Proactive Engagement the Road Le Travelled

18 July 2016 Proactive Engagement The Road Less Travelled Share

Proactive Engagement The Road Less Travelled Traditionally, pay-TV operators have implemented the practice of reactive engagement only offering deals after a customer has complained or cancelled their service. Today, this passive form of engagement is no longer an acceptable strategy for gaining and maintaining customer loyalty. Operators must engage with customers throughout each key Decision Moment in the subscriber lifecycle, strategically identifying what communication needs to happen at what time in order to maximise effectiveness.

We recently conducted several focus groups with the help of Decipher that revealed the need for proactive loyalty from pay-TV operators. As one customer put it, I want to get unexpected bonuses for staying loyal. If you feel appreciated by the service you're more likely to stay, said Jodie, Manchester, UK. In this post, we'll review some strategies operators can take for a more proactive approach to customer engagement.

Mind your data

By carefully gathering and analysing data, operators are able to make more informed decisions regarding their users. Many want rapid responses for example, while others long for a combination of self-service functionality and human contact. This data can help service providers to better understand the habits and desires of their customers, tailoring engagement to the individual.

Reward loyalty

Our focus groups revealed that customers expect SVOD services to be more proactive in rewarding them for their loyalty by keeping prices optimal and offering bespoke rewards. For example, getting early access to the second season of a show after watching the first season. This encourages more consumption and greater customer satisfaction.

Communicate openly

Picture this, a user is thoroughly enjoying your content, but halfway through the season of the show they are faithfully watching, the content disappears. This can leave users disillusioned and disappointed in your service. By simply signposting the date when a piece of content will disappear, the user can choose to watch it a little faster, not missing a moment of their favourite show.

Now, imagine, a user attempts to watch a piece of content and is told that they cannot because their payment method has expired. Letting the user know upfront that their card is due to expire soon could be the difference between customer retention and customer defection. Complete transparency is key for subscriber billing and every other stage of the customer lifecycle.

Attracting a large potential customer base requires closer levels of engagement when it comes to customer service, explanation of how the service works, highlighting targeted content and making them feel more welcome and confident.

Service providers must first become aware of the demands of consumers, then utilise a combination of technology and people to strengthen the customer experience. Proactive engagement is extremely beneficial, both to keep consumers satisfied and for operators to increase customer acquisition, maximise APRU, improve loyalty, differentiate and drive revenue.

Will you be proactive or reactive? Download our paper to learn more strategies for driving customer loyalty through engagement.

LINK:	https://www.paywizard.com/blog/proactive-engagement-road-less-traveled...
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