Customer Relationship Management

Marketing exists to help organizations understand, reach, and deliver value to their customers. For this reason, the customer is considered the cornerstone of marketing. The central purpose of marketing is to help organizations identify, satisfy, and retain their customers. These three activities lay the groundwork for what has become a strategic imperative in modern marketing: customer relationship management.

To a student of marketing in the digital age, the idea of relationship building between customers and companies may seem obvious and commonplace. It certainly is a natural outgrowth of the marketing concept, which orients entire organizations around understanding and addressing customer needs. But only in recent decades has technology made it possible for companies to capture and utilize information about their customers to such a great extent and in such meaningful ways. The Internet and digital social media have created new platforms for customers and product providers to find and communicate with one another. As a result, there are more tools now than ever before to help companies create, maintain, and manage customer relationships.

Maximizing Customer Lifetime Value

Central to these developments is the concept of customer lifetime value. Customer lifetime value predicts how much profit is associated with a customer during the course of their lifetime relationship with a company.^[1] One-time customers usually have a relatively low customer lifetime value, while frequent, loyal, repeat-customers typically have a high customer lifetime value. Companies develop strong, ongoing relationships with customers who are likely to have a high customer lifetime value through marketing.

Typical Marketing Activities during each Stage of the Customer Relationship

Stage 1: Meeting and Getting Acquainted

• Find desirable target customers, including those likely to deliver a high customer lifetime value
• Understand what these customers want
• Build awareness and demand for what you offer
• Capture new business

Stage 2: Providing a Satisfying Experience

• Measure and improve customer satisfaction
• Track how customers’ needs and wants evolve
• Develop customer confidence, trust, and goodwill
• Demonstrate and communicate competitive advantage
• Monitor and counter competitive forces

Stage 3: Sustain a Committed Relationship

• Convert contacts into loyal repeat customers, rather than one-time customers
• Anticipate and respond to evolving needs
• Deepen relationships, expand reach of and reliance on what you offer

Another benefit of effective customer relationship management is that it reduces the cost of business and increases profitability. As a rule, winning a new customer’s business takes significantly more time, effort, and marketing resources than it does to renew or expand business with an existing customer.

Secret Shopping

Sometimes also called mystery shopping, secret shopping is a way for businesses to get feedback on the customer experience. Individuals are hired to pose as customers with a list of tasks to complete. They will report back what their experiences were so that businesses learn about things such as the customer experience, the cleanliness of the business, the interactions with employees, and the customer’s overall impression.

A different use of secret shoppers was announced by the U.S. Department of Education. They will use secret shoppers to go through the admissions and financial aid process at colleges and universities to discourage harmful predatory recruiting practices and providing misleading information to students.^[2]

Customer Relationship As Competitive Advantage

As the global marketplace provides more and more choices for consumers, relationships can become a primary driver of why a customer chooses one company over others (or chooses none at all). When customers feel satisfaction with and affinity for a specific company or product, it simplifies their buying choices.

For example, why might a person shopping for clothes choose to go to a department store like Nordstrom rather than Old Navy or an online store? Possibly because they prefer the selection at Nordstrom and the store’s atmosphere. It’s much more likely, though, that thanks to Nordstrom’s practices, this shopper has a relationship with an attentive sales associate who has helped find great outfits in the past. The customer is probably familiar with the store’s customer-friendly return policy, which might come in handy.

A company like Nordstrom delivers such satisfactory experiences that its customers return again and again. A consistently positive customer experience matures into a relationship in which the customer becomes increasingly receptive to the company and its products. Over time, the customer relationship gives Nordstrom a competitive advantage over other stores and online retailers.

When Customers Become Your Best Marketing Tool

Customer testimonials and recommendations have always been powerful marketing tools. They often work to persuade new customers to give something a try. In today’s digital media landscape there is unprecedented opportunity for companies to engage customers as credible advocates. When organizations invest in building strong customer relationships, these activities become particularly fruitful.

For example, service providers like restaurateurs, physical therapists, and dentists frequently ask regular patrons and patients to write reviews about their real-life experiences on popular recommendation sites like Yelp and Google. Product providers do the same on sites like Amazon and CNET.com. Although companies risk getting a bad review, they usually gain more by harnessing the credible voices and authentic experiences of customers they have served. In this process they also gain invaluable feedback about what’s working or not working for their customers. Using this input, they can change their products or approach to better match what customers want and improve business over time.

Additionally, smart marketers know that when people take a public stance on a product or issue, they tend to become more committed to that position. Thus, customer relationship management can become a virtuous cycle. As customers have more exposure and positive interaction with a company and its products, they want to become more deeply engaged, and they are more likely to become vocal fans who share their opinions publicly. Customers become an active part of a marketing engine that generates new business and retains loyal customers for repeat business and increased customer lifetime value.

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