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Personal service restricted to high-value customers only
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Letters and faxes fast becoming a thing of the past
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E-mail und internet are the communication channels of the futures
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Hamburg, Germany, August 4th, 2005 –
Letters and fax messages are fast becoming yesterday’s news as far as customer contact channels are concerned: 73 percent of those in charge of customer communications in German companies foresee a sharp drop in volume. On the other hand, however, e-mail and internet channels are set to expand rapidly. Seven out of eight companies are planning to invest in customer e-mail communication. Personal dialogs are also becoming increasingly important; however, these are planned as value-added services for high-profit clients. These are the results of a recent market research study focusing on ‘Customer Communication Trends’ and carried out by IT services provider novomind AG and the trade journal TeleTalk.
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The pan-regional Organizing Committee (OK) performed particularly badly compared to the other World Cup organizations: over a two-week period, it failed to answer even one of the electronic requests. Bad news for those who want to find out more, as all e-mails sent to contact@fifa.org or info@dfb.de are routed to the Organising Committee. The regional World Cup Organizing Committee is another story, however: 77 percent responded to e-mail queries about ticket sales and volunteer work. E-Mails from fans also received more attention from the World Cup sponsors (74 percent) and football stadiums (63 percent).
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In addition to the electronic contact channels, personal dialog with the customer remains a significant means of communication. Over half of those who participated believe that one-to-one customer dialogs will become increasingly important over time. In terms of investment, personal customer contact ranked high and came in just behind the internet channel, with 58 percent of companies intending to invest. Compared with figures from the previous year, the rate of investment in direct customer communication has increased by 20 percent. This underlines a clear division in the field customer communication: high-quality services should be offered in the form of personalized customer contact; routine issues should be dealt with digitally to provide maximum value for money.
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Although some 30 percent of those who took part in the study stated that text messages would become an increasingly important means of communication with the customer, very few are willing to invest in this channel. Whereas in 2004, 17 percent of executive representatives planned to spend more on text message technology, this year the number has shrunk to just five percent
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novomind AG is the leading provider of digital customer communication solutions enabling optimized processes and lower costs. novomind’s products and services provide future-oriented customer service and competent, personalized communication, as well as higher-performance customer administration. A rapid ROI is guaranteed and ongoing, long-term customer loyalty ensured. The product department’s portfolio includes the novomind Self Service SuiteTM. The software package contains a full range of communication modules designed to meet the needs of customer service centers in full: e-mail-management modules, virtual customer assistants and systems enabling interactive realtime communication online - and provides complete functionality in a single, central knowledgebase. The novomind services department develops complex e-business applications, including scalable online shop solutions. Leading companies from across the market sectors - including the Bertelsmann Club, the Otto concern, Mexx, BKK Gesundheit and Travelocity, as well as public sector representatives such as the German Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security (BMGS) - have already successfully implemented novomind systems to boost customer loyalty, turnover and public relations.
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