Question

What kind of data might you give up when using a cash register, a website, or a loyalty card, or when calling a firm’s customer support line. How might firms leverage this data to better serve you and improve their performance?

Answer 1

It is a common observation that websites and restaurants insist on filling certain forms with our personal information. This is ideally done to get in touch with us or if they wish to provide us with specific information. In most cases, we are asked to fill in our details such as name, phone number, email address, residential address, and even the source from where we learned about the site or restaurant.

In the case of a restaurant, if you are a regular and loyal customer, the restaurant can contact you to inform you about the latest additions to their menu or if there are certain discounts on the food items for a specific period. In all fields of business, the competition is extreme. Understanding the choices and preferences of consumers is a vital part of achieving success in this competitive world. There are various ways by which a company can obtain personal information from a visitor. Starbucks, for example, provides free Wi-Fi after the users submit their full information including name, email, and zip code. The company then uses this data to forward promotional offers and discounts. A Loyalty card is another method of enticing the customers, as people willingly provide their information with the expectation of rewards.

In the case of online sites, more often than not, customer service depends on the customer information that the site possesses. The business of E-commerce giants such as Amazon and Flipkart run on this principle. By providing his or her personal information, the customer can not only track his or her order but also be informed about products in a similar category that he or she might desire. Regardless of whether the customer is aware or not, but these efforts by e-commerce sites regularly save customers from a lot of confusion as far as purchasing is concerned.

Hence, gathering information directly from consumers is a highly efficient way for companies to understand the preferences and complains of the customers. Businesses use this information to make conscious efforts in improving their service which not only benefits the consumers but also the providers.