What if the Customer and Brand meet at a party?

In my rendezvous with the different brand managers of various organizations, one question that takes prominence is - How do I get to know my customer and have conversations frequently? As a customer myself, I wonder how to start interacting with brands and give feedback on how I perceive them.

In this era of social media, what will customer and brand talk if they met at a common place? How will the conversation shape up? What will both learn and appreciate about each other?

Following is a small snippet of this imaginative yet compelling conversation.

Brand: Hi! How's it going?

Customer: Hey! Good to see you. I am doing good. How about you?

Brand: I am not doing bad at all. So where are you these days? Didn't see much of you in the event that I hosted last month.

Customer: Well I have been busy looking around for some exciting stuff.

Brand: Exciting stuff huh? Did you check out my new product line?

Customer: Yeah. But that's not what I really want.

Brand: So what are you looking for? I have been trying to know this for years.

Customer: You have not been asking me. And I keep on telling my preferences on Facebook and such…

Brand: Yeah… I have not started looking on those social media sites… but are they for real? I sometimes don't trust that it is the real you who is giving feedback.

Customer: I understand your concern but if you spend enough time conversing with me, we will build trust and you will realize that it is the real me on those channels.

Brand: But why don't you give me your personal preferences and details when you shop with me? That would be very convenient right?

Customer: I don't want to divulge everything…I am concerned about my privacy and the way you will use my data… and it is not so exciting filling survey forms…

Brand: I totally respect your privacy but I really want to know some of the details to give you a better experience. How do we do that?

Customer: Thanks. First, you can start being more transparent to me… Involve me in some of your decisions… how do you want to collaborate… Can I help you enhance some of your products with my ideas?

Customer: Give me something to start with and share… with my friends… my colleagues… Help me become your ambassador… If I like your product, I would like to share and enhance my life and my loved ones experience…

Brand: Ok… fair enough… are you expecting something in return for your help?

Customer: Most of the time. No… but if you could extend the gratitude for being loyal to the brand… just to show that you appreciate my help… this would go a long way…

Brand: Yeah… I understand… and this is possible… In fact, I have been trying to do this for centuries now…

Customer: Yes… I have seen that… but mostly it is very impersonal… that does not give much importance to the personal connection that we made in years…

Brand: Ok… so here's what would help me connect to you more effectively.

Customer: Go on… I am all ears…

Brand: First, I need to identify you… having more two way conversations with you would certainly help… on top of that, I want to consistently identify you as my brand ambassador on online media and then connect you back as my customer in all channels…

Brand: Second, I need your help in giving me frank feedback on my products and services… If I can have the confidence that I get the feedback that I deserve, I will make sure to delight you in each and every way…

Customer: Would love to give feedback…

Brand: I will set the ball rolling on that one… Fantastic… let's get started…

Customer: Hey…It was great knowing you… I am glad I bumped into you… can I expect some exciting stuff?

Brand: You bet… and expect delight in the service and experience too… Take care and thank you for your time…

This is not the end of this conversation. So what will you say when you meet the brand that you shop for frequently or if you happen to meet your customer or prospect? Let's have a social conversation here.

About the Author

Ramanujam Srinivasan is a Enterprise Innovation Evangelist/Lead Technology Architect in Retail, Consumer Goods, Transportation and Government vertical of Wipro Limited. He is an Innovation and Social Media evangelist responsible for the online and social media initiatives. He has conceived and built Wipro's Social Media offering known as 'Digital Marketing Cockpit' which includes online brand monitoring, search rank analysis, community building and real time price monitoring. He is also the creator of TINA - 'The Intelligent Next Gen Associate' - an automated robot and platform, and works actively to develop unique solutions on user experience devices/concepts such as Android, Microsoft Surface, Augmented reality etc.

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