I like to think that every company that is trying to build solid customer relationships these days understands the importance of uniquely identifying and understanding their customers’ status and behavior. Then again every week I come across an example of a brand that, even though they are manifestly trying to maintain good relationships, makes this assumption on my part look naïve.
Case in point, the satellite radio provider for my car (name withheld because I actually value their service and don’t want to unduly bash them). Our family has two cars, one of which we switched recently. At that time I called the radio provider and told them what was happening. In spite of that, however, I was obviously placed in their customer “attrition” list. I got a series of “please don’t go” e-mails with increasingly attractive offers to stay, even though I had already paid for their service on our new car and was also maintaining their service on our other car – status quo in other words. These “don’t go” e-mails, and, more annoyingly, many unsolicited phone calls from them, lasted for several weeks.
Finally they gave up – or so I thought! I assumed they had at last realized I had just transitioned their service onto a new car and had not left at all. Little did I realize that they were preparing to come at me with their next round of campaigns – this time the “win back” series. Now I am getting e-mails offering me great discounts – “Niall, please open this email – this is our best offer” if I will only agree to come back and start a new service! All the while I have been using their service uninterrupted.
I will contact this company directly to offer them our help with customer data management (CDM). However I wanted to make the point to a broader audience of how important CDM can be. You have to combine all of your data into an integrated and holistic view of your customers if you want to survive in this era of the customer being in control. In my case, because of the persistence and intrusiveness of the radio provider’s marketing tactics I am tempted to cancel the service completely – the exact opposite of what they are trying to do!
