“The customer is always right.” If you’ve ever worked a day in the service industry, you’ve seen this slogan plastered on a break room wall. The idea was coined by a turn-of-the-century retailer, and it’s so common that many businesses make it a mandate for their customer service teams. But, like any principle, “the customer is always right” shouldn’t be taken literally.
The way customers expect to interact with businesses has changed. Service has moved from customers calling at the first sign of trouble to wanting to communicate with businesses on more convenient digital channels they’re already using in their personal lives—email, live chat, and messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Customers also expect support to be available 24/7 via self-service and AI solutions such as chatbots.
What is brand evangelism? Brand evangelism looks like customers standing in line for hours to buy an iPhone (even when they have a perfectly good one from last year). It’s people talking and posting about their Apple products, Lululemon pants, or Patagonia outdoor gear as aspects of their personalities and identities—the way some people talk about their favorite team or musical group.
“Is SaaS the next big thing?” asked Eric Knorr in a piece for InfoWorld. The year was 2006. It was the year Amazon launched AWS, and Shakira’s Hips Don’t Lie topped the charts. The aftermath of the burst dot com bubble left a sour taste in investors’ mouths. Still, a new generation of enterprises was offering something that had already been revolutionizing tech: Software on demand, centrally hosted in the cloud and subscription-based.
Operating as a business without consumer insights is like working in a library without knowing how to read. Just because you come across a lot of information doesn’t mean you necessarily understand it or know how to use it effectively. While any company can uncover customer insights, not every business is taking the opportunity to do so—potentially stifling their growth and their revenue in the long run.
Your phone buzzes one Saturday afternoon. It’s a text message from an unknown number noting that there’s a big sale at one of your favorite stores. No pictures. No branding. Just a spammy-looking URL you’re told to click on to view more details. Now imagine getting that same text message, but this time, it’s a little different: It features clear and recognizable branding.
