According to new research conducted by cScape over 50 per cent of companies believe their current website fails to meet simple customer engagement criteria – and they want to do something about it. Customer engagement now heads the agenda for 70 per cent of companies, who plan to redesign or update their website to enhance customer engagement in the next year.
The results confirm earlier research carried out by cScape that suggests organisations across the board are prioritising customer interaction. The agency’s research was run before and after their own customer engagement event.
‘Creating a customer engagement strategy: How to get more out of your web investment’ was the first in a series focusing on how to add value to customers through a customer-centric approach – and demonstrating how to reach them using Web 2.0 tools.
Nearly 90 per cent of attendees left the event with a greater sense of how customer engagement strategies relate to their business goals. Blogs and podcasts topped the charts in their future web plans.
The experience proved to be as inspiring as it was informative.
“It is so exciting that we are on the cusp of exploring the potential of technology that connects people,” said Wendy Earle, commissioning editor from the British Film Institute.
Richard Sedley, director of cScape’s Customer Engagement Unit, challenged the audience with the assertion that their web plans must incorporate customer engagement techniques in order to be effective in the current web environment. He advocated the power of persuasive design as a benign influence on customer behaviour, averring that “persuasion is the new usability”.
Customer engagement strategies clearly have potential for both the commercial and public sectors – the event was attended by companies including Barclays, Aviva and The Body Shop alongside membership and public sector organisations.
“This event was hugely successful because organisations want to know about new technology that can help them attract and retain clients,” said Rob Killick, CEO of cScape.
The event took place on Thursday 22 June at Microsoft House. It was so popular that a follow-up event has been planned for early autumn. The next cScape event will further explore the customer-centric approach to business and marketing challenges that was introduced by ‘Creating a customer engagement strategy: How to get more out of your web investment’.
Further information:
Megan Codling
Megafone Communications Ltd
megan@megafonecomms.co.uk
Mb 07795 848586