E-marketing 663
Of course, staff need to be trained and
motivated whether they man the website, the
telephones, the field sales or the reception.
What happens if a web transaction fails and the
customer calls the centre – can call centre staff
access the web database to complete the trans-
action, or do they have to collect all the details
again? A seamless, integrated contact database
is required.
Physical evidence
When buying intangible services, customers
look for physical evidence to reassure them. In
the off-line world this includes buildings, uni-
forms, logos and more. In the on-line world
the evidence is digital – primarily through
websites but also through e-mail. In the on-
line world, customers look for other cues and
clues to reassure themselves about the
organization.
So, first, a reassuring sense of order is
required. This means websites should be
designed with a consistent look and feel that
customers feel comfortable with (see ‘Site
design’ chapter in Smith and Chaffey, 2001).
But on-site reassurance can extend far beyond
this, particularly for an e-tailer, by using:
Guarantees.
Refund policies.
Privacy policies.
Security icons.
Trade body memberships.
Awards.
Customer lists.
Customer endorsements.
Independent reviews.
News clippings.
Physical evidence can also help integrate the
on-line and off-line worlds. Some white goods
retailers use coupons printed out on-line which
can be redeemed for a discount at a store. This
helps conversion-to-sale rates and also tracks
how the on-line presence is impacting off-line
sales.
Process
Process refers to the internal and sometimes
external processes, transactions and internal
communications that are required to run a
business.
Excellent processes are devised as part of
the move towards e-business. Non-integrated
e-commerce sites create problems as witnessed
by US on-line toy stores, whose websites and
associated processes did not link into an infor-
mation system explaining to customers when
stocks were unavailable. A well-managed pro-
cess integrates into the business processes and
systems which, in turn, shave costs and slash
inventories.
On-line services and their process of pro-
duction are not as visible, since many of the
processes operate in systems unseen by the
customer. Some of the process, or system, is on
view, like menus, form filling, shopping bas-
kets, follow-up e-mails and of course the
interactions on websites – are all visible. It is on
this part of the process and its outputs that
customers will judge service.
It seems that many companies have not yet
learnt how to optimize these processes – 98 per
cent of potential buyers exit before they make
their purchase. This suggests ordering is too
complicated or confusing, or the system simply
doesn’t work smoothly.
Optimization also involves minimizing the
people involved with responding to each event
and providing them with the right information
to serve the customer. Minimizing human
resources can occur through redesigning the
processes and/or automating them through
technology. Processes continue beyond the sale
with feedback, upselling, cross-selling, product
development and improvement built in as part
of the processes.Controlling tactics
Who has control of these tactics and imple-
mentation is a big question, and the e-marketer
must win the ownership argument. Take the