Connected companies

"The Old ApproachCompanies used to interact with customers only episodically, when customers came to them.
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The New ApproachToday, thanks to new technologies, companies can address customers’ needs the moment they arise—and sometimes even earlier. With connected strategies, firms can build deeper ties with customers and dramatically improve their experiences.
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The UpshotCompanies need to make continuous connection a fundamental part of their business models. They can do so with four strategies: respond to desire, curated offering, coach behavior, and automatic execution.
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A seismic shift is under way. Thanks to new technologies that enable frequent, low-friction, customized digital interactions, companies today are building much deeper ties with customers than ever before. Instead of waiting for customers to come to them, firms are addressing customers’ needs the moment they arise—and sometimes even earlier. It’s a win-win: Through what we call connected strategies, customers get a dramatically improved experience, and companies boost operational efficiencies and lower costs.
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In our research we’ve identified four effective connected strategies, each of which moves beyond traditional modes of customer interaction and represents a fundamentally new business model. We call them respond to desire, curated offering, coach behavior, and automatic execution."

Trechos retirados de "The Age of Continuous Connection"

Estratégia e relacionamento com os clientes

Uma empresa tinha o seu modelo de negócio bem montado. Tudo estava a correr bem, apesar da lentidão portuguesa, a empresa crescia, tinha boas margens e os concorrentes iam caindo como tordos.
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Enquanto a concorrência usava o preço mais baixo como a proposta de valor, a empresa aprendeu a dar cartas com um negócio assente na representação de marcas topo de gama associados a um superior serviço de customização da solução e do produto.
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A empresa, independentemente do tipo de cliente e do tipo de produto, tinha um serviço único para todos os clientes, todos mereciam e eram servidos como clientes-premium.
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Gostam deste último pormenor? Eu também não, contudo, as margens permitiam esta abordagem.
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No último ano as convulsões económicas do nosso país provocaram um corte no paradigma e originaram uma migração de valor e um acentuar da polarização do mercado: continua-se a vender o produto-premium; desaparece quase por completo a procura do produto-intermédio que migra para o produto mais barato.
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As margens caem... O que vai fazer a empresa?
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Fácil!
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Primeiro: caracterizar os clientes:

• clarificar muito bem o que é um cliente-alvo do segmento premium;
• estabelecer que soluções e produtos se enquadram nesse segmento premium;
• clarificar muito bem o que é um cliente-alvo do segmento low-cost (hard-sell);
• estabelecer que soluções e produtos se enquadram nesse segmento low-cost (hard-sell);

Segundo: definir para cada segmento os processos:

• divulgar serviço junto de cliente-alvo;
• receber e tratar potencial encomenda;
• apresentar e seguir proposta;
• customizar e entregar.

Terceiro: definir competências dos intervenientes em cada binómio segmento-processo e preparar as pessoas para a transição.

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Nem de propósito, isto encaixa com a leitura do capítulo 5 "Creating Competitive Advantage with Relationship Strategies" de "Customer Relationship Management" de Kaj Storbacka e Jarmo Lehtinen.

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"Since all customers are different, relationships evolve differently. Thus, it is unlikely that all relationships would benefit from being managed in the same way. Most companies, however, manage their relationships using the same process, regardless of whether or not they have grouped their customers according to different criteria.

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Competitive advantage is a result of relationship strategies that in a superior way support the value creation of customers. Developing competitive advantage therefore includes the differentiation of relationships, i.e applying different processes to different relationships.

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Providers need to determine the different phases in their customer relationships, the structures needed to manage processes in each phase, and the types of exchanges required by various relationships.

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To choose a strategy, the provider needs to have a thorough understanding of how the customer creates value in his own processes as well as a clear vision of how provider competence can support customer value creation.

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The problem in many companies is that all relationships are handled according to the same formula. In other words, companies think in terms of serving their average customers. This type of average customer seldom exists.  (Moi ici: O fantasma estatístico) At its worst, this kind of thinking can lead to a large share of the customer base being served by a process that is too complicated and that customers are not able to appreciate. Conversely, truly valuable relationships are managed by a process which is too simple due to a lack of resources. Relationship strategies can therefore be thought of as tools for allocating resources."

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E a sua empresa?