June 24, 2013
In 2013, the degree of insight into customer behavior required to remain competitive is unprecedented -- ten years ago we wouldn’t have even expected a psychic to do this much mind-reading. Fortunately, however, achieving this level of insight isn’t as farfetched as it may sound.
On the TV show Psyche, the lead character manages to convince everyone that he’s a psychic. In reality he has simply honed such keen powers of observation that his evidence-based conclusions appear to be psychic predictions. Similarly, the technologies exist to give companies a “crystal ball” of sorts -- a view of the customer that is so well-informed that some might confuse its insight with divination.
Unifying the psychic elements
Most major companies have the raw elements of such a crystal ball in place:
- Marketing automation provides a profile of past interaction and demographics
- Social media tools offer a real-time look at personal interests, opinions and activities
- CRM gives a history of their relationship with your organization
