[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2023\/01\/10\/dont-make-customers-haters-connect-agency-software-strategies-instead\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2023\/01\/10\/dont-make-customers-haters-connect-agency-software-strategies-instead\/","headline":"Don’t make customers haters: Connect agency + software strategies instead","name":"Don’t make customers haters: Connect agency + software strategies instead","description":"If your digital transformation strategy isn't closely connected to your agency, you risk losing customers. Bridge the gap NOW.","datePublished":"2023-01-10","dateModified":"2025-01-09","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/chris-ohara\/#Person","name":"Chris O'Hara","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/chris-ohara\/","identifier":635,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ec9aa04a8e3109219f981305cf29f71359bfb88656f87398e56b2dd68f6a3945?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ec9aa04a8e3109219f981305cf29f71359bfb88656f87398e56b2dd68f6a3945?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\/2023\/01\/SAP-and-Publicis-FTR.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/SAP-and-Publicis-FTR.jpg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2023\/01\/10\/dont-make-customers-haters-connect-agency-software-strategies-instead\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/cdp-customer-data-platform-solution\/","name":"CDP: Customer Data Platform","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Customer_data_platform"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/cdp-customer-data-platform-solution\/cdp-customer-data-platform-general\/","name":"CDP: Customer Data Platform","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Customer_data_platform"]},{"@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\/commerce\/e-commerce\/","name":"E-Commerce","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/E-commerce","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q484847"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/e-commerce-solution\/","name":"E-Commerce","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/E-commerce","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q484847"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/e-commerce-solution\/e-commerce-general\/","name":"E-Commerce","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/E-commerce","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q484847"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/e-commerce-solution\/supply-chain-e-commerce-solution\/","name":"Supply Chain","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Supply_chain","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q1824206"]}],"wordCount":1292,"keywords":["CDP | Customer Data Platform","Customer Engagement","Digital Marketing","ERP | Enterprise Resource Planning","Marketing Trends","Supply Chain"],"articleBody":"What do you get the woman who has everything? It\u2019s a question that comes up every year when shopping for my mother-in-law. The answer this year seemed to be a chic pair of Scandinavian bedroom slippers that my wife found on Instagram.We’d never heard of the brand, but the website looked fantastic, ordering was simple, and the e-mail confirmation was personalized and fast.But, despite ordering well before Thanksgiving, the slippers still hadn\u2019t shown up a week before Christmas. One quick glance at the company\u2019s social media revealed that we weren\u2019t the only ones waiting for our order.There were literally thousands of complaints, and a lot of hostile comments. Sometimes going viral isn\u2019t always the best thing to happen to a brand.What happened was a classic case of not connecting the frontend of digital experience to the backend of business process.      Benefits of ERP integration: Connecting powerhouse frontend to core processes                Integrating operational backend data with frontend customer experiences helps companies deliver stellar results that drive bottom line growth + customer loyalty.      The big disconnectToday, it\u2019s relatively simple and cheap to set up a gorgeous looking, professional website \u2013 and just as simple to set up an e-commerce backend.The problem arises when what is being sold on the website is not connected to what\u2019s available in the warehouse and the entire connected supply chain.This brand did everything right on the frontend but couldn’t actually deliver the physical product on the backend, turning thousands of new customers into haters.It\u2019s a cautionary tale, to be sure.      Data-driven decision-making: 3 ways to drive retail resilience                Retailers can improve CX and strengthen the bottom line by taking a fresh approach to data.      Digital transformation and missed linksIn the same vein, I’ve witnessed a lot of big brands undertake a digital transformation strategy that starts in the CIO\u2019s office, is executed with big software companies and integrators \u2013 and fails to connect to the company\u2019s marketing strategy.By the time a big software company gets an RFP for a new e-mail service provider, CDP, or website personalization tool, most of the year’s marketing budgeting and planning have been done in consultation with their agency.By the same token, agencies who are the \u201chands on keyboard\u201d workers executing these digital strategies are rarely consulted about brands\u2019 software selections and informed after the fact.In today\u2019s world, as CMOs themselves are transforming into executives that own customer touchpoints with systems that extend well beyond marketing and advertising (think in-store, loyalty, and call center experiences), the disconnect between software providers and ad agencies is becoming exposed like never before.      Turn on a dime: Business agility starts with customer data management                Business agility requires great customer data management. Understand customers with a single, enterprise-wide view of data to pivot on a dime.      Auto industry reveals CX opportunitiesWe work with a lot of big automobile manufacturers, and it\u2019s an exciting time in the industry. Cars are getting cleaner, smarter and faster \u2013 and the way we buy them is changing too. Most of the auto buying process can be done from the comfort of your home, and with near real-time pricing information, much of the old school \u201clet me talk to my manager\u201d negotiation has gone by the wayside.Tesla recently showed us a glimpse of the future when introducing a subscription program for heated seats, and it doesn\u2019t take a genius to look at some of the huge touchscreens in our cars and see a future where many different things can be purchased from the dashboard.What if car makers could seamlessly connect what they knew about a car (telemetry data) with everything they knew about the driver (profile data) in real time?Low on gas? Petroleum companies could bid on price to try and win the ability to fill up your tank. Lunchtime? You could be directed to roadside eateries via navigation and offered a mobile coupon to choose them. Time for an oil change? You could book a service appointment right from your car\u2019s dashboard.You see some of this happening today already. For example, many insurance companies offer drivers the option to place a tracking device in their car, which sends telemetry data back to measure driving speed. Go slow enough, and you could get big discounts on your monthly rate.  Enterprise, meet your customer.Interactions, data, front and back office \u2013 connected.It starts HERE.Where innovation diesThat said, many of the innovative (and obvious) use cases above haven’t been implemented yet. This isn’t because they’re technically impossible, but because the agency driving the campaigns for gas stations, dealership service, and fast food don’t have ready access to the data needed to make them possible and relevant.Agencies are ideating on thousands of use cases that can move the needle for brands, but many great ideas can die on the vine of execution due to the gap between what’s technically possible and what’s practical, given the traditional ways brands and agencies work together.This gap needs to be filled if we’re going to speed up digital transformation and truly deliver the personalized, relevant experiences customers expect.      CDP trends: Customer data platforms enter a new era                When first-party data overtook cookies as the top currency for marketers, we entered the CDP era. Discover CDP trends like CIAM that are rising.      3 reasons to bridge the gap NOWThe arguments for more closely connecting your digital transformation strategy and go-to-market strategy with your agency are many. They include:Agencies need data for more than targeting.\u00a0Most digital transformations start with data management, and customer segmentation and analytics are at the heart of modern data management. It\u2019s not enough to provide segmentation data to agencies for targeting in advertising and marketing. Your agency partner is also designing web and app experiences, introducing powerful new data attributes derived from media performance for fine tuning campaigns, and using customer segmentation to understand customers\u2019 ideal profile for building creative executions.Agencies execute software strategy. We\u2019ve seen it time and again in the software business. A hot new trend emerges (like DMP), but there’s a gap between brands that buy new tools, and agencies who are directed to use them. Whether it\u2019s account-based marketing, dynamic creative, audience targeting with DMPs, or wholesale customer data management with customer data platforms, the agency is at the heart of getting the hands on the keyboard to execute and wring ROI from big technology investments. The earlier the agency is brought into evaluations; the more successful implementations will be.Agencies are the bookends that hold digital transformation together. Imagine a data-driven marketing initiative such as a product launch; there’s a progression from strategy, budgeting, execution across channels, analytics and optimization. Brands think of their segmentation strategy (who will buy this?), their omnichannel marketing budget (how do we tell people about it?), execution across many touchpoints using email, digital ads, owned media, social channels (how do we reach people where they’re engaging with us?), and analytics (were we successful?). Software plays a critical, but relatively small role when it comes to overall success. The agency has stewardship over the entire process, however, and is ultimately responsible for making the machine work from end to end.As we enter an exciting new era in customer data management with CDPs, and the emergence of the CMO charged with delivering the entire \u201ccustomer 360\u201d experience across channels, we’re beginning to see digital transformation strategies more closely involve agencies. That\u2019s a very positive development.  Identify, convert, retain.Learn how a great data strategy can drive BIG results HERE."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2023","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2023\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"01","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2023\/\/01\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"10","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2023\/\/01\/\/10\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Don’t make customers haters: Connect agency + software strategies instead","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2023\/01\/10\/dont-make-customers-haters-connect-agency-software-strategies-instead\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]