By Rachel Hardin, Sales and Marketing Assistant
These days, the amount of information that is easily gathered about a consumer by researchers can be frightening. Technology is aiding the process of gathering Internet usage / consumer profile information down to the second, and that information is used by sales and marketing executives for personalized direct mail and other sales tools allowing them to connect with the customer on a personal level… or at least that is the goal.
Recent accusations of information misuse and even racial profiling by the Center for Digital Democracy and the US Public Interest Research Group have marketers and sales executives on pins and needles. Everyone wants to hit that fine line between personalization that amazes the consumer and personalization that frightens the consumer (and makes them wonder how they even got that information in the first place).
So, how exactly do you know how to hit that fine line without crossing it? Here are a few pointers to consider on your next personalized campaign:
-Do not include any customer information that is not directly related to the product/service you are offering.
-Avoid including information related to: medical data, financial information, sexual preference / orientation or personal identifiers (i.e. social security numbers, driver’s license information, telephone numbers and/or physical descriptions).
-Has the majority of your audience heard of your company or organization? If they have not, you should be even more cautious about the customer information you disclose as this could trigger a defensive response, not knowing how you acquired this information.
-It is key to make use of ongoing dialog with customers about data collection. Finding out and complying with their preferred level of privacy can help sales and marketing executives gauge the success and professionalism of their efforts.
Personalized marketing campaigns can be a great way to impress potential clients; however, if the information is not used in a respectful manner, your plans can backfire and your campaign will have the exact opposite effect. Consider who you are targeting, what product / service you are marketing, and what sort of reputation your company has with your target audience, if any. After this has been done and your mailing has been dispersed, communication is key. This will lead to an effective, personalized campaign.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Speed and Accountability, can they co-exist?
By Ed Sweeney, Information Technology Manager
In the fulfillment industry, if you’re not fast and accurate, you’ll struggle to compete. We live in a “now” world and when a consumer places an order for something, they want it now, and expect no less. To be competitive in your order turnaround time, you’ve got to speed up the process, reduce touches, and eliminate manual processes, all without losing precision. With precision comes accountability, and with accountability comes a more efficient workforce. If team members know they are accountable for their actions and that their name is attached to their part of the process, they are more likely to buy into the overall process. This is where you must be careful eliminating manual processes and reducing touches, because you can easily remove accountability at the same time. Technology can help create an efficient process without threatening accountability, all the while increasing order turnaround speed. One specific way that Fulfillment Concepts, Inc. has increased speed and accountability is by incorporating barcodes on employee badges that identify each employee. With this in place, an order can be tracked from the time it arrives into our system until the time it leaves the building. Each step an order takes is tied to a timestamp and a person, leaving little question about an order status and who is responsible for its care. This is just one of many ways that you can increase speed without accountability and accuracy suffering. We’d like to hear from you in the field as to what you’ve done similar to increase turnaround speed, accuracy, and accountability. Use the comments below to respond. We’d love for you to share some experience.
In the fulfillment industry, if you’re not fast and accurate, you’ll struggle to compete. We live in a “now” world and when a consumer places an order for something, they want it now, and expect no less. To be competitive in your order turnaround time, you’ve got to speed up the process, reduce touches, and eliminate manual processes, all without losing precision. With precision comes accountability, and with accountability comes a more efficient workforce. If team members know they are accountable for their actions and that their name is attached to their part of the process, they are more likely to buy into the overall process. This is where you must be careful eliminating manual processes and reducing touches, because you can easily remove accountability at the same time. Technology can help create an efficient process without threatening accountability, all the while increasing order turnaround speed. One specific way that Fulfillment Concepts, Inc. has increased speed and accountability is by incorporating barcodes on employee badges that identify each employee. With this in place, an order can be tracked from the time it arrives into our system until the time it leaves the building. Each step an order takes is tied to a timestamp and a person, leaving little question about an order status and who is responsible for its care. This is just one of many ways that you can increase speed without accountability and accuracy suffering. We’d like to hear from you in the field as to what you’ve done similar to increase turnaround speed, accuracy, and accountability. Use the comments below to respond. We’d love for you to share some experience.
Monday, September 13, 2010
The New Cloud
By Mike McCarson, Manager of System Design (IT Department)
Is Cloud Computing a thing of the past? Not likely. There’s no doubt that the concept is alive and well, BUT the original concept of the phrase Cloud Computing is losing its “wow” factor. Back in the day, cloud computing was a job function that companies outsourced to that large, unexplainable black box in the sky. Companies would make specific decisions about targeted job functions such as word processing tools, and purchase platform space from the likes of Microsoft and others. But in today’s fast paced culture, especially in the IT industry, the continuous development of new & improved technology creates a saturation of cutting edge software and devices that stretches and conforms the definition of the Cloud Computing concept. This isn’t something that we make targeted decisions on anymore; it’s assumed in a lot of cases. For instance, almost all of the handheld devices today implement some form of cloud computing. That being said, the IT “geeks” aren’t the only ones that have to move along with the times. Remember the buzz word Global Warming? The new phrase is Climate Control. What about Reality TV? Yes, this phrase is still buzzing around, but is it still accurate?
Is Cloud Computing a thing of the past? Not likely. There’s no doubt that the concept is alive and well, BUT the original concept of the phrase Cloud Computing is losing its “wow” factor. Back in the day, cloud computing was a job function that companies outsourced to that large, unexplainable black box in the sky. Companies would make specific decisions about targeted job functions such as word processing tools, and purchase platform space from the likes of Microsoft and others. But in today’s fast paced culture, especially in the IT industry, the continuous development of new & improved technology creates a saturation of cutting edge software and devices that stretches and conforms the definition of the Cloud Computing concept. This isn’t something that we make targeted decisions on anymore; it’s assumed in a lot of cases. For instance, almost all of the handheld devices today implement some form of cloud computing. That being said, the IT “geeks” aren’t the only ones that have to move along with the times. Remember the buzz word Global Warming? The new phrase is Climate Control. What about Reality TV? Yes, this phrase is still buzzing around, but is it still accurate?
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Are you a vendor or a partner?
By Amy Schwoeppe, Client Relations Manger
At FCi, we are very relationship-oriented. Being in the fulfillment industry, we believe it is extremely important to be partners with our clients, not just vendors.
In a partnership, there is open communication. We understand our clients’ needs by taking time to learn their business as well as their individual needs. We ask questions and provide feedback. We work together to find the best fit for each need. We help them build processes that deliver the best service for the most cost effective ways to achieve their goals. If something isn’t right, we work together to find a solution; we don’t just want to provide the service. Partnerships build trust and loyalty, which leads to healthy, productive relationships. A vendor is selling something, and we aren’t here to simply sell. We are here to help boost our clients’ business and provide exceptional service along the way.
If we were simply a vendor, why would our clients want to stay? The comfort of having someone looking out for your best interest, improving your processes, saving money and bringing innovation to the table – that’s why they stay; that’s why a partnership is successful. As a vendor, it’s a service or product for sale: no relationship… no insight… no feedback.
Our approach is why we have exceptional retention with our clients. We learn each piece of our client’s business and dedicate teams to be specialists for each client. We train and cross train for extensive coverage. We strive to understand the intimate details of each account, which gives us the advantage to identify issues and resolve them quickly. If you are in an industry in which your clients may benefit from the same approach, perhaps you should take this into consideration and not just be a vendor for your clients, but transition that relationship into a partnership.
At FCi, we are very relationship-oriented. Being in the fulfillment industry, we believe it is extremely important to be partners with our clients, not just vendors.
In a partnership, there is open communication. We understand our clients’ needs by taking time to learn their business as well as their individual needs. We ask questions and provide feedback. We work together to find the best fit for each need. We help them build processes that deliver the best service for the most cost effective ways to achieve their goals. If something isn’t right, we work together to find a solution; we don’t just want to provide the service. Partnerships build trust and loyalty, which leads to healthy, productive relationships. A vendor is selling something, and we aren’t here to simply sell. We are here to help boost our clients’ business and provide exceptional service along the way.
If we were simply a vendor, why would our clients want to stay? The comfort of having someone looking out for your best interest, improving your processes, saving money and bringing innovation to the table – that’s why they stay; that’s why a partnership is successful. As a vendor, it’s a service or product for sale: no relationship… no insight… no feedback.
Our approach is why we have exceptional retention with our clients. We learn each piece of our client’s business and dedicate teams to be specialists for each client. We train and cross train for extensive coverage. We strive to understand the intimate details of each account, which gives us the advantage to identify issues and resolve them quickly. If you are in an industry in which your clients may benefit from the same approach, perhaps you should take this into consideration and not just be a vendor for your clients, but transition that relationship into a partnership.
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