The key to any successful company is the ability to provide customers with exactly what they are looking for. However, the only way an organization can actually do this is if it know what its customers want. Modern technology has increased communication between customers and the organizations they do business with, so it's up to the companies themselves to pay close attention to the nature of those conversations and use that information to shape their marketing campaigns.
Many discussions that traditionally took place in-person or on the phone have migrated to a digital format. Today, social media interaction allows consumers to quickly receive answers to their questions, and those inquiries give organizations valuable information which they can later use to fuel their engagement initiatives.
Recently, this blog discussed the ways organizations can use data to try and cater to each specific customer. That can be done my using information pertaining to individual needs. When companies have a full grasp of their big data strategies, the possibilities are endless.
An article in the online publication Pando Daily addressed this very issue. Veeral Rathod, the article's author, used a clothing retailer to exemplify the power of this practice.
"Let's say 65 percent of women who try on a size 6 end up buying a size smaller or taking in certain seams when shopping a particular brand," Rathod wrote. "Instead of relying on sales representatives to guide customers to 'size down,' vertically integrated retailers can take that insight and use it to adapt sizing and fit patterns to make it easier for customers to find the best fit the first time. Most importantly, the feedback loop is short enough that it becomes possible to make the change before certain expectations become ingrained among customers."
While acquiring full control of customer information is invaluable, doing so requires a tremendous amount of effort. That effort can be assisted, however, with the right software solutions. Using FileMaker development to create a system designed to better manage data will be a major help.
A custom database software system can be used to quickly enter all bits of information gleaned from online conversations with customers. Taking that data and creating custom reports from the system can give companies an idea of how to adjust their current operations. With the right data collection techniques combined with the best data management software, businesses can go a long way toward ensuring the success of this initiative.