Partly enthusiastic, partly obeying the need, many companies are driving their digital transformation in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Because of the severely limited contact options, many new offers are being created in the B2B area to make sales and customer services digitally successful. But of course, many companies already had a wide range of digital services before the crisis and therefore felt little pressure to act. But be careful. The changed consumer behavior due to the problem is also influencing the quality expectations of business customers. So it’s high time to put existing customer touchpoints to the test.
Shopping, media consumption, personal contacts – all of this has changed radically for many people in the Corona situation. In private as well as in the business sector. This development is forcing many companies to create new online offers not to lose their customers quickly. But even companies that already have the corresponding offers and services should not rest on their lead because the increased use of digital services in all areas of life is changing your customers’ quality expectations. For many providers, it is therefore advisable to at least review their offer and service architecture.
Uniform Login For All Offers
An excellent example of such questions is the access system. For instance, complex technical capital goods providers require different offers from the same provider to direct their access data. The reason is primarily structure that has grown over the years. The individual offers, such as online training, marketing content, or various accompanying e-commerce offers, have been added gradually and are based on different databases and systems. This means that when switching to another service area, they have to log out and then log back in on another website. At first glance, this may seem unimportant, but customers who have long been used to
Consistently Harnessing Synergies
But such a system can also have adverse effects for companies. With different access points, the customer only ever sees what he is actively controlling. Therefore, exciting innovations or attractive offers from other commercial and service areas are not noticed, even though a customer is already active in the online world of a company. This is all the more annoying in times of severely limited personal contact options. Uniform access with a uniform start page could help here and simplify switching between different services for the customer and make consistent use of the resulting synergies.
Maintain Investments, Integrate Existing Systems
The term “grown” structures illustrate the often heterogeneous character of many existing IT architectures. However, it somewhat obscures how much financial and time investment is in this so-called “growth.” If you take these efforts into account, it is only understandable that many companies shy away from restructuring. The fear can be unfounded because some experienced digital agencies have recognized the problem and developed appropriate solutions. For example, the digital agency Medienwerft GmbH succeeded in integrating ten different online service offers from the agricultural machinery manufacturer Krone GmbH so that they are accessible to the user from a central portal while at the same time retaining the existing systems in the backend.
Intelligent Use Of Data
In heterogeneous architectures, in particular, it is often tricky to systematically and holistically analyze the data and information from various sources. To put it mildly, that’s a shame. Because of this, precious resources remain unused. A robust Customer Relationship Management System (CRM), which brings together all data, makes the relationships visible via an Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) and offers comprehensive evaluation options, can create the basis for making user experiences just as individually and personally relevant as it is Customers from the digital consumer world are used to.
Consistently Optimize The User Experience
It is worthwhile to analyze the user experience and customer journey from time to time without emotion. Because it is clear that technology is developing and the competition never sleeps, in fact, for example, user guides that were considered perfectly fine a few years ago can already appear very out of date today.
An excellent example of this is inconsistent navigation concepts for different online offers of a company or a lack of responsiveness, i.e., poor display or functionality on mobile devices. Investing in a consistent user-centered design and seamless customer journey design through all current offers is worthwhile. And with appropriately intelligent concepts, such harmonization can also be achieved at the front-end level without changing the often different backend services.
It is essential to take advantage of this opportunity because the demand for clarity, clarity and intuitive understanding has increased significantly. And regardless of whether it is a consumer shop or B2B offer: Anything that requires the user to search, think or take too many steps leads to negative feelings, uncertainty, and ultimately to less use or even to switching providers.
Clarity and intuitive understanding have increased significantly recently. And regardless of whether it is a consumer shop or B2B offer: Anything that requires the user to search, think or take too many steps leads to negative feelings, uncertainty, and ultimately to less use or even to switching providers.
Clarity and intuitive understanding have increased significantly recently. And regardless of whether it is a consumer shop or B2B offer: Anything that requires the user to search, think or take too many steps leads to negative feelings, uncertainty, and ultimately to less use or even to switching providers.
Efficient Tools For Digital Sales
The current contact restrictions represent a particularly significant challenge for sales. Customer relationships are not limited to exchanging factual information; instead, personal contact and informal communication are often of decisive importance for successful sales and stable customer relationships. A simple online shop cannot efficiently deliver these essential qualities. More personal involvement can be achieved, for example, with live or video chats, digital showrooms, and exclusive information offers in closed portals. Corresponding functionalities should therefore be made available on the company website. This is more important as customer behavior, and expectations will not reverse development even after the pandemic.
Careful Analysis Is Crucial
As described, there are numerous and varied starting points for optimizing the attractiveness and performance of B2B portals. The question of which measures make the most sense for which company at which point in time cannot be answered across the board. A professional and thorough analysis of all aspects is therefore essential. Even at this stage, appropriately specialized and experienced digital agencies can provide valuable support.
Conclusion:
Regardless of the current pandemic situation, companies are well-advised to continuously develop and optimize the quality of their digital B2B offers. Because both the demands of the users and the activities of the competition are increasing, any optimization should always be based on a comprehensive analysis. With appropriately intelligent concepts, it is possible to continue to use existing components and thus preserve investments that have already been made. In any case, it is advisable to get a competent specialist for e-commerce and branding on board at an early stage to check where there is a need for action and to be able to assess the multitude of options properly.
