e-clipsblog

The social media bug

Editor — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:52:43 +0000

The way in which companies market their products and services has changed with the growth of social media. Advances in technology have meant social interaction and the manner in which information is presented has changed dramatically.

The only downside to this is that everyone is now playing the same game, utilising social media in the same way. Companies are seeing what works for others and are quick to follow suit.

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How to optimise your reputation and your business

Editor — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 08:29:54 +0000

Are companies really aware whether their call centres are operating at maximum productivity levels? Quite often contact centres may have grown from being a small space in a back office with a few desks to a fully operational call centre, but the technology will have remained unchanged. This can lead to outdated systems, all of which can have detrimental effects on corporate image, reputation and ultimately the success of the business.

This is where outsourcing can be a real benefit to organisations wishing to optimise their range of choice and level of customer services.

According to James Le Roth, utalkmarketing outsourcing to a third party can also give businesses access to additional customer data, not available by conventional in-house means such as web forms. A skilled contact centre advisor will be able to interact on a more insightful level with callers, capturing the essence of how consumers feel about the brand, whether positive or negative. (more…)

Time to take semantics seriously?

Editor — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:59:18 +0000

By Leighton Morgans, Business Development Director, Eclipse Marketing

Is technology capable of replacing humans for some marketing functions? Can it deliver a service that is as good? Is it time for us to revise our preconceptions about semantic technology in the workplace?The answer to all three questions is a resounding ‘yes!’.

Knowledge management tools based on semantic technology are able to access and interpret information from multiple data sources. Unlike traditional tools that simply search through key words for answers, semantic products are able to interpret and respond to questions posed in everyday language. (more…)

No excuse for silent call abuse

Editor — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:52:28 +0000

Silent calls really annoy consumers. Good news then that Ofcom is clamping down on irresponsible dialling.

Last week, the regulator hit Barclaycard with a maximum £50,000 fine for the “most serious and persistent” case of silent calls they’d ever seen and slapped the wrists of the LibDems for making automated calls without consent.

As Rufus Grig so rightly points out, there’s no excuse for silent call abuse on this level, especially for organisations of this size and high profile.

At Eclipse we welcome this crackdown and the spread of good practice. High levels of abandoned calls give us all a bad name. (more…)

Getting the right agent is crucial

Editor — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:22:42 +0000

In times of economic turbulence, ensuring that call centre managers pick up the phone in the right manner, and with their client front-of-mind at all times, is crucial.

According to Precision Marketing, it’s vital to match an agent’s profile to both the client’s brand culture and the target audience. Agents will then be able to fully endorse the client and its values, as well as deal with its customers in the most effective way possible. (more…)

Death of DM greatly exaggerated

Editor — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:13:01 +0000

You can put away your hankies. The death of direct mail, widely reported in blog posts, has been greatly exaggerated. That’s according to Eye Candy, who dismisses such talk as ‘a bunch of hype’.

Pulling together some interesting statistics on print media, Eye Candy finds that catalogues are still the primary sales channel for the majority of businesses, and that most people have made a purchase following an email marketing message or in response to direct mail.

So, direct mail is still very much alive and kicking!

Oh dear what can the matter be?

Editor — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:53:49 +0000

The Matter Box, piloted at the beginning of the year, is now being distributed by Royal Mail to around 30,000 people who said they wanted to experience this freebie boxfull of goodies.Royal Mail wanted to create a bit of a stir and it seems they’ve succeeded – the story appeared in the Mail on Sunday – albeit with a rather misleading headline to what is actually quite a positive story.You can also see The Matter Box being opened on YouTube, and being talked about on all sorts of blogs.

This is clever junk mail – people were actually asked to subscribe to it and are saying ‘yes’ in their thousands! The first box included some great brands - Nintendo Wii, Virgin Atlantic, Nissan, Sony Bravia.

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Social media draws in major brands

Editor — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:08:05 +0000

We’ve talked about the power of social media before and most forward thinking companies know by now that they should be paying attention to the business of social networking. We say ‘business’ because social networking has become an integral part of the way we work today. Testament to this is list of major brands, from Absolut Vodka, and British Airways to Innocent Drinks and Whirlpool who are using or being used by social media marketing which we’ve come across on B L Ochman’s blog which makes interesting reading.

Children’s charity launches hard-hitting campaign

Editor — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:22:42 +0000

Children’s charity NCH - formerly known as the Children’s charity- is launching its final direct mail campaign before rebranding as Action for Children.

The charity is unveiling a hard-hitting appeal using an illustrated pop-up storybook that follows the traumatic and sad life of ‘Emily’, which is eventually turned around with the help of the charity.

The drive, which is part of the charity’s CRM strategy, has been created by Tangible Response. Donors are being asked to support NCH’s Therapeutic Foster Care, which helped Emily turn her life around by providing stability and mentoring.

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Ban on data for direct mail companies

Editor — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:19:08 +0000

A ban on the sale of voter’s personal could be on the cards as 98 percent of local government officials vote against the practice.

Since 2002 anyone registering to vote in England has been able to opt out of appearing on the lists made available for unsolicited mail-outs, and to date about 40 per cent of people have taken this option. The DMA said the lists are mainly used to verify retails rather than to compile lists.