Archive for March, 2016

Behind the scenes

Thursday, March 31st, 2016

What goes on behind the scenes of any organisation isn’t usually something you outline to your customers. But is there ever a time to explain things in more detail? We work in IT on many levels – websites, social media, blogs, software development to name just a few areas. We are extremely security conscious as it is a vital part of our credibility and imperative for our customers’ operations. One of our software features offers a more secure alternative to email – it’s something we shout about, particularly when you are exchanging sensitive data.

However we don’t talk much about the nitty gritty of our approaches to security – researching constantly, keeping ahead of the game – understanding potential security breaches and, as we are now doing, paying just that bit more to ensure we have the best solutions. Maybe there is a time to outline your backroom operations and that’s when it benefits the customer.

Is there something you do (that your competitors possibly don’t) that provides an extra, unseen level of service? If so, it’s worth a discreet mention but be careful to be succinct and don’t scare-monger! If there’s nothing you do that your customers don’t know about, it could be time to implement something new (but more of that in another blog).

What is your client XP?

Tuesday, March 29th, 2016

Sorry, starting the post with a buzzword is always against our better principles but embracing the customer experience (XP) is one of 2016’s most trending marketing activities according to Forbes magazine. Put into layman’s terms, you need to see your firm, services, products and customer care from the other side of the fence – the customer’s point of view.

What kind of experience do your customers (or clients)  have when they a) call the office b) ask for help c) see your organisation online d) interact with your staff e) ask for a specific service f) pay the bill? These are just a few pointers to look at. We suggest you plot every point of interaction with your customers – what do they see when they come to your offices? Is the bathroom somewhere you are proud of? Are your drinks anything other than regular?Are your staff welcoming?

Plot every single point and then test drive them with a group of non-clients. Then you could be brave and ask your existing clients to complete an anonymous survey – all in the name of helping you get better. Few people can resist that honesty.

If you need help planning the analysis or execution of your customer XP evaluation, give us a shout.

What do you do?

Tuesday, March 8th, 2016

At Online Practice we usually write about things that are resonating with us that we think you’ll find useful. Currently we are aware of a lack of clarity in how we communicate what we do to the different people we’d like to work with.

Our main services are web design for professional firms, docSAFE – a secure client portal (for cloud working) and managing our clients’ online presence. We also offer some consultancy and one-to-one work with clients who like the benefit of more attention. We even create short marketing videos so you can see how we can make our own marketing messages too busy.

We do all of this for a number of professional markets – accountants, solicitors, financial advisers and many more.

It’s really important that you are clear in your communications – not only in what you are saying but in addressing different audiences. This is especially relevant if you offer many services to a number of sectors.

When you multiply your services with the number of sectors you work in, it can result in a muddled or confused presentation of your company’s strengths so we recommend the following:

  • Go back to basics (start again, be bold)
  • Assess who you most want/like to work for (where do you work well? where do your strengths lie? who is most profitable? what do you enjoy?)
  • Work out what it is that each of your chosen market sectors needs from you (be very specific)
  • Design marketing messages that speak loudly and clearly to each sector (engage)
  • Be prepared to do a lot more activity to the same number of people (more effort, yes, but much greater rewards)
  • Assess and analyse your results
  • Adjust your campaigns accordingly

We can support you in this journey – let us know if you’d like to brainstorm it and we’ll guide you through the process.

 

Take the next step, call us today
0121 794 0685