Term Paper on "Customer Service Website Marketing Plan"

Term Paper 18 pages (6464 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Customer Service Website Marketing Plan

The intent of this marketing plan is to provide a framework for migrating customers from personal service to web-based self-service to both reduce costs while increasing the level of responsiveness and generating higher levels of loyalty from customers. Web-based self-service has proven to be a viable alternative vs. large-scale expansion of call centers, freeing up technical support and services personnel to work on more complex customer problems. Providing customers with multiple avenues to gain support over the Internet through a web-based self-service site on a 24/7 basis, regardless of their location globally, has major competitive advantages long-term.

While much third party research has been completed on the benefits of web self-service what is critical in the launch of this specific site are the functional applications that allow customers to check the status of the policies, transfer policy coverage between two or more assets being insured, managing fund allocation workflows, supporting user education programs on new services, and offering advanced customer service functionality including refunds and exchanges of policies. Taken together a framework of applications emerges that replicates the processes a call center representative would be tasked with during the day.

What needs to guide the marketing plan for the new web-based customer service site is first and foremost a solid understanding of the sites' applications and resulting customer-based workflows. Ultimately the value of this customer service site will be defined by how well the suite of online applications aligns with and supports the most critical process workflows that customers have. The need for checking the status of policies for example can take many minutes on a telephone call while online; the Policy Status application can deliver a response in seconds regardless of the time requested. This is just one example of why it is so critical for the launch plan to reflect the specific process areas - only in positioning these process areas will the launch of the web-based self-service website be successful. The many specific process areas can be defined in three strategic groups, and these include the following:

Product Information Management - These areas of the website specifically deal with the services organization overview, the breadth of insurance policy materials and the series of disclosure materials as required by regulatory bodies for customers to view at time of purchase and post-purchase.

Account Management - the most critical processes and workflows that need to be supported on a web-based self-service website, these include the Policy Status, Policy Online Ordering and Policy Order Management, Account and Payment Information, Bill Payment workflows. These are the most critical due to their integration with back-office systems. All of these applications specifically support process workflows that have intensive data requirements from other systems throughout the organization.

Post-Sales Service and Support - This is the most critical area of any web-based self-service initiative in that the most highly quantified benefits are derived from strategies in this area. Resolving disputes, customizing cross-policy offerings, and enabling product support are all critical areas of the entire applications mix that collectively comprise a web-based self-service website.

Broadly speaking these three specific areas can be defined as the sequence of attracting customers to the self-service website, selling them services, and serving them for the long-term. The ability of a self-service website to attract, sell, and serve customers is critical for its long-term growth.

In devising a website marketing plan for web-based self-service offering, the need for having applicable metrics of performance is also critical. What gets measured gets better, and this is a critical point that must pervade the evaluation and analysis of the website's marketing plan once executed. Inherent in measuring the performance of any web-based self-service website is also measuring the broader productivity gains made possible with its applications. For many web-based self-service websites this includes increasing online dispute resolution, increasing the number of online billings completed to drop the costs per transaction, and increasing the use of online customer service to drop the cost per service request. These three metrics of online dispute resolution, the proportion of online billing completed, and the reduction in telephone calls using online tools instead are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that many organizations rely on when launching web-based self-service websites and need to also be used in the broader context on these.

In summary the need for also measuring and monitoring the adoption rate of the web-based self-service website is also critical; in fact this is the most telling performance indicator there is in evaluating the effectiveness of this marketing plan. Typically adoption rates of web-based self-service websites vary between 230% and 40%, with 50% adoption being exemplary. What needs to be included in this marketing plan is a scorecard or dashboard to measure and evaluate results.

Overall Business Objectives

The primary objectives for creating a web-based self-service website are defined as first dropping the cost of transaction while at the same time increasing the availability of product information management, account management, and post-sales service and support applications on a 24/7 basis. The specific business objectives for web-based self-service website are defined as follows:

To significantly drop the costs per service transaction by migrating existing customers from call center-based representatives to self-service website, achieving a cost per call of $1.17 or less.

To decrease the cost of online dispute resolution from over $50 per incident to below $30 per incident, this is consistent with industry standards.

To increase the number of policies sold entirely online by 10% in the next eighteen months in both commercial and consumer marketplaces..

To increase the number of cross-sell and up-sell transactions as a result of the online applications, using policy-based constraint technologies to specifically create customized quotes for customers.

To integrate phone self-service and web-based self-service to ensure synchronization of service responses across support channels.

To launch the web-based self-service website in conjunction with system-level integrations to the CRM, pricing, services, support and services expediting systems. This issue is critical for the overall success of the website; integration objectives are critical.

To successfully segment support levels, automating Level 1 completely while having Levels 2 and 3 handled by customer service representatives with additional time due to the web-based self-service website handling the majority of requests.

To increase customer satisfaction by 50% through the use of a synchronized series of support channels of which the website will be the primary contributor.

To increase first call closure rates by 50% through the use of more effective online tools and their pervasive marketing, education and refinement based on customer feedback.

To increase customer retention by 30% through the use of more effective marketing campaigns to drive existing customers to the self-service website while educating them of potential new services they can also purchase while on the site.

Establish the company as a leader in best practices in insurance processes, aligning business process excellence to the continual refinement of the applications that comprise the self-service website.

Specific Marketing Objectives

In defining the marketing objectives for the web self-service website, the adoption rate within the exiting customer base needs to be the first priority. The many marketing strategies and plans need to specifically focus on driving up the adoption rate of the web-based self-service website for all additional marketing objectives to be accomplished. The following are the marketing objectives for the web self-service website:

To position the web-based self-service website as a highly trusted and a more convenient alternative to working with call center representatives that are only available during business hours.

To launch all three specific product categories of product information management, account management and post-sales service by relying on customer testimonials and their endorsements to highlight the trustworthiness and value of these three specific application areas.

Using a synchronized set of digital media including e-mail, banner ads and pop-up ads, launch the self-service site across the entire customer base in addition to targeting those potential new customers who use the web today for completing their insurance transactions.

Using extensive public and analyst relations, introduce the web-based self-service website to both industry and financial analysts to gain greater coverage of the product introduction in both the financial community and the insurance industry press. To accomplish this, a tour of financial and industry analysts will be completed.

To create a high level of interest in all three application areas (product information management, account management, and post-sales service and support applications) for new customers by offering instant quotes from the new website and a 5% reduction in the cost of an insurance policy when purchased online.

To achieve 30% acceptance of the self-service website by focusing on bundled insurance programs and offers.

Business Situation/SWOT Analysis

Completing a SWOT analysis of creating a web-based self-service website for managing the process workflows related to attracting, selling and servicing customers online is defined within this section. Internal factors are first evaluated, followed by external factors including the cost reductions being achieved by insurance companies implementing comparable web-based initiatives for self-service.

Internal Situation

An evaluation of both performance analysis and… READ MORE

How to Reference "Customer Service Website Marketing Plan" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Marketing Plan for MNC Molex Marketing Plan

Marketing Plan for MNC - Molex

Marketing Plan for MNC -- Molex

Strategic Situation Summary

In the context of a more and more dynamic industry and a more and more… read more

Marketing Plan 10 pages (3535 words) Sources: 15 Topic: Advertising / Marketing / Sales

---

Marketing Plan for a Mass Customized Smartphone Essay

Marketing Plan for a Mass Customized Smartphone

Smartphones have revolutionized how people and organizations communicate and collaborate globally, completely reordering the software, services and cloud computing platforms of entire industries.… read more

Essay 5 pages (2408 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Computers / IT / Internet

---

Marketing Plan Sweet Treats Coffee Shop and Bars Term Paper

Marketing plan: Sweet treats coffee shop & bars

Sweettreats Marketing Plan

During the recent years, the restaurants industry has been met with great increases in both demand as well as… read more

Term Paper 18 pages (4922 words) Sources: 8 Topic: Advertising / Marketing / Sales

---

Marketing Plan About Tooth Paste Research Proposal

Marketing Plan for Toothpaste

The essence of any effective marketing plan is to seek out opportunities for a unique, defensible, differentiated market position (Bronnenberg, 2008). Toothpaste that through its unique… read more

Research Proposal 12 pages (3241 words) Sources: 15 Style: Harvard Topic: Advertising / Marketing / Sales

---

Marketing Plan for Digital Camera Situation Analysis Assessment

Marketing Plan for Digital Camera

Situation Analysis

Sony Corporation is a global leader in the research & development, design and manufacturing of optics-based products including high-resolution digital cameras for personal… read more

Assessment 13 pages (4433 words) Sources: 15 Topic: Business / Corporations / E-commerce

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>