It is possible that Amazon.com knows your likes and dislikes better than your spouse. Every click you take and every move you make is tracked by the superstore, and all of that information is churned through predictive relevance personalization technology to create your very own Amazon.com experience, which is different than anyone else's in the world. So if you spend your nights browsing through true crime books before hunkering down and purchasing a backyard grill, Amazon.com will not only inform you upon your next visit (via your personal home page) about new true crime items and grilling accessories, but will also delve into its database of gazillions of clicks and transactions and predict that you are likely to want to buy a digital camera next. The on-site customer retention strategies are state-of-the-art and worth studying. They include your own personal weblog (plog) which Amazon.com builds for you. It culls blog posts from authors or musicians you've shown interest in and puts them all together in one place - your plog. As a customer, you'll also be privy to special invitations for cost-savings benefits and regular emails suggesting new items that you might like.
It's the program that launched the frequent flyer phenomenon, and still arguably the best airline loyalty program around. AAdvantage leads in size (In 2002, AAdvantage members redeemed more than 123.7 billion miles to claim in excess of 4 million awards); in response to change (after 9/11, they extended the status of all their premium flyers for a year); and in innovative practices (they are successfully migrating reservations from the phone to the Internet, with an easy-to-use interface and bonus points for Web purchases). Follow their footsteps and you won't go wrong.
This Internet advertising newsletter from Ajay Segal contains interviews with marketing luminaries and thoughtful articles on email, instant messaging, banner advertising, viral and search engine marketing. Unlike the typical e-marketing newsletter focusing on how-to tactics, avant/marketer is written for senior marketers and is angled toward strategic use of the Internet to ultimately acquire and retain customers.
This is the site of the great Hal Brierley, who created the first frequent flier program (the American Airlines AAdvantage program) in 1980. Brierley has been so successful that he has recently endowed a chair named for himself at Harvard Business School. Here you can find his guide to the "Art of Relationship Management" based on his years of expertise in the subject matter.
One of the most influential figures in the frequency marketing business is Richard Barlow, who founded Colloquy, a publication that lives mainly on the Web but also has occasional print incarnations. A visit to Colloquy will pay off ten-fold. After no-cost registration, you will gain access to one of the world's best libraries of statistics, case studies and thought leadership on customer retention marketing. Check out the Program Comparison Matrices, and be the first in your neighborhood to know how the Bloomingdale's Rewards program compares to Neiman Marcus's InCircle program. Another attraction of the site is a thriving job board. Naturally, there's a weekly e-zine option as well.
Hit the resources section of this site to get the inside scoop on customer satisfaction. You'll find tutorials on how to compose a survey and analyze the results, as well as customer satisfaction best practices. For example, you can learn how to save at-risk customers through survey action management. Satisfaction guaranteed.
CustomerThink is the new name for CRMGuru. New name, but the same world-class, one-stop resource and community for all things related to customer relationship management. Complimentary registration will get you a CRM Starter Kit, which includes a weekly email newsletter and white papers on Contact Center Performance Management, Customer Centricity and how to retain customers by marketing to individuals, not the great unwashed masses. There are hundreds of articles on any possible angle or approach you are considering plus a Knowledge Base of more than 1,000 essential facts. Should you wish to interact with people rather than pixels, you can dive right into the active forums or consult one of the CRMGuru panel of gurus for answers to your questions - and it's all available to you on a complimentary basis. Bookmark this one.
If you want to keep your customers happy, you need to manage their requests, questions, and yes, their complaints. There are many customer relationship management systems out there to automate this process. This one happens to be quite powerful and there's a version of it that is available at no cost. We suggest that you go through the quick tour to see the dashboard that you can use to manage your contacts, lead tracking, sales request follow up and customer complaint case management. Every lead or query is numbered and tracked with a history of actions, and each can be assigned to a particular sales person or customer service rep for action. Answers to common questions can be managed with templates, integrated email campaigns or phone call automation. The complimentary version includes a corporate advertisement on your outbound communications; the professional version, priced at $14.95(US) per user, is sans ads.
The Harley-Davidson website does a phenomenal job of utilizing technology to feed the Harley fever and sense of belonging to a cult of loyal customers. Start with customizing your dream machine online, but don't stop there. At the site you can book a hotel room, download a map or even ship your Harley and join thousands of like-minded souls at the Annual National Bikers Roundup Rally. You can customize a ride plan anywhere in the world, complete with all the best places to stop along the way, and share your plan with friends. You can register for a Harley racing event and pick up that photo of you at the finish line at the site. You can schedule a factory tour visit, find Harley enthusiasts anywhere in the world, and much more. Or you can buy a tee shirt and say you were there. It's a total Harley-Davidson experience.
iTunes has two stellar benefits: 1) It is a way to manage your music on your desktop, regardless of whether or not you own an iPod; and 2) It is an excellent way to discover new music and (of course) generate more sales for iTunes. Import your CDs to your desktop, and then indulge in all that your personal iTunes jukebox offers. Sample music, videos, podcasts and audiobooks, find exclusive tracks created just for iTunes from your favorite artists, or get a jumpstart on your collection with iTunes Essentials, which are organized by mood, artist or theme. When you're browsing your own library, the built-in iTunes MiniStore highlights albums and songs from the iTunes Music Store that are similar to what you're looking at. Finally, you can share with others by publishing an iMix to the iTunes Music Store or reviewing the iMixes of others. Like what you see? Buy the tunes with the click of a button.