Marketing, sales and services are changing rapidly. Power is shifting towards customers. How will the Future of Customer Interactions look like? What are the challenges that companies will have to face?

Empowered Customers

‘Customers are becoming more empowered and want to specify suppliers’ marketing mix. One also speaks about customer engagement: manifestations of customers, beyond purchase that result from motivational drivers. Examples are Word of Mouth, referrals, participation in firm-related activities (such as product development and brand communities), suggestions for service improvements and even revenge activities.’

Towards Embraced Customers
‘In ‘The Future of Customer Interactions’ important trends in service management are specified, where most of these trends are in line with the just-mentioned developments in marketing. These empirically based trends are attended by many suggestions to restore and improve the contacts between suppliers and customers. Following these tips the probabilities are increased to transform empowered customers into embraced customers.’

Peter Leeflang
Frank  M. Bass Distinguished Professor of Marketing,
Department of Marketing ,
Faculty of Economics and Business,
University of Groningen (The Netherlands)
and
BAT chair in Marketing ,
Department of Economics and Business,
LUISS Guido Carli, Rome( Italy)


The Future of Customer Interactions is the third quarterly publication of Customer Interaction Research Center Foundation. The book describes the results of research among general management and marketing, sales en services management. For more information, visit CIRC-Foundation.com or contact dr Frans Plat, E: F.Plat@chello.nl.

The research of the CIRC Foundation is supported by SNT, Unamic/HCN, The Selfservice Company and Clockwork.