2013

WINNERS
Strategy Focused. Customer Obsessed. Results Oriented.
As the 2013 G artner & 1to1 Media CRM Excelle nce Award winners prov e, taking a customer-cen tric approach to business takes care of the bottom line.

MEET THE

2013
WINNERS
THE AMERICAS
INTEGRATED MARKETING PERFORMANCE
GOLD: Autodesk, inc.: The software company added a layer
of gamication to its software trials, allowing users to compete in a more engaging experience...................................................... 12

MEET THE

WINNERS
CONTENTS
CUSTOMER ANALYTICS
GOLD: Maple leaf sports & entertainment: MLSE uses

behavioral data and customer insight to better target email campaigns and deliver relevant messaging, focusing on long-term retention over single ticket sales on creating lifelong fans. .......... 5

SILVER: eaton Corporation: The power management SILVER: AAA: The auto clubs federation is leveraging customer
data to understand its millions of customers, allowing clubs to interact with their members in a more relevant way .................... 6 company embarked on a marketing campaign to penetrate the IT market ................................................................................ 13

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE EXCELLENCE

GOLD: intuit, inc.: Gathering and acting upon an extensive
array of customer input has helped Intuit drive higher satisfaction and renewal rates ......................................................................... 7

SALES FORCE EFFECTIVENESS

GOLD: Agreliant: Mobile CRM is helping the seed company
be more agile in its sales process, which has led to a more robust customer database .................................................................... 14

SILVER: ingram Micro: The tech company has made it easier SILVER: United Airlines: The airline is making extensive use
of data about its frequent yers and non-members to deliver richer experiences and offers ................................................................. 9 for resellers to renew service contracts that are about to lapse, leading to an increase in sales and better customer service ...... 15

CUSTOMER SERVICE OPTIMIZATION

GOLD: Cisco: Users and experts help shape and create content, advancing Ciscos effort to boost loyalty and personalize the consumers online support experience ...................................... 10

SOCIAL AND MOBILE ENGAGEMENT

GOLD: Best Western: By integrating customer insight from social review sites, the hotel chain has developed an engagement strategy that values transparency and cultivates trust .............. 17 SILVER: lego systems inc.: Through fun and imagination,

SILVER: Cigna: Cigna aims to make healthcare a fun, relevant

part of each persons everyday life by helping every customer reach their full potential. ............................................................. 11

the toymakers social community expands upon the brand promise by clearing the path for safe, creative storytelling and educational opportunities .......................................................................... 18

BY CYNTHIA CLARK, THOMAS HOFFMAN, AND ANNA PAPACHRISTOS

DESIGN BY LORRI COSENTINO
2013 Peppers & Rogers Group. 1to1 Media is a division of Peppers & Rogers Group. All rights protected and reserved.

Gartner & 1to1 Media CRM Excellence Winners

Blazing the Trail for Customer Experience
In 1993, Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, Ph.D., collaborated on a book called The One to One Future. In the book, the duo described what they envisioned as the quintessential marketing future, consisting of an environment that fosters collaboration with individual customers, strategies for nurturing clients, integrated marketing practices, customer portfolio strategies, employee org charts designed around the customer, and a virtual business environment. In this one-to-one environment, Peppers and Rogers predicted this: You will find yourself collaborating with one customer at a time. You will collaborate by helping a particular customer shape what he wants from your firm, often by helping him design his own product or service package. At the very least, you will have to have the ability to discuss your product and service with individual customers, so you can help them solve their problems and meet their needs. On the 20th anniversary of that book, it appears as though weve arrived at that future. The 12 companies honored in this years Gartner & 1to1 Medias CRM Excellence Awards have proven that an enterprisewide focus on the customer experience can yield impressive results. From implementing processes and strategies aimed at understanding customers individual issues to creating integrated, cross-channel customer experiences that are tailored to their individual preferences, the 2013 winners are setting the standards in CRM. As a result, they are gaining an unprecedented understanding of their customers, going above and beyond their expectations along the way. We salute these customer experience groundbreakers and wish them continued successes in their CRM journeys. Mila DAntonio, Editor-in-Chief, 1to1 Media

2013 Gartner & 1to1 Media CRM Excellence Award Judges

A panel of judges, including Gartner analysts, past award winners, and 1to1 Media Editor-in-Chief Mila DAntonio, reviews the nominations and selects the winners in each category of the Gartner & 1to1 Media CRM Excellence Awards. This years judges include: Guy Benham, Business Improvement Manager, British Gas Company Ven Bontha, Director of Customer Experience Management, Cemex Kim Collins, Managing Vice President, Gartner Mila DAntonio, Editor-in-Chief, 1to1 Media Gareth Herschel, Research Director, Gartner Steve Jackson, CIO, Harry Rosen Michael Maoz, Vice President, Distinguished Analyst, Gartner Jenn McMillen, Division Vice President of Loyalty and CRM for GameStop Patrick Stakenas, Vice President and Distinguished Analyst, Gartner Jenny Sussin, Senior Research Analyst, Social CRM, Gartner Ed Thompson, Vice President, Distinguished ROM, Gartner Penny Tootle, Customer Service Supervisor, Las Vegas Valley Water District Peter Winemiller, Senior Vice President of Guest Relations, Oklahoma City Thunder

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Customer Analytics
H gold

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainments Customer Strategy Cultivates Fans for Life
MLSE uses behavioral data and customer insight to better target email campaigns and deliver relevant messaging, focusing on long-term retention over single ticket sales on creating lifelong fans. by Anna Papachristos

Sports fans are extremely devoted and passionate. They stand by their favorite teams no matter the score. But, when it came to cultivating steadfast customer relationships, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) decided it needed to boost its service performance in order to win over the loyal hearts of its customers for good. As Canadas leading sports and entertainment organization, MLSE owns the NHLs Maple Leafs, NBAs Toronto Raptors, AHLs Toronto Marlies, Toronto FC of Major League Soccer, Air Canada Centre, Real Sports Bar & Grille, and numerous other sports and entertainment properties. Its CRM and research department, which acts as the central hub for analytics and customer intelligence across the organization, leads the charge in championing intelligence-based decision-making across all of MLSEs properties, leveraging insights from its database of more than two million customers to strengthen its

MLSE was able to gauge customers varying expectations and measure their satisfaction, validating whether they are truly receiving the right messages at the right times. Customer surveys show that more than 85 percent of Season Seat Holders were highly satisfied with the amount of communications they received, while 90 percent of Insider email opt-ins were highly satisfied, helping to reinforce that analytics and targeting strategies are enhancing the positive fan experience. MLSEs ability to factor fan feedback and customer intelligence into all key decisions for the organization depends on the support the CRM and research team has received from senior management and stakeholders to establish this successful analytics program. Buy-in across the organization triggered more productive service interactions with fans, more timely access to customer data for analytics, and deeper insights into what truly inspires fans. MLSE wants to make

MLSEs fan-focused culture brings relevant messaging to the right customers at the right time, resulting in a 54 percent increase in email open rates and a 166 percent increase in click-through rates during the 2011-2012 sports season.
core organizational value of exciting every fan in particular. Our fans are the lifeblood of our teams, says Neda Tabatabaie, director of CRM and research, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. They live at the center of our companys vision and values, and we strive to excite and inspire them with everything that we do. Our fans first approach means understanding our fans and their needs, giving them the proper channels to share their feedback, listening to them, and applying the learnings. To extract customer insight, MLSE segments fans based on their demographics, lifestyle habits, and consumer behavior to develop a clearer picture of how these fans interact with the various teams. Understanding these interactions allows MLSE to service customers better, while also boosting its ability to provide timely, relevant campaigns and messaging to these fans. By analyzing its CRM databases wealth of diverse fans,

sure fans are informed about the next event or game without bombarding them with too many messages. Analyzing three years of ticket purchaser data also revealed that MLSE needs to be more mindful of fan life stages and provide fans with options based on where they are in their life, family, and career commitments. For example, MLSE targets one key Raptors demographic the Young Urban Trendsetter segmentby tailoring marketing messaging to these 20-something-year-old consumers looking for the latest products and entertainment experiences. By presenting them with relevant ticket offers for Friday night games and Guys Night Out specials, MLSE has seen a 30 percent email open rate. MLSEs particular focus on providing excellent service to these fans also stems from the need to nurture them to long-term fandom, for these tools allow the company to tailor the right messaging to the right

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Customer Analytics
fan at the right time, thereby developing a stronger relationship with the fan of the future. Thanks to MLSEs fan-focused culture, the 2011-2012 sports season saw a 67 percent decrease in the number of emails fans received over previous seasons, a 54 percent increase in email open rates, and a 166 percent increase in click-through rates, proving that the right messaging must be reaching the right fans at the right time. Driven entirely by customer analytics, and led by the cross-departmental agreement to think differently, MLSE has truly prioritized the long-term value of its customers rather than reaping the immediate and shortterm gains of a single ticket sale.

H silver

AAA Drives Customer Centricity with Savvy Data Use

The auto clubs federation is leveraging customer data to understand its millions of customers, allowing clubs to interact with their members in a more relevant way.
by Cynthia Clark
The American Automotive Association (AAA) is committed to remaining a member-centric organization which not only provides safety, security, and peace of mind, but also anticipates the needs of its more than 53 million customers who are members of the federations 44 affiliated auto clubs. The clubs are cognizant that in order to be successful, they need to leverage customer analytics to understand what its members require, and then respond to those needs before they ask. However, some clubs were using simplistic customer analytics strategies and were relying on basic customer profiling. Despite hiring expensive teams of consultants and contracting third-party predictive models, the clubs werent able to scale these initiatives and were struggling to optimize relationships. Further, while some clubs were very analytics-driven, others werent as savvy. We were missing opportunities to grow our business, notes Daniel Mathieux, director of AAAs Member Relationship Management action center, which AAA set up to help clubs with customer analytics initiatives. The action center had a four-pronged objective: Leverage national buying power of hardware, software, and market data; socialize best practices for marketing and analytics; provide customer analytics; and support clubs membership relationship management and customer analytics initiatives. The first task that the action center needed to master was creating a 360-degree view of AAA members through the aggregation of more than 2,500 attributes, with the aim of helping clubs predict member needs. In 2009 the action center implemented a predictive analytics solution by KXEN, allowing AAA to quickly create and evolve analytics models. The centers team of marketing analysts works with each individual club to create a plan and then use the automated system to deliver analytics to optimize club cross-sell, acquisition, and retention campaigns. Increased customer visibility means that clubs know the characteristics of customers who are likely to respond to a given offer or can identify members at risk of churn. Mathieux notes that while AAA has a renewal rate in the upper 80s, new members are the most likely to churn but their propensity to renew their membership increases exponentially when they use one of the products offered by AAA. Data is being used to listen to members, focusing on what different customer segments find most appealing. The federation was quick to see results. After applying customer analytics to travel campaigns for one year, one particular club reported a 42 percent year-over-year increase in sales. Individual clubs believe the campaigns have contributed to substantial incremental sales across AAAs network, with some of the larger clubs increasing their sales by millions of dollars. Further, a forecasting initiative uses customer road service history to predict call counts and the types of vehicles needed at a facility, allowing AAA to be more agile in responding to roadside assistance requests. The federation has achieved a forecast accuracy of 89.5 percent, leading to cost savings, partner loyalty, and increased member satisfaction. Seeing the strength of predictive analytics and the successes achieved, individual clubs have been requesting more analytics insights from the action center, which has grown from five people when it first started in 1998 to a 30-strong team. In fact, the center uses predictive models to help clubs serving 93 percent of AAAs membership optimize marketing campaigns. Membership renewal rates have also increased slightly, from 87.9 percent in 2009 to 88.2 percent in 2012.

AAA

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By leveraging customer analytics, the AAAs different clubs are able to have more relevant communications with their members, improving their experience.

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Customer Experience Excellence

H gold

Intuit Accounts for Positive Experiences via Customer Feedback

Gathering and acting upon an extensive array of customer input has helped Intuit drive higher satisfaction and renewal rates. by Tom Hoffman
Intuit has some pretty audacious goals for wowing its customcatalysts, who are also available for coaching and consultaers. The maker of financial software has set a goal for each of tion during product design initiatives. its flagship offerings to achieve a Net Promoter ScoreTM (NPS) The second prong that supports APDs ongoing comthat is at least 10 points higher than each of its competitors. mitment to customer experience is a structured approach Impressively, more than 70 percent of these products reach the group has developed to drive execution for excellence. that goal. Components that help drive successful execution include the Customer experience has strong business ramifications use of an effective process management methodology, confor both Intuit and customers of its Accounting Professionals tinuous improvement efforts, and a closed-loop system for Division (APD). For accountants and tax preparers, time is gathering, acting on, and communicating back to custommoney. Time wasted navigating a poorly designed system or ers how their input has been used to improve the customer holding for support can translate into hundreds of dollars of experience. un-billable time or lost business opportunities. The customer Third, in order to ensure that it is delighting customers, experience strategy for Intuits APD group is set up to enable Intuits APD group gathers and acts on customer feedback in the organization to design product offerings and experiences a variety of ways. In addition to conducting regular surveys that deliver time savings and crackerjack execution while of the accounting professionals who leverage its software retaining a customer-focused mindset. The groups customer using Medallias customer feedback and reporting platform, experience program focuses on continuously elevating NPS APD also hosts a number of forums throughout the year to and customer retention as its primary business goals. obtain customer feedback. These include an accountant counAPDs ability to deliver great customer experiences doesnt cil, a group of 12 to 15 accounting and tax practitioners who just happen by chance. Although APD product managers are are invited to one of Intuits campuses twice per year to learn the end-to-end custodians of the customer experience, the about and provide feedback on APDs strategy, roadmap, Customer Experience and Business Excellence (CEBE) team and products. Intuit also administers a panel of about 10,000 for APD supports product managers and functional groups by accountants and tax professionals who share their input providing market insights, and helping them gauge and underthrough in-depth interviews and topical surveys. stand the state of customer experience and identify areas for The companys online suggestion box is also a valuable improvement. CEBE has developed a methodical approach mechanism for gathering customer insight. We get feedto gathering, analyzing, and acting on customer feedback to back from all the different channels, we review the customer improve the customer experience. The group has developed voice weekly, and we identify areas where we need to make a three-pronged approach for delivering exceptional customer improvements and then teams take action on making those experiences: 1. providing accountability during the product improvements, says Alice Chu, a former senior customer design, 2. creating a structured approach for driving excelexperience business partner at Intuit. lence, and 3. fostering a high-performance Unifying the feedback loop culture thats passionate about serving the customer. To close the loop with the online suggestion In the first approach, Intuit has crebox, the CEBE team may share with cusated a design for delight (D4D) tomers how a particular suggestion was From 2009 through group that uses a set of tools acted upon. One way the company 2012, transactional NPS and processes to support does this is through its marketing comincreased 18 points for customer experience munications. After customers receive service and support. design. Intuit has more their contract renewal notices, they than 200 employees can, and often do, suggest product or with D4D expertise, customer experience improvements in known as innovation their renewal forms.

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Customer Experience Excellence

Customer comments from promoters, neutrals, and detractors are also distributed through a weekly Listen2Me document that Intuit product managers and others are able to share. Through its efforts to listen to the voice of its customers and respond to their comments and requests, APD has been able to generate strong business benefits. From 2009 through 2012, transactional NPS has increased 18 points for service and support. Meanwhile, renewal rates for most customer segments continue to grow. In addition, under Intuits closed-loop feedback process, detractors who were called and spoken to by an APD employee have 9 to 10 percent higher renewal rates than detractors who werent contacted. Looking ahead, Intuit continues to explore ways to gather and act on customer feedback in real time. Tim Rollins, APD customer experience leader, explains, Were sensitive to survey burnout, so were actively looking for ways to readily glean customer feedback...that can draw on a conversation in real time without the need to conduct a survey.

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Customer Experience Takes Off at United Airlines

The airline is making extensive use of data about its frequent flyers and non-members to deliver richer experiences and offers. by Tom Hoffman
The 2010 merger between United Airlines and Continental Airlines created not only one of the worlds largest airlines, but also one of the worlds biggest loyalty programs. As the two airlines went about merging their respective customer databases, executives at United saw an opportunity to explore new and creative ways to use customer data from both MileagePlus and non-members that could help it build richer profiles of its customers that could enable the airline to deliver personalized and relevant communications, critical day-of-travel updates, and to ultimately deliver better customer experiences. United also sought to break new ground. The only customer database that United previously maintained was for its MileagePlus members. United decided to expand the database in order to provide more relevant and personalized communications with the millions of customers who arent MileagePlus members and to better serve their needs. United partnered with Acxiom Corp. to help it build richer profiles of its MileagePlus members and also non-members. In addition to identifying duplicate records to help United work with the cleanest and most accurate member information possible, Acxiom also overlays demographic and lifestyle data on top of customer records and groups them into customer types. For instance, while United tries to include basic demographic information in each member profile such as age, household income, and net worth, in some cases it relies on Acxiom to either fill in missing pieces of information or to add interest-specific elements, such as golf, says Mark Krolick, managing director of marketing and product development at United. United has also been able to make more effective use of its member data and interact with customers in ways it wasnt able to before. Each day, United analyzes its MileagePlus database to identify customers who are about to reach a certain milestone, such as specific mileage levels, program anniversaries, or birthdays. The general manager, or another designee at one of the 72 domestic airports that the program has been extended to, then fills out a hand-written thank-you card and passes it along to an agent to hand out to these customers as they scan their boarding passes when theyre about to board their flights. The customer feedback has been a nice validation and were seeing value from the program, says Michelle Brown, director of the MileagePlus program at United. Having richer customer information has enabled United to segment its customers more accurately. For instance, United can group customers by similar past behaviors, such as customers who have been price sensitive. United can then use these insights to create relevant offers for customers. Uniteds ability to develop rich information about its customersloyalty members and non-members alikehas enabled the airline to be more relevant and drive greater revenue. Since the launch of the initiative, United has been able to convert 4 percent of its non-members to the MileagePlus program, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in additional revenue. Were investing in customer service and the right marketing technologies.... The pieces are all falling into place for us to become the worlds leading airline, Krolick says.

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United has been able to convert 4 percent of its non-members to the MileagePlus program, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in additional revenue.

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Customer Service Optimization

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Cisco Cultivates Community Through Collaborative Self-Service Support

Users and experts help shape and create content, advancing Ciscos effort to boost loyalty and personalize the consumers online support experience. by Anna Papachristos

For many customers, the decision to purchase doesnt solely revolve around product features or cost because the customer experience rarely ends at the point of sale. Most customers prefer to do business with companies that also offer dependable customer service throughout the entire customer journey. With this in mind, Cisco Systems, Inc. set out to bring collaboration into the service and support mix, measurably boosting customers and partners online support success. In its move toward improved customer service support,

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last year, customers resolved 390,000 issues per month, deecting 84 percent of support cases and saving Cisco millions of dollars in call center costs.

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Cisco decided that future success would hinge upon Web ease, speed, and increased sources of knowledge. Ciscos team noticed that the best service sites were easy to navigate, recalled the customers identity, tailored content by tracking online behaviors, and supplemented self-support with forums. With these aspects in mind, Cisco established its goals around simplifying and personalizing the Cisco Support Websites self-service offerings, growing a robust community to mobilize networking and social wisdom, and bringing agents explicitly into the fold. To bring these goals to life, Ciscos Smart Web Technology Group (SWTG) and its Smart Web Community Management Group (SWCMG) aligned to form an established team dedicated to user experience, customer interaction, and analytics. These two departments combined their expertise in order to develop a community that focused on both self-service and peer service offerings. By engaging users and allowing them to help shape the site and its content, Cisco has created an environment that welcomes knowledge from both users and experts. The support community not only discusses issues, but also contributes content, rates answered questions, and attends or replays webinars. This initiative also employs leaderboards, which reflect Ciscos recognition programs drive to

incentivize customers and experts to answer questions, share solutions, and contribute content. Today we see great opportunities to engender a true One Cisco Web experience by joining with other teams to ensure all the parts fit together, says Glenn Schleicher, director, Cisco Smart Web Technology Group (SWTG). For example, we place links to current forum discussions right on top of each product support page. Why? Because someone over there may have just answered a nagging installation question. For Cisco, support and community play mutually reinforcing roles. This symbiotic relationship has helped to build loyalty and fortify the sales value proposition by helping customers resolve issues efficiently and engaging them in change. In 2012, Ciscos 4.1 million unique monthly visitors resolved 390,000 issues per month, deflecting 84 percent of technical issues online, thereby saving Cisco millions of dollars and customers hours of call time. Truly loyal customers with service contracts also saw significant improvements, rising to 83.5 percent, versus 24 percent and 27 percent loyalty expressed for Ciscos two major competitors. Ciscos effort to craft an easier, more personal Web experience has also made support more widely accessible, as this uniform, worldwide experience offers identical advantages for every user. By logging in when visiting Ciscos website, individuals can now immediately link to product pages they frequently view, see a personal download history and corresponding new releases, start one-click downloads, check support case status, or open a new case. By offering personal dashboards with hot links, Cisco has managed to turn Web histories and preferences into a powerful asset for finding answers quickly. By constructing single and collective customer views to improve support, site logins continue to increase. Since October, Ciscos support site has seen a 64 percent jump in visitors who log in to the support home page each month, allowing the site to track the customers behaviors and interactions. Remembering each individual not only takes customers to the right destination in fewer clicks, but also creates a personal connection. In the end, personalization also boosts customer retention, as users are constantly welcomed by the fact that each interaction allows Cisco to get to know them even better.

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Customer Service Optimization

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Cigna Personalizes Its Approach to Healthcare Customer Service

Cigna aims to make healthcare a fun, relevant part of each persons everyday life by helping every customer reach his or her full potential. by Anna Papachristos

Doctors may no longer make house calls, but for Cigna, reviving the personalized approach for todays consumer has boosted engagement and instilled the sort of trust that has been absent from the industry in recent years. In its move to connect consumers with customer service, Cigna instituted a social media strategy that has enabled it to engage with customers in a way that reaches them on their terms and through their channel of choice. By providing customers with an array of contact channels, Cigna also reinforces transparency in its customer interactions, as customer service professionals actively engage across platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Foursquare, Tumblr, podcasts, and YouTube. This online customer service optimization strategy, managed by Cignas Internet Customer Service (iCSA) team, supports questions about MyCigna. com, monitors and responds to postings on social media sites 24/7/365, addresses all service related postings, and engages in other areas of the organization when additional support is needed. Cigna is committed to helping our customers improve their health, well-being, and sense of security, Eric Galvin, senior director of service operations at Cigna. We recognize that to be a truly customer-centric company, we need to be where our customers are. By engaging with our customers through social media, we have the opportunity to show them we are listening and demonstrate we want to build a relationship of trust. We want to understand each customers unique needs so we can deliver solutions relevant to their personal health. By upholding its mission to care for the individual, Cigna has been able to tap into the opinions, concerns, likes, and dislikes frequently shared on the Internet by customers to earn their trust and cultivate brand

ambassadors who will embrace and recommend the service to others. Social media also offers Cigna the unique opportunity to reach people who may not be current customers by presenting prospective and current consumers with health-related information, facts, and tips through Cignas GO YOU! Facebook page, Twitter feed, and YouTube account. While making health a fun and relevant part of each persons everyday life represents Cignas primary goal, the GO YOU! brand also honors the individual, recognizing that each customer has their own needs. Cigna strives to help customers be true to themselves and reach their full potential, going beyond benefits coverage and insurance claims by offering health coaches who work with customers to set up personal plans that support their individual health goals. For Cigna, the GO YOU! brand represents the companys overarching mission to earn trust and build long-term, fulfilling customer relationships that inspire, encourage, and celebrate each individual. Since implementing this personalized social strategy, Cigna has seen a 20 percent increase in its transactional NPS, while its GO YOU! Facebook page added 4,396 new likes in November 2012 alone. Cigna also set and surpassed its goal to respond to 90 percent of customer-related issues within 30 minutes of posting, often redirecting customers to more personalized service settings, such as phone or direct email when appropriate, to protect confidentiality. Public relations personnel handle inquiries relating to industry criticism, healthcare reforms, and questions about products, with an overall goal to respond to all posts within two hours. However, in November 2012, Cigna exceeded its business goal by responding to more than 99 percent of customer posts within 30 minutes, exhibiting the companys core mission through action.

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By treating each customer as an individual, Cigna has seen a

20 percent

increase in its transactional NPS, while its GO YOU! Facebook page added 4,396

new Likes
in November 2012 alone.

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Integrated Marketing Performance

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Autodesk Ups Engagement with Gamified Trials

The software company added a layer of gamification to its software trials, allowing users to compete in a more engaging experience. by Cynthia Clark
First impressions are not only imperative in life, but theyre the trial. Tolle describes the initiative as a learning experialso important in business. Forward-thinking organizations ence contextualized within a race against time narrative. are putting in a lot of effort to make sure they leave a posiThrough a series of missions, users were guided through the tive impact on their customers and prospects from the first various features of the software. At the heart of these misinteraction. sions is the learning track that walks a user through activities Autodesk, which creates software for architects, engineers, where they interact with the product and learn how to use it, and special effects professionals around the world, was Tolle explains. Players earned points and achievement badges cognizant of this and wanted to make sure prospects first when they completed missions, which they could share on experience of its products was positive. The companys cusFacebook and Twitter to earn additional points. In order to tomers expect to try out Autodesks sophisticated products increase the element of competition, Autodesk developed a before they make a purchase to be sure theyre making the leaderboard that ranked trial users against their peers, and right financial investment. It is therefore essential for Autodesk ultimately showed who won the game. to create a meaningful initial user experience for products that Throughout the experience, Autodesk kept in touch with replaces a significant learning curve. users through emails highlighting the leaderboard and This was a challenge for Autodesk, notes Sheila Tolle, encouraging them to continue playing. Autodesk decided to senior director for e-commerce and small business marketing. host the game on its key community site, AREA, where 3ds We needed to find a way to viscerally demonstrate the value Max users were already congregating to share their work and and selling points of the software in a way that truly gave the participate in forums. This strategy helps pull in new players, customer a great experience, she says. The aim was to get get blogger coverage, and encourage game-related conversacustomers to really understand the value that the software tions within the customer forums, Tolle notes. would add to their workflow. Autodesk was also aware of the important role that While the majority of customers only open a trial once, social media has in its clients decision-making process. Autodesks business leaders were aware that those who Word of mouth is critical in the purchasing decisions of open the same trial three times or more are twice as very small businesses, with which likely to make a purchase. It was therefore important Tolles team mainly works, and they BUSINESS to make trials more engaging to encourage customers use social media as part of their valito use them and become familiar with them. dation and vetting process. Social gamication Armed with this knowledge, Autodesk decided to media is where this peer review and increases Autodesks introduce a layer of gamification and link it to social endorsements take place, she says. trial downloads and channels. Tolle says the company wanted to create a [Prospects] use it to determine ups sales. curated and guided learning experience that prowhether our products are right for vided incentives for trial users and was also fun. them and how their peers are using The point was to leverage game mechanics them. In fact, research showed that and psychology to get trial users to be more YouTube is one of the first places where users go to engaged, Tolle explains. get training in using the software. The team leverLast fall, Autodesk launched Uncharted aged Facebook and Twitter to promote the games Territory, an in-trial marketing game for and to reward players who shared their mission Autodesk 3ds Max, a 3D modeling, anicompletions on social channels, which in turn mation, and rendering software. Using would attract their friends and followers to Badgeville, Autodesk built game the game. mechanics into the trial, providing a More than 600 trial users played the game way to reward customers for using over a three-month period, Tolle explains.

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Autodesk saw a 10 percent increase in trial downloads while trial usage went up by more than 50 percent. Further, the company saw a 15 percent increase in buy clicks through the trial. Following the success of the first trial, Autodesk decided to expand the gamification approach to AutoCAD, its flagship product, allowing the company to give customers a truly engaging experience that helps them get a quick understanding of the products value proposition and its benefits. The AutoCAD Design Suite game saw more than 500 players and trial downloads went up by 4 percent.

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Eaton Powers Up Its Brand Perception

The power management company embarked on a marketing campaign to penetrate the IT market. by Cynthia Clark
Positive brand perception is imperative for organizations to succeed and create brand awareness, especially when trying to penetrate a new market, like the IT sector. Power management company Eaton was facing this challenge since it was largely unknown among small and medium business IT professionals. The $17 billion company, which markets products and services to chief technology officers to provide power to small and medium-sized data centers, wanted to improve its brand perception among IT professionals. Kristin Somers, marketing communications manager at Eaton, explains that the brand was already established in the electrical power distribution space and large data center markets, but only had a minimal presence in the IT channel, particularly in the small and medium business market. She notes that understanding the demands of the IT community, the company wanted to introduce more customers to its power management products and services. In fact, at the beginning of 2011, Eaton had less than a 5 percent share of the SMB IT market, opposed to its largest competitor which commanded an 80 to 90 percent share. This lack of brand recognition meant that field sales representatives were encountering challenges selling Eatons products since most prospects had never heard of the company and were not comfortable switching to an unknown manufacturer. It was clear we needed to introduce Eaton, gain awareness, and increase sales, Somers says. A game-change was needed. With acquisitions and new products poised to launch, Eatons business leaders felt the time was right to further position the company as an IT solutions provider. The organization determined the need for an integrated marketing campaign to differentiate the company and generate leads for partners, recruit new Eaton resellers, and increase awareness and preference for Eatons products in the market. After researching the situation, Eatons leaders determined the need to position the company to behave as a challenger brand and demonstrate that it truly understands the IT professionals who influence purchases. A required change was to communicate to different audiences in the most relevant way. Previously, Eaton was sending its three client segmentsdirectors of IT and IT managers, CIOs and CTOs, and IT resellers email notifications about product launches. Eaton held focus groups and one-on-one interviews to determine audience pain points and challenges to tailor the campaign messaging to their needs. The campaign, Things Have Changed, kicked off at the end of August 2011 featuring IT managers desk toys, ranging from finger puppets to mini Triceratops, with the aim of showing IT managers that Eaton understands their needs. This underscores the companys expertise in IT and data center solutions while positioning Eaton as a company that gets IT. The campaign was built as an online ecosystem, with numerous channels and tactics, including print and banner advertising, email, direct mail, and social media, driving traffic to the SwitchOn.eaton.com website, a hub that invited users to share their personal information to either download a white paper, sign up for sweepstakes, or create a caption for images of desk toys, among other interactions. The success of the campaign was evident from the start. In Q42011 alone, the campaign exceeded the goal of gathering 10,000 end user leads and 400 reseller leads in a third of the time that had been earmarked. Initial results show that between September and November 2011, the Things Have Changed campaign led to the identification of $2 million worth of opportunities. Last year, Eaton added another 12,000 leads to its database.

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eaton identied $2 million worth of new opportunities and added 12,000 leads.

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iPad CRM Mobilizes AgReliant Genetics Sales

Mobile CRM is helping the seed company be more agile in its sales process which has led to a more robust customer database. by Cynthia Clark
Sales representatives have one of the most important roles in an organization. For many customers, they are the main contact to the brand and are instrumental in ensuring that customers become regulars and advocates for the company through excellent and personalized service. Seed company AgReliant Genetics, recognizes the crucial role that the organizations 300 specialized sales representatives have in forging a great relationship with their customer base of farmers, dealers, and retailers. The organization has been working hard to improve the sales call experience for both the company and its customers, and also increase the efficiency of the sales process. The companys business leaders were cognizant of the need for a robust CRM solution that was accessible to the sales representatives even while on the road, which is where they spend an inordinate amount of their time, each travelling an average of 35,000 miles per year to service their territories. AgReliant Genetics, which was formed in 2000 and markets five product brands in corn and soybean states in the Midwest, was collecting information about its customers and prospects in its CRM system, through which the company was also managing seed orders, scoring prospects to ensure a better sales cycle, and automating marketing campaigns. However, for sales representatives to make the most out of the system, they needed to carry their laptops to client meetings, which are often held in fields. This was impractical, notes Steve Thompson, AgReliant Genetics director of IT. Connectivity in remote areas was sometimes challenging and it was cumbersome for sales reps to boot up their laptops, hold the machine, and input the needed data while continuing with the conversation. The company didnt mandate that reps use the system. Instead, we expected to show the sales force the benefits of using a CRM system, Thompson says. But only 5 percent were inputting customer data. Eager to find a solution that made sense, Thompsons team started looking into mobile CRM and decided to invest in a customized Sage SalesLogix iPad app that gives easy and secure on-the-go access. The computer had to feel like one was carrying around a paper notebook, which would allow them to use it while standing up, Thompson says. The device also needed to be functional without a keyboard and allow them to voice record data. Regional sales teams who were shown the iPad system immediately recognized how this could help them with their daily business activities and the company kicked off a pilot project in December 2011, allowing Thompsons team to gather feedback from both users and customers who were exposed to the devices use for sales purposes. The system was deployed to all 300 sales representatives six months later. The success of the mobile CRM solution was apparent from the beginning, allowing sales representatives to be more agile in their work and present a professional appearance. The voice-to-text note logging feature proved to be extremely helpful to reps, allowing them to speak out the notes from their meeting rather than type them in, increasing the amount of recorded sales activities. [The companys regional and brand managers] were amazed how well it worked, so from that point forward the managers knew there was no excuse for a salesperson not to enter sales activities, Thompson says. With sales reps calling on up to 300 farmers every year, they need a good planning system to be as efficient as possible. The app includes a planning map which leverages Google Maps technology and uses color-coded pins to visually show each accounts current acreage, how recently a particular farmer has purchased seed, and each farms unique agronomic specifications, like soil type. Sales reps can choose a number of different views, for example a sales status view indicates the status of each opportunity within the sales process of each account, including pending orders, shipping status, and follow-up. Different colored pins are used on the map to give reps an at-a-glance view of different factors, like the size of each opportunity based on previous orders. Reps are also able to see each farmers position within the sales funnel, giving them informed knowledge about who they should be calling on next. Theyre also able to see which farmers were included in specific marketing campaigns. Adoption of the CRM solution has increased drastically and is now being used by 95 percent of sales employees. This facilitates sales interactions and the company is benefitting from

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By introducing a mobile CRM system, AgReliant Genetics has increased usage by 95 percent.

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consistent and accurate forecasting and sales stage reporting since more reps are actively recording their notes. AgReliant Genetics has also seen an increase in customer satisfaction since the solution is helping sales reps deliver a more personalized servicea crucial element in the companys strategy that seeks to understand and address the individual needs of its customers. Every farm and farmer can have their own unique needs, so its all about delivering a personalized solution for them, Thompson notes. The brand that utilized the new system most is all set for a 25 percent growth this year, compared to 5 percent for AgReliant Genetics other four brands. I believe were just starting to scratch the surface on improving customer satisfaction with our new system, Thompson says.

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Ingram Micro Ups Sales Through Service Renewal Automation

The tech company has made it easier for resellers to renew service contracts that are about to lapse, leading to an increase in sales and better customer service. by Cynthia Clark
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Organizations that sell their products through a third party need to make sure that their resellers are making the most of each sales opportunity. Technology distributor Ingram Micro North America was finding that its resellers were missing out on thousands of service sales opportunities. If we could transform the time-consuming processes that kept [resellers] from capturing the full scope of renewal opportunities that were available to them, particularly with the low-dollar service renewals, we could drive new profits and revenues for their businesses, notes Peter Gambino, executive director, advanced technology division and Cisco Business Unit, Ingram Micro U.S. Under the guidance of Paul Bay, the companys president, Ingram Micro kicked off an ambitious initiative to improve operational efficiencies in more than 3,700 resellers in North America, help them close more deals without adding human resources costs, and in turn deliver greater profits. Further, Ingram Micros business leaders wanted to strengthen the relationship between resellers and their end customers, helping the businesses better communicate with clients and remain up-to-date with customers renewal needs. Bay noticed that tedious and time-consuming processes, for example, heavy reliance on traditional spreadsheets, often meant that resellers were not putting enough weight to the renewal of low-dollar service opportunities, which amount to less than $25,000 per year. These need to be kept up-to-date to make sure that customers are entitled to continued service protection for their products. The company realized that thousands of these service contracts were coming up for renewal every month, potentially costing the company money and leading to a negative experience for customers since their IT resources were not protected by service agreements. The traditional spreadsheets being used to track contract expirations were at times plagued with inaccuracies or missing information. In its search for an expeditious but long-term solution, the company decided to collaborate with service contract management technology provider MaintenanceNet to improve its Reseller Services Portal, allowing it to offer a way for resellers to transact and automate service quotes. In order to facilitate the renewal process, Ingram Micro wanted to automatically send resellers accurate and pre-validated renewal quotes, making it easier for them to reach out to customers and manage orders online instantaneously, a process that previously took hours or even days. The solution, AutoQuote, was deployed to all resellers as part of the Reseller Services Portal and alerts them about service expirations 90 days before the contract expires, giving them time to take action. It delivers a goldmine of new opportunities that requires little action and no real investment on the part of the partner, but adds significant business value, Bay says. The financial gains were substantial, helping Ingram Micro gain revenue that would otherwise have been lost. Service renewals for a particular vendor increased by 135 percent last year over 2011. Last year Ingram Micro delivered more than $200 million in automated quotes to resellers each quarter. Further, this system is helping resellers drive better and stronger relationships with customers. By staying on top of their customers ongoing service needs, resellers are able to cultivate a sense of trust and stronger partnership, Bay notes.

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Last year, Ingram Micro delivered more than $200 million in automated quotes to resellers each quarter.

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Best Western Checks in on Customer Feedback

By integrating customer insight from social review sites, the hotel chain has developed an engagement strategy that values transparency and cultivates trust. by Anna Papachristos

For Best Western, social review sites have opened the door to a world of honest insight and the customer experience. In the hospitality industry, review sites such as TripAdvisor provide travelers with a way to assess their booking decisions, with 72 percent of consumers claiming they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. But, because 35 percent of travelers have admitted to changing their hotel reservations after reading online reviews, Best Western took it upon itself to manage its online reputation and improve their customer care services. Using Medallias Social Feedback for Hospitality platform, Best Western now enables managers of its 4,200 locations worldwide to respond to customer concerns and reviews while keeping a consistent brand voice. The dashboard solution provides hotel managers with the ability to reply to customer feedback right from within the program. Each hotel has the opportunity to observe the social chatter for Best Western hotels in general, as well as collect targeted feedback that pertains to their location specifically. Notifications appear in real time, allowing these managers to care for issues publicly and swiftly. Even further, hotel managers can customize their dashboards to display the social chatter for their competitors far and wide. The biggest opportunity for our hotels comes from the chance to truly understand not only what the consumer says about them, but also what theyre saying about their competitors, says Michael Morton, vice president of member services at Best Western. Because social feedback is public knowledge, we can not only see how we stack up on all these review sites, but also see how we stack up against our competitors. We can understand where we excel, where we can improve, and aggressively market these advantages to consumers who are still in the decision-making stage of the hotel booking process. Acknowledging issues and solving problems via social review sites adds a level of transparency, but the immediacy of these responses convey that Best Western listens to and cares for its customers by using their feedback to make improvements. The hotel chain views social media as a customer experience management opportunity, allowing the company to listen to both solicited and unsolicited feedback

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Active Best Western properties have seen 64 percent more reviews than their inactive counterparts, and a 30 percent higher ranking on TripAdvisor.

to establish a holistic view of the customer experience. And, with 1.3 million solicited surveys and nearly 150,000 social reviews collected each year, Best Western has ample opportunity to understand an array of opinions. To boost its transparency, Best Western has even incorporated TripAdvisor reviews alongside its booking pages to keep potential customers on the site. Best Western wants to encourage users to embrace its site as an accessible channel. Frequently, customers will return to the review sites to consult their fellow travelers. The hotel chain also wants to hook customers when they land on the site so they will quickly decide to book with Best Western before they begin to wander. Integrating the TripAdvisor reviews alongside booking options provides customers with the information they seek, while enhancing the companys transparency. By voluntarily highlighting customer reviews, Best Western displays confidence in its brand because they need not sugarcoat anything their customers say. This also fosters active, engaging communities that cultivate relationships and honest, consistent feedback. Since implementation, 69 percent of Best Westerns hotel managers have adopted the social dashboard platformthe highest rate in the industry, and more than twice the industry average (32 percent) according to TripAdvisor. Active Best Western properties have seen 64 percent more reviews than their inactive counterparts, and a 30 percent higher ranking on TripAdvisor. This higher ranking inevitably becomes crucial to any given hotels success, as higher rankings on TripAdvisor

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mean greater visibility on the review site. In fact, these higher rankings have led to 1,252 Best Western hotels receiving TripAdvisors Certificate of Excellence, which is bestowed upon only 10 percent of hotels listed on-site. Due to such success, many property managers and executives are making moves to mandate social engagement across the brand.

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LEGO Systems Inc. Builds Kid-Friendly Social Forums to Foster Creativity and Friendship
Through fun and imagination, the toymakers social community expands upon the brand promise by clearing the path for safe, creative storytelling and educational opportunities.
by Anna Papachristos
Playtime has always been an innately social activity, enabling children to make friends and exert energy at the same time. But, for children growing up in todays technology driven world, play often revolves around the mental, not the physical. For LEGO fans, the brands creative roots have grown into an interactive forum that allows children across the globe to create together using their imaginations to role-play and write stories they can share with the entire community. While LEGOs off-domain communities, such as LEGO Facebook and LEGO Redbrick, offer lively ways for fans to interact, LEGO wanted to provide users with the same exceptional service and experience on LEGO. com directly. To do so, the company needed to move its current forums to a more interactive platform to ensure users would not only view content, but actively engage and participate, as well. Just as the LEGO brand continuously reinvents its products, the companys social presence needed a refresh to recapture and retain fans of all ages, while maintaining the companys overarching valuesimagination, creativity, fun, learning, caring, safety, and quality. However, as with all new platforms, LEGO had to handle the potential dangers that come along with data migration. Often times, when transferring customer data to a new platform, companies run the risk of losing customer account information in the process. Though potentially problematic, LEGO guaranteed no information from its 2.4 million existing users and more than four million posts was lost by taking extra precautions and investing additional funds, successfully transferring 100 percent of its existing data to ensure there were no disruptions in the user experience. With the help of Lithium Technologies, LEGO also tackled poor moderation response times to improve the user experience and boost both employee and customer engagement. Though response times had dwindled from 72 hours in 2010, to eight hours in January 2012, LEGO found these long periods to be counterproductive in light of its social enhancement goals. The new initiative, however, repurposed LEGOs talented team of resources in a newly formed group to manage, engage, and moderate with the LEGO message board community. Efficient moderation allows users to have more conversations more often, while the specific emphasis on staff engagement encourages users to participate. Now, moderation times have decreased to 56 minutes as of December 2012, contributing to the 62 percent climb in user interaction. Moderators and users also provide constructive and positive feedback on shared stories, boosting user confidence and inspiring them to write more and hone their skills. Praising stories also makes kids feel good, and we have a really good community feel now, says Mark Fothergill, head of childrens community and moderation at LEGO Systems, Inc. The kids are forever telling us that they feel special and that it really gives them a spring in their step on a daily basis. This seal of approval from other users and moderators spurs them on to write more and more, and to become good writers. Users continue to leave encouraging feedback, thereby thrusting LEGOs desire to inspire and educate into the center of its social engagement strategy. The companys new social ranking structure also pushes users to post high-quality stories and comments, as the new system bases success on the content, not quantity. Not only has this structure helped decrease spam, but users are no longer posting frequently just to boost their standings. Instead, users are striving to better themselves by developing their skills and embracing LEGOs underlying emphasis on learning and imagination.

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Since launching its new social community, get to times have dwindled from 8 hours in January 2012, to 56 minutes in December 2012, contributing to the 62 percent climb in user interaction.

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For more information on the 2013 program, go to www.1to1media.com/CrMexcellence