Distributors agree that “getting closer to customers” is a top priority in the next five years. Achieving that goal takes on new meaning in the information technology age. Customer preferences about how, when, where, and why they want to interact with distributors continue to evolve.
In response, distributors must adapt the communication options they make available to customers. While face-to-face interactions will continue to play a central role in distributor-customers relations, information technology can bring opportunities into focus by removing transactional issues from the agenda. This will allow sales and customer service resources to focus on value-added topics, such as understanding customers’ needs, defining new services, prioritizing market opportunities, and aligning forecasts and plans.
In this environment, customers expect customer-facing personnel to quickly access, integrate, and share information and insights—about the relationship, customer product and delivery preferences, pricing, sales volumes, and other important issues.
ACTION POINT: Deliver value over and above products and services via insights and information.
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