[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/02\/13\/keep-customers-with-convenient-services\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/02\/13\/keep-customers-with-convenient-services\/","headline":"Keeping customers: How convenient brands win","name":"Keeping customers: How convenient brands win","description":"Recently I traveled by train to a business conference, entering the customer journey with Deutsche Bahn in Germany wearing both my professional and personal hats. The professional me recognizes the importance of end-to-end customer journey, and I was thinking of that almost immediately when I recognized that had Deutsche Bahn been thinking of the typical […]","datePublished":"2017-02-13","dateModified":"2020-12-17","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/martin-stocker\/#Person","name":"Martin Stocker","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/martin-stocker\/","identifier":201,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2f026498d3aa4aa3fd2942c5566af437b7f935b50258c1e3a988ac91278eec0b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2f026498d3aa4aa3fd2942c5566af437b7f935b50258c1e3a988ac91278eec0b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/convenient-brands-SAP-Hybris-image.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/convenient-brands-SAP-Hybris-image.jpeg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/02\/13\/keep-customers-with-convenient-services\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/commerce\/b2b\/","name":"B2B Commerce","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/B2B_e-commerce"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/marketing\/customer-engagement-marketing\/","name":"Customer Engagement","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Customer_engagement","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q5196451"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/service\/customer-service\/","name":"Customer Service","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Customer_service","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q1060653"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/marketing\/","name":"Marketing","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Marketing","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q39809"]}],"wordCount":1061,"keywords":["B2B","Customer Experience | CX","Marketing"],"articleBody":"Recently I traveled by train to a business conference, entering the customer journey with Deutsche Bahn in Germany wearing both my professional and personal hats.The professional me recognizes the importance of end-to-end customer journey, and I was thinking of that almost immediately when I recognized that had Deutsche Bahn been thinking of the typical customer experience, they would have integrated a real-time status of their parking places.Upon my arrival at the station, 15 minutes before the train departed, the parking area was completely full and three cars were waiting to get in.\u00a0You can imagine the result: I had to find a new park house, and did, but it was 500 m from the station. After rushing back to try to catch the train, it had already left the station, so I waited another 30 minutes for the next connection.As I waited, I wondered, \u201cHow could a billion EUR company like Deutsche Bahn not offer their patrons an end-to-end customer journey, meshing location-based marketing and real-time information when it is crucial to customers in their part of the journey?\u201dThe challenge with convenience is not the what, but typically the howBusinesses often\u00a0view convenience as slightly easier than what is presently available. This narrow vision creates a host of\u00a0missed opportunities to both attract and retain more customers. Clients\u00a0want to experience, and in fact, in many cases, expect, ease throughout all areas, not just the main transaction. Focusing on convenience as a driving force throughout your customer\u2019s entire experience will also prove to be a driving force to your bottom line.Convenience creates online loyalty Many retailers are now offering online ordering with conveniences such as in-store pickup, but Amazon still rules all things e-commerce, having\u00a0taken\u00a0convenience to a whole new level. With one-click shopping and Prime membership perks like free shipping, it\u2019s no wonder why Amazon is the go-to online retailer for the masses.Though the brand may consider it convenient to provide in-store pickup, the consumer may not want to wait several days, then still have to trek to the store and pick up their items. Amazon\u2019s alternative delivers the desired products quickly, and with less time expended by the consumer. Every step of the customer journey is focused on convenience for the customer.We all know that in-store shopping can be a bit frustrating at times. Most of us have experienced trying on clothing, only to discover that we\u2019ve put on a few pounds, or that the size runs too large or small. While new business models combined with realtime technology can\u2019t slim down a waistline, it can get the correct size delivered to the changing room in the blink of an eye. With RFID technology, the changing room knows what you brought in, asks what you need, and tells a sales assistant to get it for you.\u00a0The customer is king again. Investments that pay into the increase of lifetime customer loyalty will pay out in dividends sooner or later. The potential ROI speaks for itselfA Watermark Study from 2015 noted that companies devoted to the customer experience had a CTR of 107.5% (2007-2014). Companies that lagged in customer experience standards had a cumulative total return of only 27.6% in the same period of time.There are many companies like Societe de Transport De Montreal (STM) who offer their customers a convenient end-to-end process and complement the customer journey by rewarding customers for their loyalty.This approach works similarly for car drivers in cities: New business models are appearing as the search for free parking space becomes more time consuming and annoying. Startups like Find Your Gap offer smart solutions for car drivers AND carriers of parking decks, so both users benefit. Free parking spaces are detected via sensors in real-time, and customers who are near the spaces receive a notification through an app. Once notified, they can reserve a free space for the next 10 minutes, essentially parking their cars instantly.From customers to fans: an end-to-end-experienceSport club FC Bayern Munich designed an end-to-end fan experience,\u00a0creating a customer encounter that is exceptional.Their Fan app allows free WLAN access inside the stadium and personalized push notifications. Imagine: you and your friends are driving to a soccer match, but heavy traffic is creating a jam. An individual app notification based on your geo location data shows in real-time if you\u2019ll arrive at the stadium to see the start of the match. Alternatively, the system could provide a public transport route that is the fast lane to reach reserved seats just in time, when M\u00fcller and Co. arrive on the field.The huge potential of end-to-end processing unveils itself when you zone into the area of B2B business. Each supply chain has already been optimized to the bone, but real-time capabilities can enhance more value for the businesses.Keeping the cargo movingThe Port of Hamburg is a very busy place, with up to 40,000 trucks arriving daily and cargo being shipped to and from the farthest corners of the earth.Around 12,000 ships use the port each year, and dock workers load and unload some 9 million containers from their decks. In addition to thousands of trucks, about one third of all the goods are transported via trains that travel throughout the European rail network. The HPA collaborates with terminal operators, transport companies, logistic companies, and parking providers.Real-time information lets shipping agents view the availability of containers at the docks, and work with terminal operators on collection schedules that reduce waiting times.By assigning new orders before the trucks reach the terminal, transport companies can optimize their capacities, and the port can make better use of available parking spaces. Drivers also receive timely information that lets them know which routes to choose, and how long they might have to wait at a destination. Further, mobile devices have replaced the old CB radios that were prone to miscommunications.Silver linings Back to my personal journey with Deutsche Bahn and the parking situation: I missed my train, but discovered a parking space next to the station that saves me half of the parking cost. Though grateful for this insight that I\u2019ll use again, I also look forward to an end-to-end customer journey with Deutsche Bahn in the future.2021 CX retail trends:Watch our #CXUnplugged session on The Future of Retail\u00a0HERE.\u00a0"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2017","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"02","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/\/02\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"13","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/\/02\/\/13\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Keeping customers: How convenient brands win","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2017\/02\/13\/keep-customers-with-convenient-services\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]