There's been a dramatic shift in the vendor-customer dynamic. Despite the oft-cited but infrequently upheld mantra "the customer is always right," it used to be the vendors who held most of the cards. Of course, customer retention is a lot easier when it takes your constituents more than just a few simple mouse clicks to switch vendors. Ecommerce changed all that.
However, even in the dark ages before ecommerce, customers had the option to take their business elsewhere. What's really changed in the last couple of years is the explosive growth of social media. This ubiquitous echo chamber—where a simple 140-character rant can influence hundreds of thousands of potential buyers in a matter of minutes—has led way to the rise of customer power.
When a customer logs onto Facebook to rave about how great your website is, that's customer power. And when someone sends out an expletive-laced tweet about struggling through your online checkout, that's customer power, too.
The former is good for business. The latter can do some serious damage.
Now more than ever, the customer IS always right. And today's customers make no bones about wielding their newfound power. Serve them poorly and you'll lose not only their business but also the thousands of others who are influenced by their rants. You don't have to look far to find real-world examples.
To illustrate the concept of customer power, we recently introduced a new series of ads. Perhaps you've seen them at a conference or on your preferred website. If you haven't seen them, you can have a look here.
This campaign has prompted some to ask if we're doing social media monitoring now. We're not. What Tealeaf does is in many ways more powerful than that. Remember, social media monitoring is reactive. At Tealeaf, we enable companies to proactively improve the online experience—before customers have a reason to rant. By ensuring each online experience is a positive one, Tealeaf enables organizations to leverage their customers to help build their businesses rather than knocking them down.
However, even in the dark ages before ecommerce, customers had the option to take their business elsewhere. What's really changed in the last couple of years is the explosive growth of social media. This ubiquitous echo chamber—where a simple 140-character rant can influence hundreds of thousands of potential buyers in a matter of minutes—has led way to the rise of customer power.
When a customer logs onto Facebook to rave about how great your website is, that's customer power. And when someone sends out an expletive-laced tweet about struggling through your online checkout, that's customer power, too.
The former is good for business. The latter can do some serious damage.
Now more than ever, the customer IS always right. And today's customers make no bones about wielding their newfound power. Serve them poorly and you'll lose not only their business but also the thousands of others who are influenced by their rants. You don't have to look far to find real-world examples.
To illustrate the concept of customer power, we recently introduced a new series of ads. Perhaps you've seen them at a conference or on your preferred website. If you haven't seen them, you can have a look here.
This campaign has prompted some to ask if we're doing social media monitoring now. We're not. What Tealeaf does is in many ways more powerful than that. Remember, social media monitoring is reactive. At Tealeaf, we enable companies to proactively improve the online experience—before customers have a reason to rant. By ensuring each online experience is a positive one, Tealeaf enables organizations to leverage their customers to help build their businesses rather than knocking them down.
