LOOKING INTO 2017 - What is considered "scarce"?

As we look forward into 2017 we ask our Directors and selection of associates to comment on the year ahead.
2016 has taught us that the world keeps changing – and not in ways we expect! Here are just a few challenges to business:

People don’t “go online” any more – they’re always online
The traditional sales funnel is outdated
Expectations are increasingly for instant response; immediacy is crucial
Mass marketing is dead!
It doesn’t take years to change behaviour (c.f. Uber)

So, to win in 2017 we need to figure out what’s “scarce” these days that we can use to make our customer experience distinct.
Here are a few key things that could be “scarce”:

Relevance – lots of offers are still being “pushed” to an increasingly unresponsive audience. Stop congratulating yourselves for the <1% who responded and start worrying about the 99% you spammed!
Trust – customers willing to take a risk with your product/service – don’t lose it!
Good advice – there’s lots out there to choose from! How can we ensure they come to us
Human/personal – the rise of self service has made person-to-person interactions more critical to get right and make a memorable impression on the customer. Empathy is crucial and is also scarce
Flexibility – customers aren’t “average” and companies that can flex to their needs – especially in B2B – will win share
Respect – is the behaviour of “bad” customers damaging the experience of “good” customers?
Loyal staff – can we achieve any of the above if the customer talks to a different person every time they interact with us? Companies that can keep their (good) people will deliver a better customer experience
Anti-political – Hierarchical/silo behaviour kills. Complacency kills. There is too much theory and talk about change and “getting buy-in”– not enough doing it! Competitors are eating your lunch!

Author
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Peter Lavers

Peter Lavers is a co-founder and Director of Customer Attuned Ltd.

An expert in CRM and customer experience management, Peter is regularly recognised as a top influencer in the subject.

He's a SAS Collaborator and IBM Futurist; and regularly features in "top people to follow" lists for Customer Experience, Customer Service and Customer Success.

His early career was 18 years with Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motors, after which he jumped the fence into business consulting, helping clients improve customer experience and value.

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