Author: Mark Atterby

Two years ago Caroline Maillols was appointed by MedicalDirector, a leading provider of healthcare and practice management software, to take charge of their CX and digital transformation strategy. Caroline’s job was to change MedicalDirector from being a product centric company to a customer centric business. CXFocus talks to Caroline about the challenges and successes she experienced. With global headquarters in Sydney Australia, MedicalDirector has been operating in the healthcare and practice management space for 25 years. In that time they have established themselves as the leading provider of practice management software for GPs and medical specialists. They have over 50%…

Most brands understand that purchasing decisions are based more on how people feel rather than logic. According to Forrester, a customer’s emotional reaction to an experience impacts loyalty greater than the ease and efficiency of their interaction. But how do you measure how customers feel ? And what impact does this have on loyalty and the profitability of your business? Understanding customer emotions has become a major focus for a number of brands in the last 10 – 15 years.  Their aim is to improve the way they design and market their products. Dr Lucia Kelleher, neuroscientist and discoverer of…

Buyer or customer personas are a great tool to develop a profound understanding of your customers and the factors that influence their buying decisions. Personas are essential in creating engaging content and customer experiences. There are, however, a number of pitfalls the unwary marketer or CX professional can easily fall into. Hubspot defines a buyer persona as a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer. It’s based on market research and real data about your customers. Julia Loughlin, PR and brand consultant from Echomakers, says, “When done well, buyer personas give us a clear view into our ideal customers and help…

Worldwide spending on CEM and CRM applications grew 15.6% to reach $48.2 billion in 2018, according to research from Gartner. Worldwide enterprise application software revenue totalled more than $193.6 billion in 2018. CRM made up almost a quarter of that revenue. Roughly 72.9% of CRM spending was on software as a service (SaaS) in 2018, which is expected to grow to 75% of total CRM software spending in 2019, with agility and flexibility being big drivers, along with the requirement for remote and mobile users. “Cloud growth has dropped slightly in 2018 but remains strong at 20% and significantly above the…

CX transformation projects can take years and cost millions of dollars. Though the potential benefits are enormous, CEOs can come under immense pressure to justify the costs. According to the Forrester CX Index 2018, little progress has been made in the last few years – brands simply aren’t doing enough to innovate and differentiate themselves from their competitors. Whatever improvements most corporates do make are quickly overtaken by the increasing expectations of customers. Most brands are left falling behind or treading water. Brad Meehan, the Managing Director of Strativity Group in Australia, notes in a recent whitepaper, “Things often start…

Australian retailers are investing in mobile technology to improve instore experiences for customers. According to recent research from VDC Research, commissioned by SOTI inc, 34% of retailers are investing in new technology to increase sales and productivity. However, many retailers are failing to realise the full benefits of their investments. “Many retailers are deploying new technologies to help drive worker efficiencies and support sales teams,” said Michael Dyson, Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand, SOTI. “Retailers want their next-generation mobile devices to show customer’s videos, support promotions, browse the web, place online orders and more.” “The use of mobile point-of-sale…

By analysing employee data, in a similar manner to how they assess sales and marketing data, organisations can significantly improve business performance while reducing recruitment and hiring costs. It’s a challenge for organisations to leverage this data. But the rewards promise to be substantial. Organisations are looking for the ability to make better talent decisions such as predicting employee performance as well as enhanced workforce planning and forecasting. Improved insights gleaned from employee data can lead to lower staff turnover, greater productivity and positive employee experiences. According to research from Deloittes, HR is becoming a data-driven function, enabling businesses to…

Customer expectations are outstripping the capabilities of companies to meet them. The problem, according to a range of recent research and opinion, is the lack of investment in digital business models that enhance operational capabilities while creating value for customers. Companies that don’t fully embrace digital transformation will be fighting an uphill battle to keep customers satisfied.

Marketing has stepped up to take a greater role in leading CX initiatives across the enterprise, according to recent research from Salesforce. Though CX encompasses much more than marketing, marketers have a unique perspective of customer needs, behaviours, and challenges. Hopefully, greater alignment between all enterprise departments will erode the silos that are minimising the benefits of CX initiatives. Almost half (45%) of all marketing leaders say their department is leading CX initiatives across the enterprise. This is up 24% from 2017. This has encouraged, according to Salesforce research, marketing to fundamentally revaluate its traditional role within the organisation. It…

Marketers are now producing more content than ever before. They have their blogs and social media channels pumping out press releases, articles and posts on a weekly, daily and in some cases hourly basis. Too much of it is generating noise rather than compelling content that drives customer engagement and improves the brand experience. The advent of social media and blogs has led to the surge in marketing content being produced. It’s predicted that the content marketing industry will be worth $US 412 bn by 2021[i]. That means a lot of content is being produced. The question is: how much…