Nunzia Falco Simeone is the marketing manager for London-based Deskero, which is a cloud-based help desk software that offers simple, yet effective tools to integrate requests coming from different channels (emails, chats, websites, social networks) into a single database and to place some order into the chaos of modern customer care.
Deskero’s aim is to create a new kind of relationship with customers, engaging them in an innovative and personal way, also through smart and simple use of social networks. Deskero is an innovative tool that aims to simplify the workflow of every business in order to bring customer care to the next level.
Falco Simeone participated in an intriguing though leadership Q&A with Loyalty 360 about challenges and opportunities in engaging today’s customer.
Q: How do you define loyalty? How has this definition changed for you and how do you anticipate it changing?
Being loyal means repeating the purchase, recommend the company to friends, but also online. I always say that a happy customer is a loyal customer, and I never forget that taking care of my clients is the first aim of my business.
Before the advent of the internet, it was harder for companies to know how consumers felt about their products. Feedback was available, but not like it is today. Social media let anyone to publicize their opinion, positive or negative. That's why it is vital for me to be present on social networks.
Q: What will be the biggest challenge for marketing in the next 3-5 years?
I think that the biggest challenge for everyone will be to keep up with the change. Things are changing so fast ... but are we ready?
Q: The “cauldron call” for today’s marketing strategist is engagement. How do you define engagement? What key step can best drive audience engagement today?
Customer engagement is the better way to increase brand loyalty. Companies need to truly engage with customers to build a dedicated fan base of people.
The best ways to engage with costumers are talking to them like a person, letting them know you on a more personal level, building a relationship with them. And nowadays, with social networks, this is so much easier the before.
Q: Content and Context are discussed quite often in the ability for brands to create value and engagement. Yet creating content and context is challenging in that the return (purchase / advocacy / influence) can be harder for brands to measure?
Content marketing has always been a difficult thing to measure. On the other hand, as long as you produce traffic, you trigger world-of-mouth, which is difficult to measure but which I think is very important for a brand.
You can still measure your content marketing strategy analyzing social shares, visits, conversions.
Q: With the advent of social, mobile and other emerging technologies, how do brands effectively improve the customer experience and engage their audience in this challenging and very dynamic marketing environment?
Customers use social networks to talk to brand like they were real people, and brands must answer to them in a very personal way. Customers ask questions on Facebook, Twitter & co, and they want companies to answer really fast. And they compensate with their loyalty. So, companies that refuse to become social are ignoring those needs and losing great business opportunities. Social media allow brand to speedily resolve a problem and to deal sympathetically with consumers.
Q: What emerging technology do you believe will have the greatest impact in helping drive more effective engagement and therefore better marketing outcomes?
I'm so excited about the period we are living. Every day there is something new to talk about. Google glass, 3-D printing ... who knows what will be the next big thing. But I know for sure that marketers will be immediately ready to understand how to use it in their favor!
Anyway, for now the watchword is “content”, that is giving your customers stories in which empathize. No matter what is the medium you choose to tell them.