By Ellen Barnes Pfiffner, EBP Business Consulting and Darby Mason-Werner, Director of Client Solutions, Signet
In our last article, we discussed customers’ reluctance to download Apps and your Briefing App is no exception. Today we are going to discuss an alternative for engaging customers on their hand-held devices. A customer portal is a private, secure website that enables the briefing program to share personalized information with customers before, during, and after a briefing. It enhances customer relationships by providing up-to-date information and can be accessed by laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
Prior to the briefing, customers receive a link to their portal to access travel and arrival information, view agenda, executive and discussion leader bios, and media such as white papers. During the briefing, customers can follow the agenda, provide feedback on each topic and the briefing as a whole, and request additional documents and information. The portal is also used to send post-briefing documents such as session presentations. To maximize efficiencies and ensure accuracy the customer portal can be integrated with your Content Management System (CMS) and other briefing tools to provide a fully customized experience.
Like other marketing initiatives, the development and implementation of your digital presence need to be aligned with the corporation’s branding and marketing strategy. To get started, the briefing program needs a firm understanding of what will work best for your customers, company, and program. Next, define what information you want to give and receive the expected results, and finally, the metric of success. It is a good practice to develop a business case to explore and define all facets of pre-, during and post-briefing customer engagement.
Most discussions will include working with your corporation’s IT department. These departments are tasked with dueling objectives. They understand the need to position the company as a leader, support BYOD, and enhance the acquisition of information while, at the same time, they are also trying to protect company data and assets from hackers and other intruders.
Another resource is the ABPM supplier members. They partner with briefing professionals on strategy and can help define a strong business case, help obtain funding, support development and provide post-project services.
In summary, enhanced customer engagement is a best in class practice. The goal of your engagement strategy is to ensure a consistent user experience from all hand-held devices. Done right, connecting with customers before, during, and after makes a briefing a memorable experience. In our next blog article, we will discuss best practices and alternatives to BYOD including a case study.
Ellen Barnes Pfiffner, M.Ed.,CMM – Ellen is the principal of EBP Business Consulting and offers benchmarking, tools, and consulting to executive briefing programs globally, on-site ABPM Competency courses, and customized training programs including Facilitation Skills. Active in the ABPM for 15+ years, Ellen has published Briefing articles on numerous topics and , has served on the ABPM Advisory Board . She can be contacted at: www.ebpbusinessconsulting.com, Ellen@ebpbusinessconsulting.com, or at 214-789-3571.
Darby Mason-Werner, Director, Client Solutions – Darby has been a member of the briefing profession for more than 15 years having built and managed the Xilinx Corporate Briefing Center Program before joining Signet in February 2016. She has been an ABPM member since 2003 and served on the ABPM Advisory Board. Darby is a frequent presenter at ABPM conferences including Core Competency Curriculum courses. She can be contacted at: dmasonwerner@signet.tv or 408-472-8181.