Industry Insight Series
Service providers must use smart marketing to reach prospects, upgrade customers, and deliver optimal CX. The exploitation of data, the simplicity and the personalization of the communication contribute to guarantee the best possible experience.
Use Data + Simplify + Personalize = Smart Marketing
Use data to target
Suppliers need to analyze billing data to show revenue. Identify growth areas based on estimated revenue by location. Messages can be sent to prospect addresses with instructions for registering online, by mail and by phone, give prospects the ability to sign up when and where they want.
Brian Weis, Customer Success Manager at Innovative Systems, explains how vendors are leveraging technology to delight their customers. “While mailings and billings used to be the most effective way to reach customers, in today’s digital world, your online presence, technology tools, and ability to reach customers on their phones cell phone using SMS are essential.”
Customers need simplicity
Customers are looking for simple and straightforward solutions to simplify their lives. Electronic invoices, online payments and electronic signature documents all reduce the need for in-person visits or mailings. Giving customers the power to sign up, on any device, anytime, is the epitome of simplicity. If it’s too hard, if it takes them too long, customers will do their business elsewhere.
“Over the past few years, I’ve seen a dramatic shift in broadband marketing from focusing solely on upselling opportunities to creating a self-sufficient customer. I’ve seen incentive programs, messages etc. promoting automatic payments and paperless billing enrollment. This helps reduce costs for the business and provides a better experience for the modern customer,” said Kelsey Ruml, Head of professional services, Innovative Systems.
Personalize and Delight
Marketing doesn’t stop at leads. This affects the communication that suppliers give to their customers. Providers should use customer information to send personalized communications about birthdays and enrollment anniversaries. Customer appreciation drives brand loyalty and differentiates vendors.
Personalized communication is key when resolving individual customer issues. Customers are busier than ever, and giving them a multi-hour or half-day window to be home for a service call isn’t as accurate as it could be. Instead, technicians can message the customer when they’re on their way, and customers can track the technician’s progress (similar to Uber). Once an issue is resolved, the customer can receive a satisfaction survey. Customers feel that their opinion has been heard and that their supplier is striving to improve.
Use Data + Simplify + Personalize = Smart Marketing
Innovative Systems has seen dramatic increases in customer NPS scores through smart marketing. One client, South Slope Communications Cooperative, collects over 400 electronic signatures per month and uses eLation’s integrated SMS to contact customers and prospects. Their Net Promoter Score has increased by 17% in the short time since they implemented eLation.
Smart marketing combined with tools that simplify the experience for the customer are a service provider’s ammunition for growth.
This series presents an overview of important broadband industry issues from industry leaders.