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Making It Personal
But do not be confused. Personalization is not just another way to push more product out the door. Kasanoff clearly explains why personalization is not just a marketing tool, but instead an effective approach for all business relationships. Partners, shareholders, employees, and customers can all benefit from increased personalization. The purpose of implementing one-to-one personalization strategies is to benefit these stakeholders, not just the company. This is a fundamental concept that too many businesses just don't understand.
When customers give out their personal information they are taking a risk. If customers consistently feel as though their privacy is being violated, then it won't be long before they stop using the services. Companies will not be able to regain their trust easily, and worse yet the information they do receive is more likely to be false. This is a lose-lose situation for everyone involved. Making It Personal shows businesses how to make personalization a win-win situation for everyone involved.
The reality is that not all personalization "is the result of a massive computer sifting through dozens of databases to automatically deliver a certain type of treatment to a person. Most initiatives start with employees who have a good idea." Personalization starts with remembering someone's address so they don't have to retype it 50 times. Personalization starts when you remember whether someone prefers a window or an aisle seat. Personalization starts when you remember whether someone prefers charts and graphs or cold hard numbers.
Kasanoff explains how just remembering basic information about stakeholders is just the beginning of personalization. The key is to then use that information to "deliver unique benefits" to those stakeholders. That's when personalization has the power to influence behaviors and retain loyalty. But just in case this isn't crystal clear then think of it this way: Using personal information for purposes other than delivering unique benefits is exactly what scares the hell out of both stakeholders and legislators. So knock it off.
Your customers are ready and willing to use personalization, but is your company? The good news is that you already have a lot of information about stakeholders that can be used for personalization. In additional, personalization features are now appearing in software applications from companies like Oracle and Microsoft. What is missing is the "need to make personalization a central part of [your] corporate strategy, as opposed to something that simply requires awareness and sensitivity." That's because personalization says "let us learn better what a customer needs and then do something about it."
Making It Personal explains how to implement meaningful personalization strategies, but the book also covers some potential unintended consequences. While you may be dealing with mountains of information don't forget that it's comprised of individuals. We have all seen the newspaper headlines that resulted from just a few individuals having their privacy violated by companies. Now is the time to put policies and practices in place to avoid tarnishing your reputation with stakeholders.
Bruce Kasanoff does a great job of breaking down personalization into easy to understand terminology and realistic approaches. He shows that it really is possible to balance privacy concerns with profit motives. Making It Personal is worth more than a casual glance because personalization isn't just about getting the local weather forecast when you visit your favorite web site. Personalization is about delivering unique benefits to stakeholders and a means to preserve their loyalty. Violate their privacy and you risk losing them to your competitors forever.
Making It Personal will help you to understand that "personalization is about people, and the things that matter to them most." Kasanoff knows what he's talking about, and so do the numerous business and technology leaders he cites throughout the book. They confront the real issues and the real challenges facing personalization even in its infancy. Making It Personal will prepare you and your company for a world where your customers demand that you get personal. Don't disappoint them.
You can purchase Making it Personal at Fatbrain. Want to see your own review here? Read the review guidelines first, then use Slashdot's webform.
I really do prefer working with buisness that treat me as something other than a number. Whre I used to work there was a mass of food chains in the food area it's all boring with the exception of this older Lebonese guy who knows exactly what I want to eat and how I like it prepared. Not bad for a place I only eat at twice a week.
OTH I *hate* buisnesses who demand all sorts of information they don't even need. How does knowing my birthday and income level let them give me better service?
More people need to take this guy's advice.
All this personalization is pretty cool, it's nifty how Amazon.com knows what kind of books I like to read ahead of time and display them on a page customized to have the greatest potential of selling me something.
Unfortunately, while being convenient and helpful, it also is limiting and boring because I no longer need to navigate through their site or just browse for something new. How will I ever stumble upon that book on gardening when my personalized page is chock full of software development books and video games.
In my opinion, targeted selling, personalization, whatever you want to call it, causes people to become less aware of other things that are out there.
My point is some things are useful to be personalized and targeted toward the individual's habits, but others are not.
I Heart Sorting Networks
You are taking a limited view of personalization, really just as it applies to websites, but it's much bigger than that. You already have trust relationships with many companies and organizations: your employer, your bank, your credit card company, your lawyer, cpa, realtor, insurance agent, the IRS, etc. The list is long.
All of these people/companies/whatever have some of your sensitive personal information. You trust them with it. It's in their best interest to use it to serve you better, in ways that do not annoy you, or betray your trust. This extends to websites, too, but in that case there is much less incentive for people to establish trust relationships. Of course there are many different levels of trust. I'm not too worried about secrets like "prefers /. with no icons" leaking out.
"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."
I have no problem with sites offering personalization options, but they are not for me. I think that most sites would be best served in offering the registration and benefits to those who want it, but also remaining fully open to those who do not.
Slashdot is a perfect example of this. If you don't want to register you can work the site perfectly fine and even post as anonymous (though you post as a lower caste). This is great for me, since I always toss my cookies I would have to re-register every single time I visited the site if I couldn't browse anonymously. Now the only time I log-in is when I want to post, since the benefits of posting when logged-in are worth it in my mind.
Honestly, I only know of one good reason for requiring a registration in order to use a site and that is when a site contains sensitive data which is only for certain people's use. Of course you have to lock it down and verify users then. Other than that I think sites are just trying to collect mailing lists on people. Personally I always give them totally false information, maybe if their mailing lists turn out to be full of crap they will get the point and stop the unsociable behavior.
Sapere aude!
When I talk to a CSR with a company I do business with, whether it's my local bank or a supplier for my company, I actually prefer if the person at the other end of the line knows who I am and knows what I have done in the past. It helps to streamline the communications between us, and by knowing why I have called in the past, they can better serve me.
Of course, no one wants to call a company, only for them to use the opportunity to sell you more stuff, but personalization isn't just about trying to sell you something new everytime you call. It's about building a relationship with you so that they can serve you better and keep your business in the long run.
Some businesses really want to treat their customers as best they can and look out for the customers' best interests, and personalization helps make that possible. It's good business strategy. I think that's what the MBA-types would call a win-win situation.
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I'm sure there are people who may enjoy having marketing "customized" for them. I, however, am not one of them.
Shouldn't there be something in the system that allows for an "opt out" of any and all information gathering? (Ideally, I'd rather see an "opt in"). As loath I am to additional legislation, I wouldn't mind seing something along these lines.
-jhon
The better sites I have visited and do business with:
a) Use SSL the instant any personal information comes into play, such as my name, account number and address.
b) Ask me if I want to store sensitive financial information such as my credit card number, and honor my request.
Some personalization I like... Some I don't. I found it very creepy when I was visiting a page I had never been to before, and an Amazon advertisement banner had my name on it. That crossed my personal lines, because it felt as if Amazon had shared my info with others before I even got there. I investigated and found out that wasn't the case, but in business, impressions can be a lot more important than one realizes.
BA's computer system understands this and whenever I book with them they always try and get me a window seat. And when I book for two people then they get two next to each other with one being a window seat.
Yes its a small example. But its a good one. Personalisation and its bigger brother CRM (Customer Relationship Management) means that people feel that they have a personal relationship with a company and are not just some number in a database.
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U.S. Postal Service announces Recycle Direct.
The USPS today introduced their new Recycle Direct service, which allows mail recipients to redirect unwanted mail directly to a recycling center. While all first-class mail will still be delivered, customers can now choose whether to receive third-class bulk mail in each of the following categories:
The postal customer's preferences will be checked during automated mail sorting, and the rejected mail will be shipped in bulk to paper recycling plants for pulping. Revenue from the recycled paper will pay for the program.
All residential mail recipients will receive a postcard announcing the program, with checkboxes to indicate which categories of mail they wish to accept. Sending back this card will inform the USPS of the recipient's mail preferences. Mail recipients' preferences will be stored by the USPS in the National Change of Address database. Sorting equipment has been using this database for years to automatically redirect mail after changes of address. The new preference system thus fits into existing mail processing.
Bulk mailers will be able to cleanse their mailing lists using the existing USPS service for deleting undeliverable addresses from mailing lists. Use of this service by bulk mailers is optional, but failure to use it will result in bulk discards at the originating postal facility.
Representatives of the postal union lauded the program. "We're tired of delivering stuff people don't want. The FedEx and UPS people don't have to do that, and so they don't get the hostility we do.", one said.
I don't think that there are any companies with a long-term view. At least not the way I would define it (4-5 years).
Every company I've worked with defines "long-term" as "next quarter's financial reports" and "short-term" as "tomorrow's opening stock price".
As an individual I can make decisions based on long-term incentives...go to college for four (or five or seven) years, get a degree...do a crappy entry level job for three years, get real experience...consult for six years, make many dollars, become a sheep farmer...I can make adjustments in my current behavior for a future payoff because I'm still going to be me in 5 or 10 or 20 years, and I'll see the benefit. A company does not see benefits (long-term or short-term) -- the individuals that it consists of do.
When compensation is tied to stock price^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hcompany performance, there is no connection between "long-term good for the company" and "long-term good for me". The days of lifetime employment and solid pensions are over.
The percentage of people who, today, can say that they realistically expect to work at the same company for 10 years is damn close to zero. Hell, in the IT sector, five years at the same company is uncommon. So I (and you) are going to maximize my (our) immediate gains(s) at the expense of the company's long-term gain.
If I can get an extra $100K or $1M or $15M this year from bonuses and stock options , I'm going to do it. Screw the long-term corporate impact. I'm not going to be there long-term. Corporations have killed off any sense of traditional corporate loyalty (probably because of executives making bad long-term corporate decisions in order to maximize their short-term individual gains).
What part of 'No' don't they understand.
I do NOT want people I do business with to have any personal information that isn't necessary for me to complete the transaction.
I actually had a Radio Shack cashier tell me he couldn't sell me a cable because I refused to give him my phone numnber. I haven't darkened their doors since.
I find Amazon's recommendations useless since they base it on books I have bought as gifts for other people.
There is no benefit to me for the use for my personal information. I can find my own books, I can make my own decisions. I resent and boycott any business that doesn't respect my privacy. That includes asking for my zip code at the check out.