Marketers in 2017 have an arsenal of tools at their disposal to optimally serve the customer. But ironically, all these solutions can also lead to new problems, such as data silos and an inconsistent customer experience. How do you avoid getting caught in a web of marketing tools?
The number of solutions available to marketers has grown dramatically. Marketing technology expert Scott Brinker found that in 2016 there were more than 3,500 solutions , an 87 percent increase from 2015.
In theory, you could go for a best-of-breed strategy, where you choose the most suitable solution in each category. But in practice, there are a
1. Silo formation due to multiple tools
There is a risk that all departments (and even individual employees) use their favorite tools that do not talk to each other. For example, a survey by cmocouncil shows that 67 percent of senior philippines whatsapp number free marketers recognize the value of marketing technology, but only 3 percent see that these tools also add value outside their own department.
A major disadvantage of this island formation is that data silos can arise that make it impossible to get a good 360-degree view of the customer. Data about personal preferences, habits, satisfaction and previous purchases, among other things, remain in one place. As a result, you do not understand the customer and you miss great opportunities to sell more.
67 percent of senior marketers recognize the value of marketing technology, but only 3 percent see these tools adding value outside their own department.
2. Inconsistent customer experience
These data silos – and the lack of insight into customer behaviour – are detrimental to the customer experience (CEX). Consumers expect a consistent customer experience at every point of contact. The website, the newsletter, social media and the chatbots: all channels must reinforce each other.