The magic word starts with V
A few weeks ago Salesforce broke some amazing news. Out of Forbes’ list of the 100 most valuable brands, 85 of those brands are on Salesforce.
These diverse companies have one thing in common: when asked what Salesforce brings them, each one says customer experience. Employee engagement. Partner collaboration.
As the Salesforce ecosystem gets together at World Tour London in a few weeks’ time, this message couldn’t be clearer. The World Tour’s theme is ‘age of the customer’ and this is what comes through in Salesforce’s customer stories.
What’s interesting is that Salesforce’s stories do not emphasise its platform’s capabilities or its potential to deliver on traditional business metrics. Salesforce’s focus is less on its technical strengths, less on winning business, less on gaining that strategic edge.
Or is it?
Here’s the truth: being a customer-centric business is the single best route to achieving all of the above.
90% of UK shoppers walk away without buying something if they get bad customer service.
81% of customers would be willing to pay more in order to receive superior customer service.
86% of customers are more likely to purchase something following a good customer experience.
78% recommend a brand to friends and other contacts after a great customer experience.
Every industry is competitive. But it’s important to remember that the customer base you’re fighting to win is just a group of individuals who make choices. At any time these individuals can choose to leave your company, or join it. Customer empowerment has accelerated fast in the age of social media, with positive and negative stories travelling further than ever before. This affects not just your ability to win a customer but also your ability to keep them and their likeliness to refer you to others. Your customers are mobile, and can mobilize: it’s up to you whether they’re with you or against you.
And it’s not about products and services: it’s about value.
What makes you valuable to your customers?
At makepositive we know that our value lies in our exceptional customer satisfaction scores. We’re proud of our services and especially proud of our people. But what’s been consistent all along has been our dedication to customer success, wherever, whenever and whatever we deliver. That’s at the very heart of our company.
Customers want value. Value is created through giving customers the right experience at every turn. And that customer experience is enabled through technology like Salesforce.
So at World Tour London, take your lead from Forbes’ 100 most valuable. Talk a little bit about technology, but don’t let that be the focus. Keep your attention on the most important things: the engagement, the experience and the value.
Register here for Salesforce World Tour London and come chat with the makepositive team about what matters most – your customers.
Sources: Market Force Research; Oracle report: Why Customer Satisfaction is No Longer Good Enough; Temkin Group; Clickfox
