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Articles by Devon McGinnis
What Is the Fourth Industrial Revolution?
What exactly is the Fourth Industrial Revolution — and why should you care? The Fourth Industrial Revolution is a way of describing the blurring of boundaries between the physical, digital, and biological worlds. It’s a fusion of advances in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), Web3, blockchain, 3D printing, genetic engineering, quantum computing, and other technologies.
Why Customer Engagement Will Never Be the Same
Oct 27, 2020 5 min read To say this year has been different would be a huge understatement. Storefronts went digital, kitchen tables turned into conference rooms, and how we live, work, and shop have been generally turned upside down. What hasn’t changed for businesses, however, is the importance of providing an outstanding customer experience. In fact, 80% of consumers and business buyers say experience remains as important as products.
How Customer Experience Is Rewriting the Rules of Business Success
As products become less distinguishable by brand and price, providing a great customer experience has become essential for companies to differentiate themselves. Here are some ideas and strategies for doing just that. Â Understanding customer experience âCustomer experienceâ gets thrown around a lot, but howâs it actually defined? âCustomer experience and service have converged,â said Peter Schwartz, Salesforce Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning.
Improving Customer Focus: A How-to Guide from Salesforce
Customer focus requires obsessive knowledge of what your customers need, and how to deliver. In 2007, after delivering close to one billion DVDs into customersâ mailboxes, Netflix realized their customers would prefer something different â inexpensive, simple-to-access, entertainment they could watch on demand. Netflix recognized they needed to be more customer-focused, even when it meant disrupting their own business model. It was a smart move.
40 Customer Service Statistics to Move Your Business Forward
Hereâs a customer service statistic that will stop you in your tracks: 47% of customers say theyâll stop buying from a company if they have a subpar experience. The same study reveals that 76% of customers now say itâs easier than ever to take their business elsewhere. With so many customers willing to switch to another business, it makes you wonder â are we doing enough to meet customer expectations? Are we evolving our customer service to keep pace with evolving technologies?
Salesforce Essentials: Instagram Accounts Small Businesses Should Follow
With all the places to find entrepreneurial inspiration these days, itâs easy to miss some of the best advice. Thatâs why itâs important to make sure your social feeds are on point when youâve got a precious few minutes of spare time. Weâre here to help! Here are 10 up-and-coming Instagram accounts that offer a welcome dose of energy, honesty, and inspiration for anyone in the #smallbiz community.
How Customer Service Trends Are Changing in 2019: Highlights from the New State of Service Report
Great products are powerful building blocks for any successful business. But these days, even the best products can’t satisfy customers on their own. The Fourth Industrial Revolution has redefined customers’ expectations to the point that 80% of them now consider their experience with a company to be as important as its products. The implications on the world of customer service is unprecedented.
How to Create a Customer-Centric Experience
It’s no longer enough to have a great product at a great price. Eight out of 10 customers say that the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services. And smart businesses are taking note; Google searches for the phrase “customer experience” have nearly tripled in the last decade (note Google Trends chart below).
What is the Fourth Industrial Revolution and why you should care
What exactly is the Fourth Industrial Revolution — and why should you care? The Fourth Industrial Revolution is a way of describing the blurring of boundaries between the physical, digital, and biological worlds. It’s a fusion of advances in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing, genetic engineering, quantum computing, and other technologies. It’s the collective force behind many products and services that are fast becoming indispensable to modern life.
Salesforce at Davos, Day 3 Updates
Jan 24, 2019 3 min read Day 3 at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting, commonly referred to as “Davos,” was Ocean Day, with an emphasis on protecting the Earth’s seas. Here’s how Salesforce embraced this important platform today with programs on inclusiveness, the environment, and equality.
3 AI Trends Sales Can't Ignore
Artificial intelligence (AI) has moved way past the buzz. Companies are adopting AI — and fast. The numbers don’t lie. According to the Accenture Technology Vision 2018 forecast, four out of five executives (81%) believe that within the next two years, AI will work next to humans in their organizations, as a co-worker, collaborator, and trusted advisor. Sales organizations must start taking a closer look at AI to remain competitive over the next couple of years.
How Developer Skills Can Keep Pace with Tech Change
The World Economic Forum’s “Future of Jobs Report” shows that some skills that are key to today’s labor market won’t even be on the list by 2020. Tech is changing at an exponential rate, and skills along with it. For companies, demand for highly skilled developers is higher than ever. Meanwhile there’s a shortage of talent in key technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.
Understanding the Foundations of Customer Experience
A CEO from one of Europe’s largest manufacturers once said to me, “The relationship begins the first time I let you down.” Through the years, the wisdom of that insight still resonates with me. In a business, engineering and product development teams create elegant and useful goods and services. Along comes marketing, which creates compelling content, messaging, pricing, and positioning. Sales goes to work, and adds that subtle alchemy of charisma to surface the value for a specific customer.
5 Sales Lessons Learned in 2015
Being part of the Salesforce Research team in 2015 has provided a great front-row seat to industry surveys and research across many hot topics — from wearables at work to high-performing sales teams. As we inch closer to the end of 2015, there’s no better time to reflect on the past year and what we learned. With the publication of our 2015 State of Sales report, what stood out most to me was the analysis of what it takes to be a winning sales team.
Why Your Customer Experience Is Facing a Trust Crisis
Learn what companies can do to address the trust crisis that affects customer experience. Recent, high-profile security breeches have companies considering what to do next. New research suggests that while customers don't believe companies have their best interests in mind, they are willing to share personal data in exchange for customized experiences.
What are Consumers Doing on their Smartphones, Anyway?
Consumer are constantly evolving. And marketers? They might wish consumers would kindly slow down a bit. Change can be expensive. Most marketers are still crawling across the “digital transformation” finish line–they’ve only just implemented mobile friendly sites, personalization, and marketing automation. But today, email is still king – it’s a cross-device channel and unique ID used by 3.7 billion people worldwide – will it be tomorrow? And for everyone?
Why CEOs Embrace Accountability and Activism in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Over the next decade, artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies will transform every aspect of business across every discipline. But as the Fourth Industrial Revolution gets underway, chief executives are asking questions about the impact this new era of disruptive technological change will have on their role and responsibilities as leaders.
Your Guide to Elevating Customer Experience
What’s the most powerful force driving business change today? Is it artificial intelligence? The Internet of Things? The Fourth Industrial Revolution? Or is it how these innovations join forces to spark new possibilities for customer experience? Recent research shows that 80% of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services. What characterizes a good experience? Seventy percent say connected experiences are very important to winning their business.
New Research Uncovers Big Shifts in Customer Expectations and Trust
Customers today are energized by tech innovations — but also plagued by deepening distrust of the companies that provide them. They have high expectations about what makes a great customer experience, and not a lot of patience for companies that fail to deliver. For the second edition of the “State of the Connected Customer” report, Salesforce Research surveyed over 6,700 consumers and business buyers globally to better understand the modern customer mindset.
Managing the Customer Trust Crisis: New Research Insights
New data privacy laws in Europe and California — not to mention the resulting flurry of updated privacy policy notifications landing in our inboxes — have put privacy matters in the spotlight. But the circumstances that have precipitated this highlight a worrying trend: customers are concerned about not just the vulnerability of their personal information, but also how companies handle and use it.
Research Shows Consumers Expect These 3 Things of Companies by 2020
There’s no shortage of experts predicting how technology will impact our lives by the year 2020. But what does the average consumer expect by 2020? In a new report, “State of the Connected Customer,” Salesforce Research surveyed over 4,700 consumers globally to understand how their customer experience expectations are changing. The complete findings are covered in the full report (free to download), but this post highlights three ways consumers expect smarter customer experiences in the future.
Service Teams Double Their IoT Use, Research Shows
At the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show, connected products ranged from the unusual (jeans that help you navigate) to the useful (smart fridges abound). As household and consumer products are increasingly wired for the Internet of Things (IoT), more customer service teams are likewise exploring how the IoT functions as a service channel. In a new study, “Second Annual State of Service,” Salesforce Research found that service teams using IoT doubled from 2015 to 2016, from 27% to 53%.
7 Marketing Executives Explain How to Measure the Success of Your Content
7 Marketing Executives Explain How to Measure the Success of Your Content The success of your content can be one of the hardest things to measure. Content marketing plays the long-game, so where the conversion from blog post reader to paying customer happens isn’t always clear. Sure, there are engagement metrics and download numbers, but how do you measure the true ROI of your content?
Please Take My Data: Why Consumers Want More Personalized Marketing
Research shows that consumers are hungry for more personalized marketing — and I am a real-life example. As a working mom with two young kids, I have limited time. No surprise there. I don’t have hours to surf the web to buy their clothes. And actually wrangling everyone into the car to visit a retail location? #Headache This situation isn’t unique to me. Of the 57% of women participating in the U.S. labor force, 70% have a child under the age of 18.
Romancing the Customer: 5 Tips for Intimate Brand-Customer Relationships
Regardless of what products or services your business offers, chances are, there are a million other brands selling the same stuff by running similar promotion campaigns. So how do you go about setting yourself apart from competitors? According to an article on ISPO, 90% of purchasing decisions are made subconsciously. This means nurturing deep customer relationships is critical in taking your revenue to the next level.
Research Shows Consumers Expect These 3 Things of Companies by 2020
There’s no shortage of experts predicting how technology will impact our lives by the year 2020. But what does the average consumer expect by 2020? In a new report, “State of the Connected Customer,” Salesforce Research surveyed over 4,700 consumers globally to understand how their customer experience expectations are changing. The complete findings are covered in the full report (free to download), but this post highlights three ways consumers expect smarter customer experiences in the future.
Research Shows Consumers Expect These 3 Things of Companies by 2020
There’s no shortage of experts predicting how technology will impact our lives by the year 2020. But what does the average consumer expect by 2020? In a new report, “State of the Connected Customer,” Salesforce Research surveyed over 4,700 consumers globally to understand how their customer experience expectations are changing. The complete findings are covered in the full report (free to download), but this post highlights three ways consumers expect smarter customer experiences in the future.
Customers Are Willing to Swap More Data for Personalized Marketing
New research from the “State of the Connected Customer” report shows that customers’ attitudes about data sharing are changing. More consumers are willing to give their data to trusted companies in exchange for personalized experiences. However, many marketers aren’t yet equipped to capitalize on this new data-sharing attitude. Salesforce Research surveyed more than 7,000 consumers and business buyers to understand what makes the modern customer tick.
Customers Are Willing to Swap More Data for Personalized Marketing
New research from the “State of the Connected Customer” report shows that customers' attitudes about data sharing are changing. More consumers are willing to give their data to trusted companies in exchange for personalized experiences. However, many marketers aren't yet equipped to capitalize on this new data-sharing attitude. Salesforce Research surveyed more than 7,000 consumers and business buyers to understand what makes the modern customer tick.
State of the Connected Customer Report
Salesforce Research surveyed more than 7,000 consumers and business buyers to understand how the connected world is creating a smarter customer. Out today, the State of the Connected Customer report shares these findings. With unprecedented access to technology, data, and choices, the connected customer can purchase anything at anytime and from any place. Ubiquitous mobile devices and permanent connections to social platforms allow empowered customers to take control over their own buying journeys.
Taming Unmanageable Metrics: Separate the Important from the Noise
As your business grows and your marketing campaigns reach new heights, the sheer volume of data available at your fingertips can become overwhelming. Not only are you trying to juggle multiple inbound campaigns to measure results, but you also have to set and achieve goals while managing your sales team and measuring their performance. Even if you’re not directly responsible for writing the reports, you might still be dealing with the same overload of data.
5 Keys to Becoming a High-Performing Marketer
Ready to make 2016 your breakthrough year? Here are five tips, based on a survey of nearly 4,000 marketing leaders worldwide, that you can use to drive a more effective marketing team starting now. From supercharging revenue growth to boosting customer satisfaction scores, the benefits of adopting a customer journey strategy are reported readily this year.
79% of Marketers Say Mobile Is Core to Business
Once a fringe channel, mobile marketing has become a mainstay. But it didn’t happen overnight. Even back in 2014, a declared with a smirk that marketers were entering the “third annual year of mobile.” In 2016, at last, the momentum behind mobile marketing has tipped the scales. The proof is in the stats, courtesy of nearly 4,000 marketers worldwide surveyed by Salesforce Research. Here are three excerpts highlighting mobile marketing findings from the recent “ ” report.
Is Customer Service Your Best Brand Asset?
It could be argued that customer satisfaction, historically, is the domain of customer service teams. But in 2016, marketers said that customer satisfaction was their number one success metric (this from the latest State of Marketing report). Similarly, the second most pressing item on marketers’ agenda last year was higher levels of customer engagement. Marketing KPIs seem to be infringing on customer service turf — but, as it turns out, this overlap in departmental focus goes both ways.
The AppExchange 10th Birthday in Pictures
On January 14th, we celebrated 10 years of business growth and innovation with our community of customers, partners, employees and app builders. To say it was epic, was an understatement. For starters, there were thousands of AppExchange installs, resulting in $35,000 raised for Girls Who Code, The day included 2,500 social mentions in 24 hours, 68 partners blogging (see posts below), and over 230 birthday party go-ers in San Francisco.
Why Mobile Integration is the "Rising Tide" of Marketing in 2015
If a rising tide lifts all ships, mobile integration is the rising tide of 2015. In the 2015 State of Marketing survey, we first wanted to know how many of our respondents were using some form of mobile marketing — SMS, push notifications, mobile apps, or location-based functionality. The answer was 46%, compared to 23% in last year’s survey. Then, we wanted to know what percent of those marketers had integrated mobile into their overall marketing strategy. Sixty-eight percent said yes.
What CRM Means for the Connected Age
If you've spent time in the business world, you've been exposed to hundreds of acronyms. One you've likely heard a lot is CRM, which stands for customer relationship management. But in today's connected world, where customers are more empowered and connected than they've ever been, what exactly does it mean to manage your customer relationships?
Just Published: 2015 State of Marketing Report
It’s here — the definitive marketing report of 2015. We surveyed more than 5,000 marketers globally to understand top priorities for the year across all digital channels. Inside this second annual report, 2015 State of Marketing, you get an unparalleled look at marketers’ most pressing business challenges, top digital marketing success metrics, biggest shifts from 2014 to 2015, and an in-depth look at their approach to email, social, and mobile marketing.
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