Customers use many channels to interact with the companies they do business with. This includes the rising adoption of smartphones and use of social networks among consumers. According to the Mobile Marketing Association, more than half of the population in countries such as the U.K., Saudi Arabia, Sweden, and UAE are using smartphones, while the penetration rate is greater than 40 percent in countries such as the U.S., Spain, and Switzerland. Meanwhile, Facebook has 845 million active users worldwide; LinkedIn and Twitter boast 150 million and 127 million users, respectively.

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Posted by Orkun Oguz | Permalink | Comments ()

If you think about different organizations, including your own, you will notice a spectrum of ways that companies think about building their success. During the heyday of the mass marketing era -- practically all of the 20th century -- companies were very product oriented. Companies tried to develop good products and then find customers for those products. Today, new technologies and rising customer expectations require companies to develop good customers and then find the right products for those customers. This customer-first approach requires a shift from product centricity to customer centricity.

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Posted by Martha Rogers | Permalink | Comments ()

Under the current business model, healthcare insurance in the United States is sold to individual consumers through brokers and employers. But as the U.S. healthcare industry continues to undergo reform, the market will increasingly shift from a B2B model to more of a B2C model where individuals have a stronger voice in their healthcare decisions, including greater choice over the healthcare insurance provider they select. As such, it's going to become increasingly important for healthcare insurers (i.e. payers) to develop a much better understanding of the needs, behaviors, and value of individual customers in order to tailor product offerings and support more cost-effectively.

Continue reading "Customer Strategist Dietrich Chen: Customer Segmentation in Healthcare -- A Prescription for Survival" »

Posted by Peppers & Rogers Group Consulting Team | Permalink | Comments ()