Tag Archive for: connected

A Regular Customer: Understanding the Why, What, & How

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Having established that a “Regular Customer” is a business’ bread and butter – a reliable source of income – the question becomes: how does a business create a regular customer? Why does the regular customer keep coming back? What makes them The Regular?

In previous articles, we’ve brushed on many reasons why customers return to stores. Essentially, those articles have been the prelude to answering the question: how do stores generate loyal customers? I’m not talking about customers who visit on occasion; this is about the Regular Customer. A ‘regular customer’ is a person who habitually returns to a store over a prolonged period of time.

What is a ‘regular customer’?

It is easier to spot a regular customer in a hospitality situation than in a retail store. Food and drinks are something that are more readily consumed than clothes, shoes, or makeup: a regular customer may come back every Wednesday, for example, purely based on the fact that that’s the day they have to wait for their daughter to finish ballet practice. A regular customer may swing by every morning on their way to work to pick up a standing order – large latte with two sugars and a cinnamon scroll. A regular customer is the sort of customer you can rely on to be in your store on a regular basis, almost like clockwork.

That is not to say that regular customers show up only at ‘scheduled’ times. Regular customers have built your business into their lives; it’s a habit for them to visit your shop. However, they may also show up unexpectedly, out of cycle, so to speak. Why? Because your shop is the first one that comes to mind when they require your type of products or services: if you’ve gone to the same hair salon for a year on a regular basis and you suddenly need a quick style for a special event, it’s unlikely that you’ll go to a different hair salon.

What it comes down to is that humans are creatures of habit. They rarely stray out of their routines or zones of comfort, and that is something businesses can build on to create regular customers.

How do I create regular customers?

As always, the first step to creating any type of customer loyalty is to understand them. Every business deals with differing demographics. It’s important to ask yourself the correct questions so you can empathize appropriately with your customer-base:

What do my customers want when they come into my store?
Are my customers young/old/middle-aged? How should this affect my service style and/or decor?
Am I stocking the products that the demographic is after?

These are some of the things businesses should be asking to come to know who their customers are.

Once a firm grasp on the demographic, its desires, and its needs has been established you can start to zone in on what it is that your regular customer might want. It’s often easier to look at your regulars – every business has at least one – and see why it is that they keep coming back. Is it the convenient location of your storefront? Or do they like the music you play? The friendly service?

Not all regular customers will have the same reasons, and you might find that they don’t even know themselves why they keep coming back. Most people can be considered ‘part of the herd’, meaning they’ll follow the crowd. If friends, coworkers, or acquaintances have recommended your business, that might be enough of a reason for them to keep coming back – even if their experiences haven’t always been 100% positive.

For example, there used to be a bakery near where I lived in Melbourne, several years ago. It was always packed to the rafters with families, individuals, all manner of people of all walks of life – the consensus was that the coffee was terrible and the pastry was passable, and yet it was always full. Why? It had a convenient location, right on the main street; more importantly than that, however, was its history: it had been the only bakery in miles for decades, and as a result, people had simply grown accustomed to coming there, regardless of the quality of the food.

Eventually, the bakery went broke when a new bakery moved in across the street – the quality was great, the service was even better. It took a little more than a year, and the new place struggled, but eventually, through word of mouth and some great marketing the new place stole the majority of the regular customers away from the old bakery – primarily the younger demographic which hadn’t grown up with the old bakery and weren’t as attached to it.

Winning Them Over

In other words, it’s not always easy to nail down what it is that brings a regular customer back. It could just be a historical habit, built on generations of going to the same place; or it could be location and convenience, you could just sell the best product in the street, or you offer the best customer service in the area.

This last element, providing the customer service experience that people want, is by far the best way to generate customer loyalty, advocacy, and beat your competition. Anyone can sell what you’re selling, no matter how unique you think your product is, but no one can copy your customer service experience.

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Social Media, Technology & Education: Distracted Much?

Distracted much? Interruptions are the curse of this modern life we live. Day and night our phones, social media platforms, and other gadgets, buzz, ping, beep their way into our attention. This distracts us from whatever we are doing. It did become clear that these distractions hurt our productivity at work. I mean, pretty obvious, if you are completely honest with yourself how many times a day do you check your phone when it lights up or makes a sound ? Especially when you need to study for an exam or something and you have your phone next to your books. Let me tell you, not much studying is happening then, unless you put it on airplane-mode.

A study published in the Journal of Media Education last January 2016, also stated that using digital devices in classrooms for non-class reasons have its costs. Students were asked what the biggest disadvantages were and nearly 89 percent responded that “they don’t pay attention” and, therefore, miss instructions or other important information. The main reasons why students use their digital device is that they want to “stay connected” and “fight boredom”.

However, for many of us non-students our phone is our work. We literally cannot go to work without it. What if we don’t respond soon enough and the deal is off the table? That would be a shame, wouldn’t it?

Gloria Mark at the University of California has presented research that argues that standard office workers can only work for eleven minutes straight, before they get interrupted, most often by their phone. But what about multitasking? Isn’t that a thing?

Multitasking or Rapid Toggling?

The discussion starts with the neuroscientists. They say that there are very few people in the world who can actually multitask. Neuroscience researchers argue that what people call multitasking should actually be called “rapid toggling” between tasks. This means that the brain concentrates quickly on one topic and then switches to another.

This “switching” is not ‘free’; it takes time for the mind to get deeply involved with a single topic, therefore, transitioning between tasks can decrease productivity and mental performance. You take more time to complete tasks, you are less focussed and you are more likely to make mistakes.

Our brain can do amazing things like designing rockets that fly to the moon and make brownies, but it can only think about one thing at a time. So, multitasking is, in fact, not a thing.

Social Media & Communication

Right, now we’ve gained some interesting insights about multitasking. Let’s touch on the influence of social media on education and learning.

All distraction and disruptions aside, mobile technology has changed everything. We live in a world where learning is connected and through this, the impact of social media on education is becoming a driving aspect. The way we deliver instructions is changing due to social media; the world is getting smaller.

Let’s have a look at video communication platforms, such as Skype. There is no longer a need for a faculty member or student to be in the same room: instructions can be given over great distances. I must add that this system has its downsides as the internet connection can be bad and messages can always be misunderstood, and I’m talking from experience here. What I do think would be pretty cool is a hologram as a teacher, I mean that would add some vibrancy to the learning process, but we’re getting off topic here.

Social media is such a dominant part of our modern society these days. Did you know that, on average, Millennials checks their phone more than 150 times a day?! 150 times. That’s crazy. That’s 120 times more than the average adult, who checks it only 30 times a day.

When people check their phone, it doesn’t always have to do with social media, of course, but nevertheless, just to give you an estimation: in 2016, users spent roughly 50 minutes per day on social media. This might not sound like that much, and you probably think that you spend way more time on social media than 50 minutes per day. However, when you compare it to a recent survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics it is actually a lot of time. The results of this survey show that people spend way less time on other leisure activities like sports or exercise (17 minutes), or reading (19 minutes). People spend about 1 hour eating and drinking per day and social media takes up almost the same amount?!

So, what are positive impacts of social media on learning and education? Some positive influences are that social media sites can increase student collaboration. It is very easy to communicate via these mediums. Conversely, social media platforms are full of unimportant and surreal stuff, however, this increases the student ability to ‘filter’ information and learn only to use the relevant sources. Furthermore, students have the ability to reach out to experts across different disciplines.

What about the negative impacts of social media on education? First of all, (shocker) it is very distracting. From personal experience, I know for a fact that when a class gets boring, first thing you do is check your phone and social media. During breaks, you’re less social. Nowadays, when you go out for dinner and look around, how many people are on the phone instead of having a real conversation? When people mainly communicate via technology, body language clues can be missed; it’s like having half a conversation.

Now, of course, we are talking about communicating, when we communicate via social media or WhatsApp or something else, we tend to make a lot of spelling mistakes or write words differently on purpose. Many of these messenger platforms have a grammar correct function, but students do not develop the same accuracy than when they actually write the word themselves.

Also read this article: Retail Customer Service: Reality of Retail Industry

Whether we like it or not, social media has a powerful impact on education and learning. It has its positive and negative influences, but if I go from personal experience, and then I primarily look at the distracting aspect, I would say mainly negative effects. The fact is, social media – and mobile technology – will continue to evolve and change the educational landscape.

This post is brought to you by one of AQ’s Undergraduates, Paula van Staalduinen. As part of our internship programs, undergraduates and classic interns are encouraged to take part in company culture. Paula’s primary project focuses on training programs and eLearning and how best to adapt this to industries under pressure.

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[Intern Insight] Learning through Experience: The Hard Way

Learning, one way or the other…

“I learned it the hard way.” I think everybody had an experience with this phrase. I mean it happens, like when you forget to lock your car and you come back and your personal belongings are stolen. Or you cheat during a test and the teacher catches you out and you score a 1, which really decreases your previously good average. Learning things the hard way. Haven’t we all been there in some shape or form? I know I have…

Then the phrase “Learned it hard way” really applies. It means that you learn from unpleasant experiences rather than being taught. Like, if you tried to warn somebody several times, but they won’t listen, then you’re like: “Well, I guess they’ll find out the hard way then.”

Graydon Carter once stated: “Most of us have learned the hard way that there are very few things can you absolutely count on in life”.

That said, there are several things we can always count on in life like toast with jam will fall jam-side down, or that the postman will come just as you step into the bath, that no bus shows for 30 minutes and then 3 arrive at the same time, or that you click on ‘send’ and then immediately spot a typo. Be honest here, you recognised some of these things.

What we can conclude is that learning ‘the hard way’ is an effective method of learning. The bad experience you achieved is still an experience and should prevent you from doing it again right?

We learn from experience. Like we know that after lightning you hear thunder and that we are not going to stand close to a high point, as there’s a change you get electrocuted. According to General Psychology: “learning is acquiring a relatively permanent change in behaviour through experience.” This means that we adapt our behaviour based on what we learn through experience.

There are two types of learning: observational learning and associative learning.

I could seriously elaborate on those types of learning, but the short story is that observational learning is about learning through observing others engage in different types of behaviours. Associative learning, on the other hand, is the process by which someone learns a connection between two stimuli. You have two forms of associative learning: classical and operant, but we’ll skip those two for the moment as I’ve probably already bored you enough with psychology.

Factors and Variable

What I find interesting is that the process of learning is influenced by a variety of factors. Teachers and/or parents might find these factors handy to know to guide kids through the learning process. There are many, let me tell you that, but some are worth highlighting:

The Personal Factors

First, you have personal factors such as ‘fatigue’ and ‘boredom’. The difference is that fatigue refers to mental or physical tiredness, which (shocker) decreases efficiency and capability to work. Boredom, on the contrary, is a lack of motivation or desire to work.

This links with the factor ‘interest’. Learning should always be stimulated with different types of tools, like videos, for example, to keep it interesting.

The most important personal factor of the learning process, also known as actually the heart of learning, is ‘motivation’. It really takes a person’s internal willpower to accomplish something. We can divide motivation into two elements: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation refers to behaviour that is driven by internal rewards. Extrinsic motivation refers to behaviour that is driven by external rewards. For example, someone who writes music for his own listening pleasure relies on intrinsic motivation, and a person who writes his songs for money is driven by extrinsic motivation.

The Environmental Factors

Enough about the personal factors, let’s go to the environmental factors. Environmental influences on learning already begin when the child is in the womb. Studies show that the physical, emotional, and mental condition of the mother influences the development of the foetus in the womb. Crazy, right? Apparently, it has something to do with stress levels. So, if a mum wasn’t in a good place when she was pregnant, it already has an impact on you’re the child’s level of intelligence and development.

Other environmental factors that influence learning capacity include things in your immediate surroundings: cultural, social and natural. Factors of nature seem quite logical to me, it has been found that humidity and high temperature can reduce mental efficiency. I could relate to that, always when I tried to work outside with sunny weather in The Netherlands (this happens very rarely) my concentration is really bad. You simply can’t concentrate since you just want to enjoy the good weather.

Your social surroundings include your school, home, favourite bar, basically anywhere where you have your family and friends around you. You can be sure that they can both positively and stupidly – thinking about some ‘interesting’ things my friends have done in the past – influence learning.

Lastly, cultural pressures and social expectations play a role, as the essence of culture is mirrored in its social and educational institutions. Therefore, the learning is greatly determined by the prospects and demands of your culture.

Social Media

A sort of ‘post-script’ environmental factor is the quite big influence is social media. Social media is seen as an important component in transmitting information. Does it have a place as a learning and teaching tool or it is simply a distraction? Again, it has its pro’s and con’s, but I’ll come back to that in another article. For now, let’s just say that social media does play a role in “learning the hard way”.
Nowadays, when something happens people have their smartphone. They film it, post it, share it, you name it and suddenly, the event is everywhere, good or bad. This is a positive thing if you filmed a theft or something, but a negative thing when you accidentally stumble over a doorstep for example, then your fall will become the laugh of the day.

Life goes on

At the end of the day, if we are going to learn things the hard way, hopefully, we learn quickly.

This post is brought to you by one of AQ’s Undergraduates, Paula van Staalduinen. As part of our internship programs undergraduates and classic interns are encouraged to take part in company culture. Paula’s primary project focuses on training programs and eLearning and how best to adapt this to industries under pressure.

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[Intern Insights] Digitolution: Social Media’s impact on society

I own a smartphone, but I belong to the few people that do not have a data plan. So, during my commute, instead of staring at the screen I – rather ironically perhaps – enjoy watching other people staring at their screens.

Then I arrive at work, and I stare at a screen all day long too… For me, however, this is purely a work activity. In my spare time, it’s entirely up to me to choose to “be plugged in” or not. I have to admit, even without a data plan, I’m plugged in way too much – thank you Wi-Fi.

What is it that makes people spend so much time online?

I went online – of course – to answer this question, and found a research paper that offers some possible answers.

It’s not news, but people go online to find information, explore, research and to find advice – Just Google it! We’re also seeing more and more people go online for social interaction: to chat, share photos and videos, and to build relationships. They go online to express themselves, to seek recognition, and to be entertained. The online world also provides people with plenty of opportunities to procrastinate.

Basically, aside from looking up information, people go online to satisfy their social needs.

Needs that social media caters to.

But how does this affect society?

Whether or not social media actually connects people – or tears them apart – is an on-going debate. There is plenty of research out there that analyses social media’s effect on society.

A quick look at a few aspects of our Internet activities reveals that the boundaries between being online for work or leisure are blurred. Social media network sites have become a platform for all kind of activities, for personal and business uses. This is especially the case for younger employees today, who expect to have the freedom to interrupt work to manage their private affairs. That said, this is also the generation that answers emails and takes phone calls after official office hours.

Smartphones definitely help create and perpetuate this phenomenon. Smartphones give us the flexibility of connectivity. The downside of this flexibility is the created pressure to be available around the clock, the where, when and how work gets done is less static. Employees are mobile, thanks to digitalisation and the Internet. This, of course, can improve the work-life balance, but also runs the risk of increasing stress.

How does online connectivity affect the way people perceive and interact with information?

Back in the day – actually less than 10 years ago – people were focused on one device when consuming media, today’s digital media is absorbed using different mediums, usually simultaneously. However, while watching TV is rather a passive activity, interaction on social media platforms is alive. People share and engage with content and expect real-time management and live chat services when interacting with companies.

This development requires companies to adapt. 24/7 connectivity and access to information from the remotest corners of the globe means that consumer behaviour is more complex.

Consumers can look up information anywhere at any time, meaning they know everything – well, at least everything listed on Google’s first page. Digitalisation and social media put the consumer in the driver’s seat. They now have a stronger voice. A voice that has the power to advocate for or against a brand just by hitting the “post” button on any social media platform. Today the consumer is king – a king with the power to decide which company lives and dies.

“A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is – it is what consumers tell each other it is.” – Scott Cook

Whilst many people use reviews to express recognition for a job well done, even more, write product reviews with the aim to protect others from bad experiences. Such reviews and product rates then also are the most preferred source where people inform themselves about the quality of a product or service.

That’s also valid outside the business world:

Social media empowers people. It gives people a voice, allowing us to spread ideas and initiatives easier and faster than ever. This enhances free speech, giving people the opportunity to express their opinions about things like environmental sustainability and politics. Whilst traditional media originally had the power to choose what information is relevant to the world, often choosing to focus on particular subjects. Essentially, traditional media was the information gatekeeper. Now, digital media – in most countries – has given us the keys to global communication, revolutionising the way the world is connected.

This post is brought to you by one of AQ’s Undergraduates, Alexa V. As part of our internship programs, undergraduates and classic interns are encouraged to take part in company culture. Alexa’s primary focus is in digital marketing.

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