The 2019 iQmetrix Meetup has come and gone! As leaders in one-to-one customer outreach, sponsoring and attending Meetup 2019 was extremely valuable.
We were able to reconnect with our customers, meet new dealers, and get a pulse on what’s happening in our industry.
Inspired after such an amazing event, here’s a recap of our panel discussion for those who missed it.
A Primer on Our Panel Discussion
Our panel highlighted how one-to-one customer outreach maximizes profits and builds customer relationships - both from a carrier and a dealer's point of view.
Our own Scott McArthur, Chief Revenue Officer, moderated the session and our panelists included:
- Wendy Drummond, CEO of Premier Locations, a 42-store U.S. Cellular Authorized Agent
- Thomas Catani, VP Sales of U.S. Cellular
- Mark Borges, CIO of Go Wireless, a 700-store Verizon Authorized Retailer
- Harpreet Katari, CEO of Your Wireless, a 100-store Verizon Authorized Retailer
How They Approach Customer Outreach
Dealers and carriers have to work twice as hard to maintain their base.
In a world where upgrade cycles are getting longer and device prices are going up, here's how our panelists get their base back in stores.
Premier Locations: Ditching Phone Calls
Before using a one-to-one approach, Wendy’s outreach efforts relied on a lot of phone calls. After seeing little engagement, she realized nobody wanted to be called anymore.
For Wendy, It’s not just about getting the initial sale. It’s about keeping the customer engaged for the next sale. She now uses one-to-one messaging and has seen great results since.
Your Wireless: Scaling to 100+ stores
When Harpreet first started with outreach in 2002, he was using the standard RQ 3-day callback system, email blasts once a month with thank yous and promotions, and used another vendor to send a mass text message once a month.
As the number of his retail locations grew, his outreach strategy took a lot of effort with little to no results.
Now, with over 100 stores, Harpreet’s staff sends warm one-to-one messages which give him confidence that his reps are talking to customers the same way he would have talked to them back in 2002.
Go Wireless: Making Outreach Millennial-Friendly
Go Wireless hires a lot of millennials and they found it challenging to get store personnel to make an outbound phone call. In 2015, they were using email and phone calls to do mass marketing with marginal returns on both channels.
Realizing that millennials prefer to communicate over text and that 9/10 customers crave a 1:1 interaction over text, it was clear that they needed to text message their base.
How Carriers and Dealers Can Coordinate Their Outreach Efforts
When it comes to outreach, it’s not uncommon for dealers to feel that they’re out-of-sync with the carrier.
Carriers typically want to control the messaging, but dealers don’t want their customers to order online or go to a corporate store.
Thankfully, our panelists all agreed that there’s room for coexistence.
It takes a coordinated strategy to engage and care for the customer without overwhelming them with messages.
Takeaway: You have to be where the customer shops. If the carrier’s brand or product message is the only thing being promoted, dealers are thinking “what about me?”. And if dealers just rely on local relationships, the carrier's brand message is not being conveyed. That’s why a one-to-one outreach approach is a perfect solution to help you do both.
How To Think About Customer Outreach Moving Forward
In a world of customer churn and retention, a stellar customer experience enabled by an outreach platform will help you win.
Think as much about serving as you do about selling. Approach your base with a service mindset and that is the best way to grow your business.
