Public Image And Customer Management Strategies

Through sustaining the customer relationships, leaders of the company have realized that “becoming nearer to the consumer” is vital for the progression.

Customer service is the most important aspect of any business. Without an adequate relationship with its consumer base, a company is at an enormous disadvantage.

In 2016, Applebee’s closed 46 of its locations. There are multiple factors that have contributed to this fault. They have failed to develop and keep its target market. Capturing both markets has caused misdirection to Applebee’s. The confusion of their position has proven to be costly. In 2016 $76M worth of new fire wood grills were installed throughout most locations. However, in the first year of its rollout, sales were down 4.2% overall. The buzz and excitement was not being successfully delivered to the millennial crowd. Simultaneously it too did not appeal to the Baby Boomers. Millennials value experiences over material goods. In efforts of trying to appeal to the millennial market, they have missed to maintain the relationship with the traditional root market, i.e., Baby Boomers. Their core competency became their core rigidity. The marketing effort that started in 2010 has failed. Sales were dismantled in attempts to capture the Millennial market, and were not being maintained from their Baby Boomer market.

Why do I say the customer? Because it is apparent that in modern times more and more businesses alienate the customer and only focus on profit. Take for example the success of Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, who had one philosophy, “Buy low, sell cheap, high volume, fast turn” (Packer, 101).  Walton figured out that people were cheap and he exploited that knowledge to raise his riches. Wal-Mart grew exponentially fast and lost management over its roots, what once started as a business for people in need with perhaps great customer service is now known for driving smaller stores out of business with terrible customer service.

In nowadays of web-based social networking, those numbers are certain to increment no less than ten times and as they do, the question emerges; how might you get more customers functioning for you, less against? An awesome place to begin is to focus on comprehension consumer loyalty and to do that, you should make a striking client encounter, one they can't hold up to delineate for others.

Development of good customer relations is vital for the survival of any given company. Marketing research serves as an indicator of the level of current costumer relation,

While savvy marketing and a targeted sales pitch may lure customers, it is how a company relates and responds to customers’ needs and concerns that determine successful customer retention. In the current social media age, consumers have a multitude of platforms, to include Facebook, Twitter, or Yelp, through which they voice their satisfaction and/or dissatisfaction with a particular company’s policies, practices, or products. Such feedback is not only instantaneous, but far-reaching as the social media explosion allows for mass promulgation of unfiltered comments, concerns, and reviews. Thus, the need for exemplary customer service practices is more pronounced today than ever before. Sound customer service can include many different services and activities, and can vary from company to company, depending on the sector and size of the organization. The onus is upon managers to formulate effective policies and attainable goals through which customer service is enhanced for their respective company, thereby improving supplier-customer interaction. (Tucker, 1994, pp.32-40)

Through this festival, Chipotle plays a role in educating and also connecting people with local foods, flavors, and beverages. It provides them a perfect opportunity to build their reputation and also to highlight new brands and drive awareness. Chipotle has added to their unconventional marketing efforts and found a new way to appeal to their customers. They introduced a program called “Cultivating Thought” that enhances the Chipotle experience. This program incorporates a unique approach to Chipotle’s bags and cups. “Cultivating Thought” features inspirational two minute excerpts written by various writers. Through these approaches, Chipotle has been able to become a brand that is popular amongst Millennials. Millennials are people 18 to 34 years old (born between 1977 and 2000). There are 80 million Millennials in America alone who account for an estimated $1.3 trillion in direct annual spending. They are also forming lifelong shopping preferences and habits now (Barton). Chipotle is able to recognize the impact the Millennials have and also understand every aspect of the millennial generation. With their unconventional approach to marketing their brand, Chipotle has been successful in reaching out to Millennials and leveraging itself on being the socially conscience

Starbucks positions itself as a place college students can hang out, study, write term papers and meet people. A Starbucks appeal to this consumer directly through introducing technology as soon as it comes available, focusing on social networking and actively cultivating a “cool” image. The young adult audience grows 4.6 percent each year (O’ Farrell).” However, the majority of the advertising is catered to Adults around the ages of 25 to 40. Adults seem to prefer a pick me up first thing in the morning on their way to work. Most Starbucks today have a drive thru to make it faster to grab and go.

It’s essential that companies or businesses today listen to their customers. No company or business today can afford to disregard the importance of customer satisfaction and loyalty. Aren’t they the same thing? No, they are absolutely not and they are enormously

Today’s organizations fail to realize the value of their customers when it comes to the success of their business. Without customer loyalty the success of your business will always be uncertain. Organizations must sensitively tailor the designs of a successful firm to the particular challenges of understanding, attracting, and keeping valuable customers. “Having satisfied customers just aren’t good enough”. Kenneth Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles, co-authors of Raving Fans, believe this concept is needed to have a successful business. I agree with this concept of customers being the focal point of any business. I would want more than just a satisfied customer; I want a “Raving Fan”.

It is imperative to satisfy customers and give them an amazing experience at the company. While it cost less to sell to existing customers and companies can increase profit by selling to the same customers; if customers are satisfied, there is more chance they will come back for more services or products. Satisfied customers are a free marketing for the company. However, it is the opposite if customers are dissatisfied. Dissatisfied customer will tell 8 to 10 people about his or her experience (O’Brien, A & Marakas, G. 2004). If by any reason, representatives see that the customer is not satisfy, they should act fast and fix the problem. Furthermore, there is more chance for sale representatives to sell to an existing customer that to a new customer. A good strategy for customer retention is to reward good customers. Companies can easily do

5. RELATIONSHIP MARKETING: In this competitive era, companies are always looking for ways to develop and maintain a long lasting relationship with customers, employees and even suppliers. Relationship marketing is two way traffic; it goes beyond just making ‘sales’ and companies are beginning to realize. Good relationship with customers is a strategic weapon for any company, this is because long term customers buy more, do referrals and give back valuable and truthful feedback. Keeping a customer requires an extra effort. According to the founder of Walmart: “There is only one boss, the customer, and he can fire

In order to operate a successful and profitable business, certain strategies must be put in place. One very important strategy is customer relationship management. To ensure that every customer has the opportunity to receive exceptional customer service and the ability to become a loyal customer, an organization must follow these steps. First, the organization must evaluate their current customer service strategies and organizational goals. This will help decipher strengths and weaknesses of the organization. Once the organization’s weaknesses are determined, action must be taken immediately. The weaknesses should act as opportunities, while the strengths can be used as something to capitalize off of. If an organization lacks a loyalty program, their next step would be to design one that correlates with their business model and organization goals. Once an organization redesigns their customer service strategies and customer loyalty programs, they will need to accurately apply metrics to successfully measure the value of the changes being made.

In today’s modern era, the world is moving faster than ever, every organization is running a race of gaining maximum market share, and so as the customers, for their organization’s long-term growth but only those companies who transform themselves according to the need and requirement of the customers are able to achieve success and profit they desire and that’s what exactly said by Theodore Levitt (Head of the Marketing area at the Harvard Business School) in his article “The Marketing Imagination”.