MCH Blog

For over 5,000 years we have been tracking time and the progress of the seasons through the year using calendars, early examples include the Egyptian Calendar found on the walls of Karmak temple near Luxor, The Sumarian star chart believed to be carved around 3300 BC and the sophisticated Mayan date wheel with a cycle of over 5,000 years.

Fortunately for us, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the current 12 month Gregorian calendar with a 4 yearly leap day which has largely been adopted around the world making date referencing a doddle.  Did you know that leap days are only added to the century years dividing exactly by 400 I’m sure this will cause some confusion in 2100 when it comes around and doesn’t have one!

What has any of this got to do with promotional gifts…well, for the past half a century EMC have been selling devices for you to give to your team and customers to help them keep track of their timings and appointments including desk and wall calendars, diaries and anything you can print a calendar on.

Most recently the most popular of these has been the mouse mat calendar (a normal mouse mat with a full years dates set out on it).  And once again we are offering these with a bit of help to set it out and pop your details on it.

You can choose the elements you require and we will layout and set up using your fonts, colours and images like below and for the next couple of months we can offer our own choice of mat, the hard top precision mouse mat including a full colour print for only the price of a one colour print.

This is an absolute belter of a deal as this mat will easily last the year and put your details quite literally close to hand for all your clients.

Prices start from 94p (2500 rate) for a whole years full colour advertising!

Click here or call the team on 020 8492 2200 for more details.

(Click here for all mouse mats)
(Click here for all special offers)

Many business leaders look to use Customer Experience (CX) programmes to strategically improve operations – surveys and studies indicate that companies are investing more today than ever before on customer service and customer experience.

But why are CX programmes failing, and what can business leaders like yourself do about it? Here are four common pitfalls to avoid as you develop and execute a CX programme:

Lack of ownership

A CX programme needs attention to keep things moving forward. They require strategy and leadership from the top. There must be a programme owner – one individual who is ultimately responsible for the success and quality of the programme. This single person doesn’t need to be an expert in all areas of the business, but the more they know the more effective the programme will be.

Because a robust CX programme involves product, development, marketing, sales and customer success, one individual or core team needs to take ownership for driving multiple teams in the same direction. Without clear ownership, mission creep will derail even the most detailed CX programme.

Empower your leader and give them the authority to be successful. Provide them with the resources necessary to create value.

Ineffective Strategy

Often, CX programmes have been poorly conceived and are simply not designed to inspire change or innovation. The programme needs a clear focus which holds change at the centre, as well as benefits to both the customers and business.

Effective CX programmes prioritise the importance of what gets measured against your desired business outcomes, known as key driver analysis. Key driver analysis helps you identify where the most effective change should take place within your organisation.

Departments need to work together – any time a customer has to enter the same piece of information twice, it’s a sign that teams need to be sharing relevant customer information with each other.

Losing direction

Many CX programmes start off strategic, with clear business objectives and a linear plan in place. However over time, big strategic goal often dissolve as employees focus on the here and now. CX programmes can often be pushed down the priority list by more seemingly urgent tasks that promise quick results.

How do you stop your CX programme from going off track? Communication and a clear roadmap is key. Have frequent catch-ups with the core team, as well as with key stakeholders, to keep engagement levels high and to make sure you’re on track to reach your milestones.

A change in team structure or employees, especially those directly involved with the programme, could also cause your CX programme to go off course if a full handover plan is not put into place.  Ensure that there is always a core person or team taking responsibility for the programme’s progression, at both agency and client side. Give the CX programme the resource it requires to keep moving.

Staying up to date with the latest CX knowledge is also a great way to ensure that your programme remains at the forefront of the latest innovations and doesn’t fall behind. Industry events are a perfect opportunity to discover what other companies are doing in the CX space – attend talks and speak to like-minded people to gather ideas and inspiration for your own programme’s future.

Failure to change and innovate

Customer experience excellence in the marketplace is a constantly shifting target. What works today for customers is unlikely to remain relevant forever.

A forward-thinking approach is essential to keep your CX programme moving, and in turn your organisation. Organisations must be more vigilant than ever in remaining innovative and future-proofing their businesses. Create an innovative culture within your business – managers need to make sure that innovation is a job requirement for their employees. It should be woven into the fabric of the business and given a prominent place in job descriptions, procedures and performance evaluations.

Watermelon’s approach to CX is to constantly think about what’s next.  Every programme has a roadmap in place that maps out planned changes and creates a space for new technologies and developments. Our dedicated R&D team ensure we are at the forefront of both research and technology.

There are many obstacles that can prevent a CX programme from being successful. The key is to remember that CX programmes are not only about watching scores go up and down. The ultimate goal is to create experiences that add value to the customer and the firm simultaneously, and this requires constant change.

The construction industry, surveyors, planning consultants and land owners have been quick to catch on to the full potential of aerial drone photography and video.  Nowadays we are just as likely to be commissioned by a surveyor or a planner as marketing or sales manager.

Innovative software packages are now available that provide accurate data gathering and surveying at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods.

In addition to stunning imagery (full-frame distortion-free 60MP stills and HDMI & 4K ultra HD video), Greywolf offers a complete range of additional services for planning applications, marketing and information campaigns, and data gathering and surveying:

• 360 degree panoramas
• virtual reality tours
• 3D modelling
• othomosaic mapping (aerial photographs stitched together and adjusted for topographic relief, lens distortion and camera tilt to produce a high-resolution image with the accuracy of a conventional map)
• camera-matched backdrops for CGI images
• FLIR thermal imaging
• Digital surface mapping (DSM)

Visit our website https://www.greywolfstudios.co.uk for details of all our services.

We are fully licensed, insured and have Civil Aviation Authority permission for commercial operations including night flights.

For more information call Mark Laing on 020 7385 7618 or email mark@greywolfstudios.co.uk

“Last week we had the privilege of creating the back drop for the Premier League cup 2018, a burning goal post created with special non -burning material can withstand 2000c temperature with a special mixed non toxic fuel that burns a nice yellow orange colour without damaging what is underneath. All shot in slow motion – keep a look out on your sports channel.”

– Phil Anderson, Especial Effects Co

Order this week and we can still turnaround a selection of printed sweets, chocolates and more healthy gifts for you and your team to distribute on the doorstep at the end of the month making you a local, national or even international hero…but you’ve got to get your skates on.

(NB we are not advocating trick or treating on roller-skates)!

Science fiction writers like Bradbury are known for their lateral imagination, for an acute vision of alternate worlds. An idea is simply an exploration of a different viewpoint and therefore is packed with potential. It needs to be nurtured, to transform fiction into reality:

Ideas, like children, are precious. Sometimes 4am creations may seem ridiculous later in the morning, but the subconscious has an interesting way of tapping into your strengths and creative flair, when your brain is not fighting to be logical. An idea may flutter initially like an emerging butterfly and if it’s strong enough, you will know if it can take flight.

Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway

As Adam Ant once said ‘ridicule is nothing to be scared of…’ Some of the most innovative elements of our world that are now integral to all human life were once very much ridiculed. People thought that if they travelled at high speeds, such as on trains, they would melt. Or that telephones might electrocute them. Fear, when it comes to technology, has always been there. But even in fashion and beauty, trousers for women were once considered shocking and short hairstyles made grandmothers blush. In the 1980s – cyberphobia (fear of computers) was at its peak, with people frightened that computers would take over and rob them of personal control. Self-driving cars? It seemed absurd then but now it’s a hot topic.

Send In The Clowns – Products That Failed

OK, it cannot be denied that some ideas are blatantly ridiculous and that the market is not yet ready for them, may never be ready for them. From cat exercisers to Cheese-Filter Cigarettes (they apparently filter the harmful effects of nicotine), at least inventors have the courage to file their patents with the self-belief that they will bring them riches and respect. If the idea is impractical, there may also be something salvageable, with a few refinements.

The Sinclair C5 is probably the most quoted example of a failed invention. People laughed at it, certainly did not buy it in their droves. Sinclair badgered on with various amendments but it seemed to lack the ‘sexy’ element that makes a brand market-worthy. This is when a professional sounding board is essential and not your mother/Aunt Sarah – they may praise your ironing board that also serves as a camp bed but an objective bystander will be more constructive.

White Boards And Wisdom

You are no longer the cowardly lion from The Wizard of Oz – you have emerged from the shadows and you have a brilliant idea! Whether it is a straightforward practical product, something simple that you think would market well or a science fiction wonder, this is the time for fresh eyes and guidance. Leonardo da Vinci’s exquisitely illustrated notebooks are testament to his genius, his inventiveness centuries before the world was sophisticated enough to realise his dreams. Now the world moves faster – so much more is possible. Your notebooks are important too – you need to see if your ideas can take flight.

Courage will always be a strong, admirable quality and in business, it can lead to profit and expansion. All you may need is a guiding hand, an influx of creativity and a plan.

Iconic Brand is a full service, London-based agency with international reach and has helped the following clients with brand strategy/brand design and brand communication:

• http://www.iconicbrand.co.uk/projects/ultravision/
• http://www.iconicbrand.co.uk/projects/matt-roberts/
• http://www.iconicbrand.co.uk/projects/excess-all-areas/
• http://www.iconicbrand.co.uk/projects/outward/
• http://www.iconicbrand.co.uk/projects/fenwick/
• http://www.iconicbrand.co.uk/projects/sse/
• http://www.iconicbrand.co.uk/projects/cae/
• http://www.iconicbrand.co.uk/projects/connecting-business/
• http://www.iconicbrand.co.uk/projects/chase-templeton/

www.iconicbrand.co.uk

Iconic Brand Agency Limited
11 Greek Street
London
W1D 4DJ

0207 287 2037

Informal customer feedback provides an alternative way to listen to your customers, and is just as powerful and insightful to your organisation as feedback gathered through more structured feedback solutions.

But what exactly is informal customer feedback?

Informal customer feedback is essentially unprompted feedback, whether positive or negative, that a customer or client of a business gives to an employee or to the company itself. This varies from ‘formal’ or more structured feedback that is commonplace in a VoC programme, such as online surveys or telephone interviews which follow a set series of questions.

As informal feedback is given voluntarily by customers, it’s important to bear in mind that an average to satisfactory experience is far less likely to be talked about by a customer on social media or on a review website.

Here are our 5 top ways to gather informal feedback from your customer base:

1. Social Listening- Listening to informal customer feedback on social media websites, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Social media provides an open platform for customers to communicate directly with a brand – or just talk about them publicly. Many customers prefer this type of communication to a more formal approach, and monitoring across all sites will help you pay attention to what is being said. While still valuable, this form of feedback may not provide the depth of input that you can receive via a formal customer survey where we can explore a range of issues and probe further into the customer’s experiences.

2. Rating and reviews- Similarly to social media, many customers voluntarily leave feedback on review websites, such as Trustpilot, often giving a score out of 5 and leaving written feedback. Search engines such as Google now give customers an opportunity to leave comments, more than 45 million public customer reviews can be found on Trustpilot, and TripAdvisor has had over 455 million unique visitors – to name but a few! Use Google or any other popular search engine, Trustpilot, Tripadvisor, review platforms, forums and communities which your customer demographic are most likely to interact on. . For example, customers are likely to leave feedback on TripAdvisor after a visit to a hotel or restaurant but may use specific forums to review a technological item, such as sites like Techist or CNET. Each industry will have its own individual review sites, so it’s worth spending the time to research and identify the websites that are most relevant to your organisation.

3. ‘Leave feedback’ button on your website- A ‘leave feedback’ button placed on your website gives customers the opportunity to voluntarily provide feedback about their experience at any time. The purpose of the form is to make it really easy for users to tell you when something isn’t working quite right or to leave a compliment – simplicity is key! Make sure you move the form around the page to see where you get the best response without interrupting the journey the customer is on. A feedback button can also form part of a more structured VoC programme approach, where customers can select the button and a form can appear with customised questions. Either way, keeping it simple and concise will yield the best results.

4. Ask your staff- Staff are on the frontline every day talking to customers and can be one of your greatest sources of knowledge. Schedule regular feedback sessions with your employees, whether it’s one-to-one or with separate teams within your organisation. Make sure to highlight the importance of their feedback and the value it gives to your business to encourage participation. If you’re having trouble getting your employees to open up, you can begin by offering them the option to give feedback anonymously such as through an online suggestion box or anonymous feedback apps.

5. Blogs and media- While not specific to individual customers, popular blogs and news can provide endless information about general customer trends in your industry and what your competitors are up to. The importance of being educated on the latest industry updates cannot be underestimated – businesses that are not informed of the latest industry updates also risk losing out to competitors by failing to deliver to consumers what they want. The more informed you are with the latest industry updates, the more likely you are to spot potential opportunities in your sector, such as new niches that companies have yet to explore. You’ll also be better prepared to see possible opportunities for growth in your existing business, as industry knowledge lets you identify changing buying habits, changes in styles and preferences or to see an increased demand in a specific area. Consider whether there are any published studies that will provide additional context to your customers’ feedback – e.g. benchmarking results.

As with ‘formal’ feedback, it is vital to ensure you respond to the informal feedback you receive, across all channels. Depending on the size and nature of your organisation, a person or team in place to handle social media queries is a must, and today’s customers will expect a fast response. We recommend using a Closed Loop Feedback process to ensure that issues are logged, responded to and learnings taken forward to improve future customer experience.

All of these forms of informal feedback can be easily integrated into our open-source VoC dashboards, and sit alongside formal feedback provided through more structured surveys to provide a holistic review of customer experience.

To find out more please contact Mark Barrett at MBarrett@watermelonresearch.com

We have all at some point been to an exhibition, where we get handed a goody bag and as we walk around the exhibition booths we get handed different promotional items from companies vying for our business.

But how many of those items do you actually keep?

A good promotional item is not based on the value of the product, but the value of the product to the user. It is tempting to think; if you spend 10p on a keyring then you can order 1000 keyrings and hand them out to 1000 people, great right? Well in terms of quantity yes that’s amazing, but how many of those people you gave a keyring to will actually keep it? The amount is probably far less than you think, so this wouldn’t be a very effective promotional item! The trick is to find a product the user wants to keep.

This is where a product like “USB Charging Cables” would be a great choice. We all have mobile phones and in most instances mobile phone contracts are now in excess of 2 years. It is quite likely that within those 2 years most charging cables would of broken and need replacing. So why not offer your client a branded charging cable! Not only will the charging cables be a valued gift, but they will be used on a daily basis, thus keeping your logo in front of the customer.

There are main different types of USB Charging Cables available. Some are designed for home use, others offer multiple connections and there are even keyring versions that allow you to charge your mobile phone whenever you have access to a computer. With connections to fit most modern smart phones the possibilities are endless. With low starting prices and low minimum order quantities the USB Charging Cables really could add some extra power to your next promotion.

USB Flash Ltd
Call: 0845 230 0395
Email: sales@usbflash.co.uk
Website: www.usbflash.co.uk