Posts from — September 2007

Many companies are looking for innovative added value service, whilst an increasing number are realizing the benefits of customer communities.  One idea that serves both purposes is to find a logical ‘area or interest’ for your company to build a community of interest around as a service.  A pharmaceuticals company did just that with a women’s group in Africa.  They were providing women with HRT, but found that in African society women going through the menopause felt isolated; what they really needed was support from other women who understood their personal issues.  So the company started a community group for them, helping with organization and materials - not only did this help the women, but it reflected well on the company and they gained more customers and custom.

I have thought of this story this summer whilst I have been laid up with my broken ankle trawling the internet looking for advice on turning scar tissue to ligament, good diets for healing bones, and flexibility exercises.  What experience has taught me is that Doctors don’t tell you everything and you have to take charge of your own recovery.  So what you need is other people to talk to who are in the same boat - there is only so much ‘wittering’ your friends will take.   I eventually found a good site for mutual support at my broken leg. com; basically a community for invalids to help each other through a time that can be very distressing.  Now how easy would it be for a relevant company - a sports clothing company, a medical company, health and fitness companies - to set up and support such a community.  Because the one thing I know from experience so many communities need is time and energetic people to run the show.

So is there a ‘problem’ that your customers have that you could support with a community service?  And serve as good research for you! And if anyone with a broken ankle needs help on their road to recovery do let me know.  I can tell you about everything from beauty treatments to ensure your have the prettiest potted toes, to the regime I’ve learnt to turn that pesky internal scar tissue back into useful ligament!  But more importantly, I can empathise with the emotional roller-coaster.

Customers are declaring war on the corporate world.  Forget CRM, the green shoots of company management are sprouting.  There was more evidence this week when the national union of students used a Facebook community to galvanise customer activism and force HSBC to remove newly introduced fees on student bank accounts.

This comes on top of Paul English’s internet site with provides customers with the keys to sail effortlessly through IVR systems to reach a real person in the call centres of companies like Comet, Dell, Egg, Halifax, Sky, Tesco, and O2.  Interest in personal knowledge banks - where customers keep control of their own data and give permission to companies to access it - is growing amongst suppliers.  Whilst an increasing number of business customers are including questions like “Is there a process by which you assign the importance of client relationships” and “How can you demonstrate your commitment to our goals”, in their invitations to tender.

We must start listening to customers, otherwise customers will band together share information and problem solve between themselves,  as blogs and workspaces increasingly allow them to do.  Word of mouth is changing the balance of power, and, the very essence of the marketing model.