Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 6, 2013

As a direct marketer we have been good at customer intimacy. We know a lot about our customers. We have known for a long time that we needed to be operationally excellent, but in the past we''ve fixed problems reactively, after the event, to keep customers happy. But it isn''t easy.

Customer Intimacy 8

Customer Intimacy Operations Supply Chain Retail 8

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 29, 2013

While a focus on lowering costs, improving quality, and providing consistent, reliable service will continue to be important, I see a shift in the coming decade to combining operational excellence with customer intimacy: tailored solutions for individual customers based on a deep understanding of their needs.

Customer Intimacy 8

Customer Intimacy Operations Supply Chain Transportation 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 23, 2016

.” As a result, marketers and their employers are missing a potentially powerful brand- and business-building opportunity: leveraging online security measures as a way to build trust with shoppers, which will ultimately lead to increased sales. Online security and customer intimacy go hand in hand.

Marketing 8

Marketing Customer Intimacy CIO Technology 8

Harvard Business Review

JULY 29, 2013

Third, new easy-to-use online webinar and videoconferencing technologies make it possible for inside salespeople to create customer intimacy without field interaction. What types of selling situations or tasks are most compatible with inside sales?

B2B 8

B2B Power Market Segmentation Customer Intimacy 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 17, 2015

We have shifted from a competitive landscape in which companies are more exclusively focused on external forces affecting their industries and sectors, to one that has become significantly more customer-centric. Consider the battle waged by IBM’s software development teams between competing methods for getting closer to customers.

Productivity 8

Productivity Products Customer Intimacy Software 8

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 13, 2015

Nevertheless, physical stores do offer customers a number of significant benefits, including immediacy, personal service, and the ability to offer a truly immersive experience. New technology promises to allow retailers to beat online players at their own game, transforming the customer experience and dramatically improving their positioning.

Retail 8

Retail Customer Intimacy Real Estate Loyalty 8

Lead Change Blog

OCTOBER 16, 2015

It was a bittersweet song from a poem that told the story of a steel-driving man who won a contest pitted against the new fangled steam-powered drill and then died from the stress of the match. And, maximizing the clerk’s productivity meant keeping her focused on the rules of the registry more than on the concerns of the customer.

P&L 150

P&L Customer Intimacy Price Retail 150