CallCentreVoice Topic Special Treatment for "Best Customer"

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Purnell Turner on 7/2/2008 19:49:42.
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Purnell Turner
MIS Sr Manager
Peoples Bank of CT

13 posts
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Special Treatment for "Best Customer"  [7/2/2008 19:49:42]

I have been assigned a project of determining ways to treat our best customers (credit card industry) special....just wondering if anyone has any good ideas...from technical, call routing to overall customer exp....

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Steve Helm
Planning
Outsourcing

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Purnell  [8/2/2008 12:41:54]

Do you do anything differently with these customers now? What is the attrition rate of these customers? What is driving this move to differentiate the service?My experience of a good customer is a low maintainence one who spends a lot in which case you do not really have to do anything with them due to the infrequent nature of their contacts.


There are many things you can do but have you thought about asking these customers what would make your service better for them? So often companies decide what is best, let the consumer decide. By all means offer them choices but let the ultimate decision lie with them.

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Max Klein
Director
Inside Track Media Ltd

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Recognition for Best Customers  [15/2/2008 15:34:02]

Two things. First, research, as Steve suggests. Do it with the assistance of your market research specialists and / or an external consultancy. They'll advise you not to assume your best customers are a homogeneous group but first to profile them by, for instance, longevity, call patterns, spending patterns, acquisition route and which competitors you acquired them from. They will identify your key customer segments and then ought to propose not a quantitative but a qualitative focus group study which will encourage participants to articulate their ideas as to what makes for good and bad service and, from that, develop enhanced service propositions, feeding off each other's ideas.

Having quantified the most keenly sought-after ideas through further research and conducted a business case analysis, find ways of telling your customers that you have listened to them as you begin to implement each idea, then measure its impact. The grain of truth at the heart of the best ideas (but not the ultimate decision)comes from the customer, and I bet you're onto something with your concern regarding call routing.

Because you're dealing with your very best (= most profitable) customers, consider ways of rewarding them, too. I can't help thinking that the best rewards are either quite predictable (you gain commitment by involving people in a process of their own choosing) or come as a surprise. If customers deal with you mostly by phone or online, then credible lifestyle related opportunities to reward selected customers which involve face to face contact, provided that they reflect the values of the Peoples Bank brand, ought to be worth considering.

Good luck!

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Elaine Lee
Director
ReynoldsBusbyLee Limited

28 posts
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'Best Customer' Project  [19/2/2008 21:37:51]

Purnell,

an interesting project - the key to this is how do you define your best customers and how would your customers consider themselves?

Does the Peoples Bank see it's best customers as those who spend most money and always pay off the minimum (incurring interest) or those who clear their balance each month and don't pay you any interest? Or is it based on the duration of the account? in reality you'll need to spend some time analysing your customer base and understanding their behaviour patterns and how they contribute to the fortunes of the bank.

you'll then have to consider how you 'reward' these customers whilst behaving responsibly within the market place.

As Max suggests an external view may be what's needed here to help clarify what your definitions are - they may not be at all what you're expecting.

Elaine

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