This document discusses tactics for engaging customers in the digital world. It provides advice across five areas: digital assets, device context, online services, customized experiences, and community engagement. For each area, it lists specific tactics companies can take and provides case studies of other organizations who have implemented similar tactics successfully. The document is intended to help companies better understand customer needs in today's digital environment and identify strategies for driving customer actions and reactions through their digital offerings.

1. MEANINGFUL IDEAS,
INTELLIGENTLY DELIVERED.
MEANINGFUL IDEAS,
INTELLIGENTLY DELIVERED.
June 2014
ACTIONS AND REACTIONSDRIVING ACTIONS & REACTIONS
ENGAGING YOUR CUSTOMERS IN THE NEW DIGITAL WORLD

2. Danielle Macdonald
User Experience Lead
Perth
Dan Baker
Digital Experience Director
Perth
WHO WE AREWHO WE ARE
DIGITAL EXPERTS

3. PRECSEM#
@ PRECEDENTAPAC

4. WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
1
2
3
Better engage with customers
Plan for a changing digital environment
Identify tactics that may not be for you

5. The internet is among the few things
humans have built that they don’t truly
understand. It is the largest experiment
involving anarchy in history.
Eric Schmidt & Jared Cohen
The New Digital Age, 2013
“
”

6. STRATEGY VS REACTION
Responding to what
you can’t control
Setting a course
based on objectives

7. COMMUNICATION (OLD)
In a traditional sphere of influence it is relatively simple to create
a channel, control the message and provoke engagement.

8. COMMUNICATION (NEW)
The new sphere of influence is of the audience’s own making and
relies on interpretation of your proposition.

9. Stand alone strategies will not provoke customers into actions and
reactions, tactics must be employed.
Content
strategy
Mobile
strategy
Customer
experience
strategy
Personalisation
strategy
Social
media
strategy
DIGITAL
ASSETS
DEVICE
CONTEXT
ONLINE
SERVICES
CUSTOMISED
EXPERIENCES
COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT
What
they ask
for….
What
people
often
need…..

10. Tactics mean doing
what you can with
what you have
Saul Alinsky
American community organiser
and Author “Rules For Radicals”
“
”

11. DIGITAL ASSETS

12. THINGS TO DO
Review content in line with the objectives, remove
the content that isn’t action orientated
• Audit your website/s
• Map content to user tasks and
business objectives
• Review analytics – what content is
being visited
• Investigate your content workflow
– who is adding/editing content
CULL YOUR CONTENT1

13. Oxfam casestudyCULL YOUR CONTENT
Oxfam
1
CASE STUDY

14. THINGS TO DO
Use online platforms to present
collections of assets
• Identify where others are providing
content that is useful to your
customers but may not be core to
your business offering
• Provide a single location for the
presentation of disparate assets
• Share relevant and trusted content
from others with your customers
that will enhance their experience
or support their goals
• Syndicate your content
CURATE ASSETS2

15. Oxfam casestudy
CASE STUDY
Petplan
CURATE ASSETS2

16. THINGS TO DO
Create simple assets to explain
complicated concepts
• Sketch – how would you explain
this information if you had a pen
and a napkin?
• Create diagrams to explain complex
ideas
• Tell a story
• Consider other content types –
sometimes content isn’t king
TEACH PEOPLE SOMETHING3

17. Oxfam casestudy
CASE STUDY
TEACH PEOPLE SOMETHING3
ABS Spotlight

18. THINGS TO DO
Create video assets
• Develop a script
• Ensure you provide a transcript
• Use open-source music/audio to
keep costs down
• Keep it short
• Use to explain processes
• Utilise YouTube
USE VIDEO4

19. CASE STUDY
Burberry
CREATE VIDEO ASSETS4

20. THINGS TO DO
Use data sources to create
visually appealing assets
• Understand what the data is being
used for – why is it important?
What is the context of use?
• Explore interactive charting
• Consider how you can use dynamic
or ever-changing content
MAKE DATA ENGAGING5

21. 24 Hours of Sunsets
CASE STUDY
MAKE DATA ENGAGING5

22. DEVICE CONTEXT

23. HALL OF LAME

24. HALL OF LAME

25. THINGS TO DO
Offer very basic information
on a mobile-friendly website
• Make sure you have a mobile site.
• Server can identify users on
mobile devices, make sure that
they are automatically redirected
to the mobile page.
• Keep you content short, simple and
concise.
• Focus on what user will need and
what they will look for (not what
you want them to do).
• Test on an array of devices and
operating systems
DO THE BASICS1

26. CASE STUDY
Virgin Airlines
DO THE BASICS1

27. THINGS TO DO
Create a responsive website
• Assess if responsive is the right
solution for you. Responsive is a
commitment, make sure you are
ready to make it.
• Be prepared to start again. You
may have to throw everything from
images to content in the bin.
• Ensure you have right people and
the right technology to support a
responsive rebuild. You need a
visionary who can articulate the
vision and highly skilled people to
make the design happen.
• Do your research.
BE RESPONSIVE2

28. Oxfam casestudy
CASE STUDY
Boston Globe
BE RESPONSIVE2

29. THINGS TO DO
Produce a mobile site with real
utility based on core service
• Understand your users and
research the context of their use of
your service.
• Prioritise your core services above
all else.
• If you only do two things. Do them
better than anyone else.
• Practice restraint, instead of
replication.
BE PRACTICAL4

30. CASE STUDY
Holden Mobile Site
BE PRACTICAL4

31. THINGS TO DO
Produce an app to enhance
customer experience
• Compliment your online
experiences. Don’t imitate it.
• Focus on utility, support your
customers in their everyday
interactions.
• Build brand loyalty (not sales).
APPS FOR VALUE5

32. CASE STUDY
APPS FOR VALUE5
Game of Thrones Companion App

33. ANY
QUESTIONS?
#

34. COFFEE
BREAK#

35. ONLINE SERVICES

36. THINGS TO DO
Basic user testing of customer journeys
• Identify who your users are, what
they are trying to do & why
• Prioritise key tasks for testing first
• Learn what success is to your
customers – and failure
• Test the current state to create a
benchmark
• Test new ideas early and then
iterate, rinse and repeat
WATCH CUSTOMERS1

37. Oxfam casestudyWATCH CUSTOMERS
CASE STUDY
Cooperative Bulk Handling
1

38. THINGS TO DO
Simplify offer and language,
produce a step-by-step tool
• Develop an accepted tone of voice
for customer channels
• Use active language
• Make it easy to know what to do
next and to make a decision
• Use your customers’ terminology
and phrasing
• Identify who the content is for and
talk to them – in their language
FACILITATE DECISIONS2

39. Oxfam casestudy
CASE STUDY
NAB Card Selector
FACILITATE DECISIONS2

40. THINGS TO DO
Establish online enquiry mechanism
• Create online contact forms
• Measure what people are asking so
you can identify where to make
improvements
• Develop triaging, risk and training
plans and processes
• Investigate using social channels or
forums for receipt and response to
questions
• Compile a database of answers
• Understand what moderation
resource will be required
ENCOURAGE QUESTIONS3

41. Oxfam casestudy
CASE STUDY
McDonalds
ENCOURAGE QUESTIONS3

42. THINGS TO DO
Live online help
• Analyse the number of website-
generated enquiries against cost to
respond to develop a business case
for implementation
• Before implementing, clarify if this
is something YOUR users will use
• Consider where in the ‘funnel’ live
chat is made available to the user
• Explore video as well as text chat
ONLINE HELP4

43. CASE STUDY
Optus Live Chat
ONLINE HELP4

44. THINGS TO DO
Ensure channels are clear in their
purpose and that they link together
• Audit your channels – what and
who are they for?
• Be clear about the purpose of the
channel – and what it isn’t for
• Link to other channels
• Ensure it is clear to staff where to
direct customers when their
enquiry is out of their remit or in
the wrong channel
CHANNEL AUDIT5

45. CASE STUDY
Australia Post
CHANNEL AUDIT5

46. CUSTOMISED
EXPERIENCES

47. THINGS TO DO
Identify ways to repackage content
in a way that makes sense to customers
• Research, research, research.
Creating the right experience for
your users should not be left to
guess work.
• Ethnography. Hard to say, easy to
use.
• Help your organisation understand
it’s users.
• Invite stakeholder to attend
interviews/focus groups.
• Create and use evidence based
personas.
UNDERSTAND MINDSET1

48. Oxfam casestudy1 UNDERSTAND MINDSET
CASE STUDY

49. THINGS TO DO
Use online platforms to present
collections of assets
• Clearly signpost services and
content (don’t make them work
too hard).
• Do not crowd your designs. Long
lists of options do not ensure
people will find what they are after.
• Provide users with tools and
information that will help them
understand.
• Give them the option of additional
support should they need it.
MAKE IT EASY2

50. Oxfam casestudy
CASE STUDY
Water Corporation
Service Charge Calculator
MAKE IT EASY2

51. THINGS TO DO
Reward your users for interacting with your
brand or service.
• Reward users for sharing content,
interacting with your content or
for just being a user
• Surprise and delight them. Upgrade
frequent users memberships,
exclusive benefits or even delivery
method.
• Offer digital discounts to returning
visitors.
• Allow them to contribute to your
site content.
• Make your user a hero.
GIVE SOMETHING3

52. Oxfam casestudy
CASE STUDY
Jack Threads
GIVE SOMETHING3

53. THINGS TO DO
Plan to customise website for specific
use, event or time of day
• Start small. Web sites can be
customised through simple
content and image changes.
• Give users a reason to come back.
A daily tip? Recommendation?
Discount? Trade secret? Anything…
• Create a plan which maps how
you expect users to engage with
your website. At every stage/
interaction describe what the
user is thinking, feeling and
doing.
• Use analytics to help you
understand how the user is using
your website.
CUSTOMISATION PLAN4

54. CASE STUDY
Google Doodle
CUSTOMIZATION PLAN4

55. THINGS TO DO
Facilitate customers in connecting
with each other at a local level
• Utilise the various social media
channels to engage with different
audience groups.
• Generate conversation around
unrelated topic.
• Provide locally relevant content for
particular users.
• If you know a user is nearby,
communicate with them.
CONNECT PHYSICAL WITH DIGITAL5

56. CASE STUDY
Estimotes Beacons
CONNECT PHYSICAL WITH DIGITAL5

57. COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT

58. THINGS TO DO
Establish tone of voice and attitude appropriate
to customers on social channels
• Be human
• Play to your strengths that
differentiate you in the
marketplace
• Train your staff how to
communicate on social channels
• Don’t try and be funny – unless you
are.
BE HUMAN1

59. Oxfam casestudyBE HUMAN
CASE STUDY
Whitespark
1

60. THINGS TO DO
Establish internal social team from
‘socialites’ around the organisation
• There are product champions
everywhere. Find them. Use them.
Celebrate them.
• Entice ambassadors through
giveaways and competitions. Host
events where ambassadors can
meet, socialise and network.
• Utilise your ambassadors when you
find them.
• Celebrate them when you use
them.
FIND CHAMPIONS2

61. Oxfam casestudy
CASE STUDY
Best Buy
Twelpforce
FIND CHAMPIONS2

62. THINGS TO DO
Identify niche communities and
unite them on a branded platform
• Define what the point of the
community is – and make sure
users can achieve this by being part
of your community
• Make sure you have guidelines
about what is and isn’t appropriate
• Showcase the benefits of being a
member
• Recognise that you can’t build a
community overnight, no matter
how established you are as a
business
CONNECT COMMUNITY3

63. Oxfam casestudy
CASE STUDY
Ihadcancer.org
CONNECT COMMUNITY3

64. THINGS TO DO
Identify specialist bloggers
• Do you have a community
manager? Someone controlling
your posts, tweets, etc?
• Create a specialist blog that talks
about a broad range of topics. You
can communicate a vision,
influence people in your industry,
market your services or just engage
in a dialog with others in your
industry.
EXPERT BLOG4

65. CASE STUDY
Disney Baby
EXPERT BLOG4

66. THINGS TO DO
Rules that govern dispersion
of assets across channels
• Identify the assets that would be
useful to curate or utilise
• Create a plan for moderation prior
to use
• Develop ways of measuring success
of these processes
SET RULES5

67. CASE STUDY
IFTTT
SET RULES5

68. IN SUMMARY#

69. TACTICS
• How could you cull your content?
• What opportunities exist to curate
assets?
• Do you simplify difficult concepts?
• Does video feature in your online
communications?
• Do you share data to drive
engagement?
DIGITAL ASSETS

70. TACTICS
DEVICE CONTEXT
• Are you doing the basics?
• Are you aware of how, when and
where users access your
information?
• Is your content attractive to
consume?
• What is your most context-critical
service?
• Would an app really add value to
your users?

71. TACTICS
• Have you tested with real people?
• Do you talk your customers'
language?
• Do you encourage smarter
questions from users?
• Are you linking your enquiry desk
with digital?
• Have you identified your users
preferred channels?
ONLINE SERVICES

72. TACTICS
CUSTOMISED
EXPERIENCE
• Do you know the mindset of your
customers?
• Can you simplify the complex
interactions?
• Do you give back in exchange for
engagement?
• Is
your homepage adaptable to a
particular context/initiative/event?
• Do you seek opportunities to
connect the physical with the
digital?

73. TACTICS
COMMUNITY
ENGAGMENT
• Are you being human?
• Do you engage with your online
champions?
• Are you connecting your
community?
• Who are your internal heroes?
• Are you taking advantage of
automation?

74. WHO IS
PRECEDENT?#

75. Strategy Brand Web Mobile Print
MEANINGFUL IDEAS,
INTELLIGENTLY DELIVERED.

76. • Offic
es
• Expe
rts
• Year
s
25 140 6

77. YEARS25experience
quality
stability
loyalty
results

78. EXPERTS150strategy & research
branding & communication
user centered design
development & hosting
digital marketing

79. SECTORS5education
membership organisations
third sectors
financial services
health

81. Mobilising Government Whitepaper
The Customer Experience Report
UPCOMING REPORTS
1
2

82. MORE
QUESTIONS?
#

83. MEANINGFUL IDEAS,
INTELLIGENTLY DELIVERED.
MEANINGFUL IDEAS,
INTELLIGENTLY DELIVERED.