House & Home
STAMFORD, Conn.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--According to a new report from Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI), consumers surveyed in France, Germany, the UK and the US have indicated which marketing activities draw them closer to a brand, and which act as a repellant.
"This survey confirms that brands should listen to consumers before they send out their communications"
Consumers are clear about what they want from their business interactions and many of the techniques and initiatives being deployed are simply not having the intended effect. Worse, inappropriate communications often diminish a brandas pool of available prospects and customers as targets opt out of the brand conversation altogether.
Customer satisfaction surveys are perceived as perfectly acceptable for 75 percent of those surveyed. This presents a real opportunity for brands to get to know their customers. With the insight learned, brands may then create a personalized or custom experience based on each consumeras preferences, a very acceptable practice for the majority of consumers surveyed. By more accurately identifying a customeras desires and concerns, marketers greatly reduce the number of off-target communications and also save substantial marketing dollars.
The growing trend of personalizing messaging is working for brands. On websites, 59 percent of consumers surveyed say they appreciate personalization such as aWelcome, Jane.a For transactional sites, especially where purchases are being made, it can be reassuring for Jane to know that the site recognizes her account details and has a record of her interactions.
Conversely, consumers clearly point to many annoying brand actions. These outreach efforts are meant to be inviting, yet are irritating to most consumers instead. For example, among the negatives are asking customers to support a brandas charity or ethical concerns (84%); sending offers from third-parties (83%); encouraging interaction with other consumers via an online community (81%).
Doas and Donats of Brand Interactions with Customers
Personalization |
Do Amp up the level of personalization on the Web (59% positive) |
Donat Let your call center reps get too chummy on the phone (70% negative) |
Asking the customer for action |
Do Conduct customer feedback surveys regularly (75% positive) |
Donat Invite consumers to create their own homepage (69% negative) |
Frequency |
Do Send a special offer in the mail each month (74% positive) |
Donat Send weekly emails (89% negative) |
Invitation to a brandas cause |
Do Keep customer forums with the customer service efforts, not marketing (81% positive) |
Donat Ask the customer to support the brandas charity (84% negative) |
aThis survey confirms that brands should listen to consumers before they send out their communications,a said Dan Kohn, Vice President of Corporate Marketing, Pitney Bowes, Inc. aEvery interaction must honor the interests of the customer first, only then is a relevant offer or call to action acceptable to consumers. Each conversation between a brand and a customer is an opportunity to delight or disappoint. Weare all learning how to do more of the former and less of the latter.a
For more information about how Pitney Bowes Customer Communications Management solutions helps brands delight customers across all channels, visit [ http://www.personallypb.com/pdf/not-that-into-you/ ].
About Pitney Bowes
Delivering more than 90 years of [ innovation ], Pitney Bowes provides [ software ], [ hardware ] and [ services ] that integrate physical and digital communications channels. Long known for making its customers more productive, Pitney Bowes is increasingly helping other companies grow their business through advanced customer communications management. Pitney Bowes is a $5.3 billion company with more than 30,000 employees worldwide. Pitney Bowes: Every connection is a new opportunitya". [ www.pb.com ]