We have all undergone a call centre experience – and the word undergone is apt, given that the pain and tedium can make the experience akin to a visit to the dentist, but without the fresh feeling at the end. Service organisations love them though, and for good reason; they offer an efficient, structured and consistent way (for them) to handle a large volume of customer enquiries.

All our customer requests are slightly different and, as such, we need to be guided through the process effectively, something call centres are good at. They also have established structures and metrics to manage them such as call volume counts, time-to-answer, and sales conversions. These frameworks allow companies to exert a large degree of control over the customer interaction; we are subject to dedicated opening hours set by the business, IVR directing the flow customer traffic, having to self-select an issue and choose from a menu delivered by an automated voice, or worse, being asked to vocalise the issue ourselves to a blankly, uncomprehending, synthesised voice.

The importance of trust: Online privacy issues and the consumer’s relationship with free products and services

With the ability to connect with friends and strangers via the internet (through free social networks, forums and blogs, and free mobile applications), the dissemination of personal information online is on the increase. But this online freedom can result in ‘real life’ problems – the spread of personal information beyond the owner’s wishes, or even greater vulnerability to criminal activity. With online privacy hitting the headlines recently[1]and the Mobile Entertainment Forum launching their Privacy in Mobile Applications Initiative[2], issues of privacy and trust have come to the forefront of consumer consciousness.

Website owners and application developers who offer free products and services, such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter, are currently struggling to strike a balance between maximising the utility of the personal data they receive whilst meeting the needs of their consumers for a trusted, non-invasive service. There are two ways businesses can proceed: minimising consumer concerns about trust, or maximising the advantage of using the service, website or application. These approaches can be used simultaneously and are theoretically most effective when combined.

There are often debates on the importance and role of brands in the B2B world.  Is brand perception driven totally by satisfaction with the customer experience?  Clearly more rational aspects such as product performance, experience and value are critical components, but in today’s procurement-led selection of suppliers and partners, is there a place for the softer, more emotional dimensions of a brand – and what implication does this have for the assessment of brand performance in the B2B arena?

At a strategic level, brands are brands, irrespective of the sector in which they operate, although with a seemingly more rational set of decision-making criteria, brands in the B2B world would appear to be built around rational benefits, value and service.  Interestingly though, one regularly-quoted brand saying from the 1970’s playing strongly in the emotional space is from the B2B arena:

‘No-one ever got fired for choosing IBM’

GfK recently took over the AOP Gallery in Shoreditch to host another TechTalk Live event and hear from former AdMob top exec, Russell Buckley, and his thoughts on the future of disruptive innovation, mobile technology and the future for civilisation.

In attendance were over 90 people from all walks of the London Tech community from researchers and journalists, to entrepreneurs and marketers. Here’s what they had to say about the night…

You can watch Russell’s full presentation

By Ryan Garner (GfK) and Alex Kozlof (IAB UK)

The irrepressible tide of smart, connected, mobile devices is changing the way we shop at every stage of the purchase process. This poses new opportunities and challenges for product marketers and retailers in both the online and offline world.

The ‘always on’ nature of smartphones – not just in your pocket but also connected to the internet – makes them the perfect companion for shoppers throughout the entire purchase journey, both online and offline.  Recent research by the IAB and GfK shows that while PCs (laptops and/or desktop computers) are still the most used devices throughout the online purchase process, smartphones are an increasingly important complement to existing methods of shopping. The number of shoppers using smartphones will inevitably increase, but this usage will in many cases be in conjunction with the PC or an aid to the consumer while in store. Indeed, the research showed that the most common behaviour was for the smartphone and PC to be used together in the purchase process rather than independently.