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Author: Franz Malten Buemann

  • How to Map Your Ecommerce Customer Journey [Template Included]

    We’ve talked a lot about the customer journey — how it impacts sales, service, and marketers.
    But one segment that feels a little different is the ecommerce customer journey. The customer journey is different from service based companies, because it can be much quicker (buying from Amazon or an Instagram ad).

    However, if you work at an ecommerce company, it’s important to understand the customer journey: all the touch points and stages.
    Below, let’s learn how to map your ecommerce company’s customer journey. Plus, you can download some templates to help you get started.

    Touch points can include when someone sees a social media ad, when a friend tags them in a post online, when they come across your website, when they read a blog of yours, when your product shows up on Google, when they search on Amazon, etc.
    The journey from when they first come in contact with you to when they purchase your product to if they reach out for a return is included in the ecommerce customer journey.
    Writing down these touch points might make you realize that the journey on your website isn’t ideal. If that happens, you can look for solutions to help you, like WooCommerce (a WordPress plug in).
    Now, let’s explore the various stages of the ecommerce journey.

    1. Awareness
    The first stage of the ecommerce customer journey is awareness. During this stage, a potential customer is experiencing a problem and is doing research to understand their problem.
    During this stage, customers are researching the issue they’re having, seeing if it has solutions, overcoming misconceptions, and prioritizing solutions.
    2. Consideration
    In the consideration stage, potential customers are researching products and methods to solve their problem.
    For example, let’s say that I want to start a morning routine. I do some research on Google and see a few ads on social media and realize I want a morning routine journal.
    Now that I know what I want to buy and how to fix my problem, it’s time to research solutions. I’ll go to Google and Amazon and see what morning routine journals are available and which ones have the best reviews.
    3. Decision
    During this stage, potential customers are now narrowing down their list to the top products they want to buy.
    This is when they’re learning what makes your product stand out from the competition, and why your product is the one they need. During this stage, it’s important to understand the various touch points so you can communicate what makes your product unique.
    4. Retention
    For ecommerce, I decided to add one more stage to the customer journey. That stage is retention. After a customer buys your product, their experience and decision to buy from you again relies solely on the quality of your product and customer service.
    Let’s say the package was missing, delivered to the wrong address, or they want to return the product. If that experience doesn’t go well, they won’t buy from you again. If it does go well, they’ll probably consider leaving a positive review.
    Additionally, during the retention stage is when you can consider retargeting marketing and social media ads so more of your products show up for them online.
    Once you’ve delighted your customers, they start to see you show up online, and want to engage with you, they’ll buy from you again and again.
    To learn more about ecommerce marketing, you can check out HubSpot Academy’s free ecommerce marketing course.
    Now that we understand the ecommerce customer journey, let’s visualize it with a customer journey map.
    Essentially, this map will be a visualization of the start-to-finish customer journey. The point of creating this map is to not only understand the customer journey, but also to plan how you’re going to improve the customer experience at every touch point.
    For example, HubSpot customer, CODE41, was able to optimize their ecommerce customer journey through HubSpot’s Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, and Service Hub.
    With Marketing Hub, CODE41 sends millions of emails (yes, millions) to their lists. With Sales Hub, they have the customer support team automate reminders to minimize the customer support failures: not following up on client requests, not forgetting to check payment status, etc.
    Lastly, the company uses Service Hub to generate reports for how many tickets they have that were returned, complaints, repairs, etc. This helps them improve their customer experience and retention in the process.
    If you want to get started with your own ecommerce customer journey map, you can use HubSpot’s customer journey map template, where you’ll brainstorm what the customer is thinking or feeling, what their actions are, what they’re researching, and how they go from consideration to decision.

    For more information, you can check out this post on customer journey thinking, and watch the video below to learn more:

    Now, you might be wondering, “How do I create an ecommerce customer journey map?”
    Well, first you’ll create your buyer personas, and then envision what your ideal customer goes through when they’re seeking your product.
    Once you do that, take HubSpot’s ecommerce marketing course, and download our templates, then you can just fill out the template and brainstorm how to improve the journey at every touch point.
    Ecommerce customer journey mapping is an essential part of understanding your target audience and improving the customer experience. Focusing on providing the best customer experience will help retain customers and drive more leads and sales.

  • How Much Does It Cost to Run a Call Center?

    Call centers have traditionally been seen as unprofitable, and a necessary cost for businesses. However, recent data has shown that creating exceptional customer experiences and providing quality service with a human touch has a direct effect on consumer loyalty and how much they spend.
    With that said, call centers are expensive to run, so it’s important to consider the financial costs involved. If you’re thinking of launching your own call center, here’s a guide to help you calculate the costs involved.
    The ROI of Call-Backs for Your Call Center
    Types of call centers.
    What are your goals for your call center? Your directives will help you determine the appropriate operation for your business.
    Inbound call centers.
    This type of call center manages incoming calls, most often from customers. They manage everything from technical support to complaints to order processing and everything in between.
    Outbound call centers.
    Like its name suggests, outbound call centers are used to make outgoing calls. Agents will perform phone outreach to create sales opportunities, verify information, conduct surveys, and much more.
    Hybrid call centers.
    You probably guessed it, but we’ll tell you anyway. Hybrid call centers combine the functions of inbound and outbound to create one powerhouse operation. Agents are often separated in teams based on their assigned duties.
    Once you establish the functions of your call center, you will be better able to anticipate costs involved.
    Why the Future of the Contact Center is Remote
    Choose your location.
    The next thing to consider is the location of your call center.
    On-site, local.
    It’s great to have a team of local in-house call center agents who are familiar with the local culture and customer base. Having a physical location is also important for businesses that require extensive data security, such as medical patient information or financial records.
    However, this approach is also the most expensive when you consider the cost of renting local space and agent salaries. If this is a challenge, an on-site offshore call center may be a better fit.
    On-site, offshore.
    Offshore call centers offer a lot of the same benefits as its local counterpart. However, these are considerably less expensive to launch and operate — most offshore call centers are located outside of the US in places like India or the Philippines.
    Remote/virtual.
    More call centers than ever have switched to a remote set-up, thanks to the pandemic. This option is great because it eliminates the costs that come with renting a physical space. However, consider that you will need to accommodate your agents with reliable internet, equipment, and other tools needed to complete their work reliably from home.
    Hire a team of agents.
    The key to a call center’s success lies with its agents. In order to create a successful and profitable operation, you’ll need to invest time, resources, and money into finding and retaining the best call center agents.

    TIP:
    Hiring your first team of agents? Consider hiring a combination of trainees and experienced agents — this way, your call center veterans can provide guidance and support to new recruits.

    According to CloudTask, the average salary for a Customer Service Representative in the US is $30,688 (USD) + benefits and commission fees, if applicable. You’ll also need a manager to oversee the operation — the average salary for that is $39,694 (USD) + benefits.
    Here are some other call center roles you may consider hiring:

    Trainers/coaches
    Analysts
    Quality assurance
    IT support

    To get an accurate reading on your expenses, you’ll need to figure out how many individuals you need to hire. You can calculate this based on performance goals, sales and revenue targets, and other data. It’s important not to skip this step — overstaffing will cost you unnecessary dollars, and understaffing leaves your call center open to call spikes and overwhelm.
    Aside from salaries, you’ll need to consider other upfront costs. For example, the onboarding and training period will require considerable investment. After all, you can’t expect your team to become high performers on day one. Time spent sourcing and evaluating candidate should be taken into consideration as well.
    Call center tools and technology.
    Call centers require more than just a laptop and headset. Today, these operations are equipped with the latest technology to create seamless, high quality customer experiences.
    The tools and resources you need will depend on the type of call center you are establishing. With that said, start your search with these three technologies:
    Top Contact Center Technology Trends in 2021
    Business phone system.
    Phone systems involve different types of hardware, software, and processes to keep your call center operation running smoothly. It manages everything from call routing to the interface agents use to manage customer queries and/or accounts. Avaya is one of the most popular phone systems, but there are many options on the market.
    CRM system.
    If your phone system doesn’t include a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, you should invest in one. These platforms allow your agents to access and manage customer information in one central hub. CRMs are essential for creating positive customer experiences and building customer loyalty.
    Performance analytics tool.
    The best decisions you can make for your business are supported by data. That’s why you’ll need a performance analytics tool to track key performance indicators (KPIs) and other metrics. This information will help you refine your processes, identify gaps in your operation, and make informed choices on how to improve your call center.
    Additional tools to consider.

    Call-back technology. This simple but powerful tool offers inbound callers a call-back, so they don’t have to wait on hold, making call spikes more manageable for your agents.

    Internal communication system. Give agents a way to communicate with one another, even with a customer on the line, so they can request support discreetly. This can be as simple as a chat system, such as Slack or Microsoft Teams.

    Live chat system. The phone channel is great, but it can be costly to run. Consider providing customers an alternative way to reach you via live chat and free up your phone lines for more complex interactions.

    Call center outsourcing: an alternative to in-house services.
    Once you’ve accounted for the above expenses, you’ll have a good sense of the costs associated with launching your call center. However, it’s important to have some extra funds available for unforeseen circumstances, such as agent attrition, over/understaffing, and emergencies and crises.
    For this reason, many businesses choose to outsource their call center operations. Outsourcing is often more cost effective, given that you don’t need to account for staffing, infrastructure, and other expenses.
    Your Guide to Call Center Outsourcing in 2021
    Is there anything else you’d add to this list? Share your thoughts with us @Fonolo on Facebook, Linkedin, or Twitter.The post Blog first appeared on Fonolo.

  • Best Salesforce Apps in 2021

    The AppExchange is one of the best features of the Salesforce platform. Being able to install an App into your CRM as easily as on your iPhone, is a huge win for businesses who are constantly looking to innovate on behalf their users. But with… Read More

  • What is the Difference Between Earned, Owned, and Paid Traffic?

    Growing your email list means you have more and more leads to engage with, nurture, and potentially convert to new customers. There are various ways to grow your list, but most of them involve increasing your site traffic. And when evaluating your site traffic and determining where it’s coming from, it’s important to be able…
    The post What is the Difference Between Earned, Owned, and Paid Traffic? appeared first on Benchmarkemail.

  • Uncountable

    A mass noun is one that doesn’t take an S when we have more. “Butter” and “Information” are both uncountable in use, because when we only have only one unit of butter (or information) we use the same word as if we have four or six units. Butter is butter.

    Uncountable words are understandably difficult to measure at a glance. They don’t fit easily into the industrial mindset, and we’re often pushed to find things that are less mysterious.

    But it turns out that uncountable words like trust, honesty, commitment, passion, connection and quality are a fine thing to focus on.

  • Outperforming competitors with a powerful brand purpose

    When was the last time you smiled? A smile is a simple act that stimulates a chemical reaction in the brain, releasing a suite of ‘feel-good’ hormones. To cheer myself up, I occasionally look into the mirror and smile. Heaven knows moments of joy have been hard to come by this past year! The endorphins…
    The post Outperforming competitors with a powerful brand purpose appeared first on Customer Experience Magazine.

  • Amazon best seller genie

    submitted by /u/LowRound1 [link] [comments]

  • Become your own boss and join the affiliate marketing team

    submitted by /u/LowRound1 [link] [comments]

  • Pat attention

    Hi all, we are searching for someone who makes marketing in Reddit in order to promote something. Furthermore we re also searching some Reddit’s accounts with more than 1000 of Karma. For any question or offers you can Dm us. Hola a todos. Estamos buscando alguien que haga marketing en Reddit pata promocionar algo en especial. Además también estamos buscando algunas cuentas de Reddit con 1000 o más de Karma. Cualquier consulta u oferta pueden escribir al mensaje privado.
    submitted by /u/CriptokingTothemoon [link] [comments]

  • 5 Examples of Fabulous Email Footers

    Article first published May 2018, updated April 2021
    When it comes to email marketing, you probably spend most of your time thinking about the message you want to get across. You’re likely to focus your energy on crafting the perfect copy, as well as including compelling images.
    However, every email you send has a footer. When was the last time you thought about yours? Footers may not be the first thing you think of when creating emails to send to your subscribers, but they’re an essential piece of the puzzle.
    At Campaign Monitor, our drag-and-drop email builder has a range of flexible options for editing your footers so that you can customize them to align with your email design and brand.
    The footer won’t get the attention of your readers before they open the email, but it can make a difference to someone who’s thinking about unsubscribing. It can also unexpectedly delight the people on your list. Read on to discover what your footer should include, as well as five examples of fabulous email footers.
    What is the footer of an email?
    The footer of your email is located at the very end of your email and is often referred to as the email signature. This is typically the ending of your email where you wish your regards to your reader and then include your name and other pertinent information.
    However, in our digital age, there are a wide variety of different ways to maximize the impact your email signature.

    What should I include in my email signature?
    The signature is more than your sign-off at the end of your email. The purpose of signatures is to include important information about yourself to your reader. This usually includes your name and some form of contact information, such as:

    Phone number
    Email address
    Website

    Most web clients now allow users to customize their email signatures in several different ways. These typically include:
    Plain text signature
    These are standard, text-only signatures. They aren’t very fancy and generally include the most basic information, such as the sender’s name and maybe a quote or their business name.
    Take this example from Team Beachbody:

    Source: Gmail
    Their email signature is simply “—Team Beachbody,” with nothing fancy included.
    HTML signature
    HTML signatures are different from plain text signatures because they allow for expanded creativity. Users can customize their email footers with varying images, colors, shapes, and links.
    Here’s an example from keywee’s Chief Commercial Officer:

    Source: Gmail
    Here, the sender includes not only a plain text signature with his name and position, but he also includes a hyperlink with his website and email, followed by a full-color logo/image.
    Should you include your email address in your email signature?
    The answer is no. It’s simply not necessary.
    When your clients or subscribers receive an email from you, all they need to do is click “reply” to begin drafting a message back to you, so including your email address in your email footer is simply redundant.
    In fact, if your marketing team is using an ESP like Campaign Monitor, then you can even enter personalization tags in the “From” area to allow the system to automatically replace the default email address to the most appropriate reply-to address, such as the contact email address for a salesperson in a given area.
    1. Share a motto like United by Blue.
    United by Blue sells outdoor gear that’s reliable and durable. In their email footer, the business includes the motto they live by, staying on brand. They also make it easy for their customers to get help by including their phone number and hours of business. Everything is organized, easy to find, and they have their hashtag to find them on social media.

    Takeaway: Include relevant information for customers, such as valuable contact information.
    2. Share your business personality like Moosejaw.
    Moosejaw, a lively outdoor gear company, has to include information required by law for their sales and clearance prices. However, they keep it on brand by having fun with the wording, even thanking their subscribers for making it down that far in the email. They also have a link to their privacy policies, a link to an email preference center, and an easy-to-find unsubscribe link. Plus, the link to a picture of a giraffe does, in fact, go to a picture of a giraffe.

    Takeaway: Follow the compliance laws, but don’t be afraid to make it your own.
    3. Add images.
    Alaska Airlines has added a lot of personality to the footer of their emails. They have a clear unsubscribe link and address, but they’ve kept with their branding by including colors and their logo. They also have a fun way of asking their subscribers to follow them on social media.

    Takeaway: Using your logo is a great way to stay on brand with your email footers.
    4. Include an email preference link like Patagonia.
    Patagonia has icons with links to a few of the programs they run, plus many social media icons to help their customers connect with them. They also have a great message to get their subscribers to use the preference center with a promise that they’ll then get the right sorts of emails.

    Takeaway: Having an email preference center with links to it in your email footer is a great way to give your readers the freedom to make changes as they wish.
    5. Share your company values like MiiR.
    MiiR, a company that creates water bottles and coffee cups, has a clean and simple footer with a powerful message. They, of course, have all the required information, but they’ve made their unsubscribe message friendly and nice. They’ve made a point to highlight their company mission, reminding subscribers of who they are and what they stand for.

    Takeaway: Make your objective and brand stand out by including it in your email footer.
    Wrap up
    While footers may seem unimportant, they can be optimized to add some oomph to your emails. They allow you to provide subscribers with more information about you and your brand, as well as ways to adjust their preferences and improve their experiences with you.
    Try out Campaign Monitor today to trial our range of flexible options for editing your footers – you can choose a layout, customize text color, font and size, add a logo, add hyperlinks, customize background color, and more!
    These email footer examples are only the beginning of crafting a high-performing email. Take that knowledge further with our advice on creating compelling copy and optimized header, footer, and CTAs for email campaigns that are sure to perform.
    The post 5 Examples of Fabulous Email Footers appeared first on Campaign Monitor.