraVice President, Dell Services Marketing
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If a brand is the promise, the customer experience is that promise kept or broken.
Like any relationship, it needs to be nurtured
and not taken for granted.
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Start a Relationship• The customer experience
begins with the start of the relationship. It must be easy and full of promise with minimal commitment.
• Customers want to feel recognized, appreciated and in control.
• Consider how many times a customer has to provide his or her contact information?– If it is more than once, you've
already failed.
Things to Remember:• You must show the customer that
you know who they are and they matter.
• First impressions must be welcoming, open, easy and self-paced.
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Avoid the “Deli Effect”
• A company should keep decision-making as simple as possible and avoid the “deli effect.” – In a deli, customers can be faced with too many options.
• Yet at the same time, do not patronize the customer.
• Consider the financial services industry:– Financial institutions understand this dilemma and in response have
created cash management accounts and variable annuities.
“The consumer is not a moron, she is your wife.”- David Ogilvy, Advertiser
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Access the Relationship• Ensure seamless and consistent touch-points with
the customer.– The same level of quality should apply across all touch-
points
• Consider the travel industry’s online experience: – They market fantasy and make online transactions easy
and fast
– But what about offline interactions?
› In-person Airport Check-in
› Customer Service Call Centers
› Security
Don’t Forget Social Media:
• How are you leveraging social channels to facilitate interacting with and listening to customers?
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The New Standard: Are You Ready?• In-person engagements are the moment of truth, but far
less frequent as websites, automated phone systems, and social channels become more prevalent.
• Face-to-face communication is the most expensive form of contact but cements the customer bond. It should be the gold standard.
– Do you have the right people working in positions that match their strengths?
– Does your company create a fabulous experience that can be spread by word of mouth?
• Employees should feel empowered to go beyond protocol to enhance the experience.
– Are there approval barriers stopping them from solving customer experience issues?
– What is the discretionary customer experience budget available for front-line representatives?
The Tao of the Relationship:
• Improving the customer experience should be a way of life for the company.
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A brand is not contained in a single logo, ad, or even a
series of transactions. It is the relationship a customer
has with that organization.
Thank You