Much of the conversation was focused on digital how-to’s, discussions on the direction that online marketing will be moving in the coming years and the ever present suspicion that computers will steal all of our jobs.
https://mopinion.com/digital-development-on-the-rise-for-b2b-companies/
B2C businesses have historically had to factor in customer experience, otherwise they most likely fail. In the B2B world the product has taken center stage. In today’s experience economy all businesses, B2C and B2B, must consider the entire customer journey, not just the quality of the product because B2B customers increasingly demand a great customer experience.
http://forbes.com/sites/sap/2020/01/10/learn-how-to-obtain-a-superior-b2b-customer-experience-with-these-valuable-insights/#431607e17777/
When talking about customer experience, there’s almost an underlying assumption that the focus is on customers in the B2C space. But B2C is just one side of the coin. There’s the B2B angle to it as well, where delivering a great experience is equally crucial to be successful in the long run.
According to Accenture, approximately 80% of executives in B2B companies believe that offering an outstanding customer experience is directly connected to generating better business results and ensuring the company has a competitive advantage. Despite this realization, fewer than 25% of these companies excel at offering great CX. The rest still have a more product or channel-centric approach, with everyone in the organization focused on the product and where and how it’s marketed.
http://customerthink.com/the-future-of-customer-experience-in-b2b/
A business’s brand plays a crucial role in the overall success of a business. A report from Circle Research found 77 percent of B2B marketing leaders believe branding is critical to growth. While the majority of marketers believe good branding is critical, many businesses struggle to identify how to go about defining and building a brand. The same report found a mere 39 percent of B2B companies have a clearly defined brand strategy.
For many businesses, “branding”, is seen as a secondary nicety rather than an essential component to the business. After all, is the perfect logo really as important than keeping the lights on? Evidence suggests it is. B2B companies with a strong brand generate a higher EBIT margin outperforming weak brands by 20 percent.
Consistency is frequently touted as the key to building a successful brand, but consistent in what? Let’s dive into the three types of brand consistency that can boost customer loyalty.
https://customerthink.com/the-three-types-of-brand-consistency-that-drive-customer-loyalty/
When it comes to customer experience, expectations are at an all-time high. With the arrival – and subsequent success – of big players like Spotify, Uber and Airbnb, businesses around the world are racing to match the speed, dynamism and customer-centricity of these digital giants.
However, B2B customer-experience index ratings significantly lag behind those of retail customers. And with one customer intelligence consultancy predicting that customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator by 2020, there’s no better time to transform your B2B customer experience and start reaping the rewards.
https://econsultancy.com/three-steps-to-b2b-customer-experience-management/
"Growth for B2B is hard. It used to be that you could accelerate growth with huge customer acquisition. Ramping up your sales and marketing is not enough to sustain growth. Today, the best companies are growing through customer success. That’s why I interviewed Kia Puhm (@kiapuhm), CEO at K!A CX Consulting to talk about customer success."
http://customerthink.com/transform-your-customer-journey-and-accelerate-growth/
It's fair to say companies have recognized the power of customer experience (CX). Think of the great lengths businesses have gone to provide features such as one-click ordering or same-day delivery. We at Walker predicted this in our 2013 report “Customers 2020,” in which we revealed a rise in the influence of customer experience and a decline in traditional methods of differentiation based on products and price. It appears we got that one right. CX is now widely considered one of the best ways to establish a competitive advantage.
However, it’s clear that not all companies have caught on. In particular, new research shows business-to-business (B2B) firms are not keeping up with these trends.
http://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/CRM-News/CRM-Featured-Articles/Voice-of-the-Customer-B2B-Companies-Are-Falling-Behind-in-Customer-Experience-121782.aspx/
In the future, competition for customers won't be won on product or price, but rather on customer experience. Technology will be a key enabler in sharpening your sword for this upcoming battle," says Jannie du Toit, CEO of Comalytics.
In our age of constant connectivity, the buying journey is no longer linear. Instead, digitally savvy customers want to switch across channels, processes and devices. This is certainly true in the retail world, where companies with a sound omni-channel strategy dominate.
https://www.itweb.co.za/content/DZQ587VJ1Vr7zXy2/
In the ‘Customers 2020 Progress Report’ (Walker), it is predicted that Customer Experience (CX) will surpass price and product as the key differentiator by the year 2020. Right now, CX and Voice of the Customer (VoC) are considered to be the two most important areas of improvement if a business wants to remain competitive.
For a B2B company, the ability to retain clients can be the difference between success and failure. So understanding the Voice of the Customer and using feedback to inspire meaningful change is paramount. Here we look at why VoC is important for B2B, and how it should be used in order to be provide value.
https://www.iris.xyz/sell/client-experience/voc-program-vital-your-b2b-business/
B2B mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are unlikely to slow down in 2018.
Deloitte estimates that M&A activity will accelerate in 2018, in part driven by new M&A technology and tools.
Low economic growth also pushes B2B leaders to rely on M&A as a central part of their growth strategies.
But it remains to be seen whether these deals will be as successful as leaders hope.
Many factors can improve M&A performance, but one critical factor is often overlooked: customers.
http://news.gallup.com/businessjournal/225068/why-b2b-customers-important-part.aspx/
