Salesforce case study review: the value of customer centricity

Businesses can no longer only consider sales when attempting to increase profit. Instead, they must carefully consider how they can help shoppers in a smarter way and offer them personalized customer service. Customers have more control over their relationships with companies than ever before. Above all else, they want differentiated services; they look for reliability and convenience, quickly condemning companies that fail to meet their expectations.

According to the third edition of Salesforce’s State of the Connected Customer report, 84% of the surveyed say the experience provided by a company is as important as the products themselves. On top of that, 73% say one incredible experience raises their expectations of other companies, and 66% are eager to pay more for a better experience.

This means that being customer-centric is no longer a cherry on top of the company’s reputation; it is a must-have for companies who want to stay on the market.

So what does it mean to be customer-centric? In brief, there are three main targets to achieve.

1. Deliver personalized customer service. As many as 73% of customers say that a company should understand their needs and expectations. So companies should get to know their customers as closely as possible and tailor their services accordingly.

2. Master connected experiences. Customers want brands to remember their previous interactions, including purchase history and sentiments, through all channels.

3. Never stop innovating. Well over half of customers prefer buying from innovative companies. The more advanced digital experience a brand can offer, the more customers they will attract and retain.

While the figures above essentially prove the customer centric paradigm, let’s look at eight real-world examples of how getting Salesforce consultants on board can help increase companies’ sales and customer loyalty.

#2. Personalized services bring a 900% revenue growth

YETI started as a cooler producer that focused on their customers. As their audience grew, they didn’t want to lose their customer-first approach. So, YETI switched from spreadsheets and sticky notes to the Salesforce CRM. Now closer to their customer-centric efforts than ever before, YETI managed to:

• Speed up their responses to customers through all channels by integrating Salesforce with their ERP. This way YETI could enable their managers to access the latest account information whenever necessary and respond incredibly quickly to requests.
• Start analyzing customer data and delivering relevant complementary products, suggestions, and personalized tips regarding their products.
• Provide an online product customization tool that let customers take part in manufacturing (customers can add custom logos and any text to any model).
• Set up a convenient and unified environment for the customer support team and thereby start resolving issues faster.

Results

In two years, YETI’s personalized customer service grew revenue by almost 900%, reaching $450 million.

Takeaways

Small companies can grow fast by delivering highly personalized experiences. As they grow, this all-around customer orientation requires more advanced technologies that are costly but worth it in the end.

#4. AI-driven upselling & cross-selling increases average order value by 11%

Icebreaker replaced a third-party tool with Einstein, Salesforce’s AI driven predictive recommendation engine, in order to make product suggestions more personal and human. These tips are based on each customer’s buying history, the shop’s general sales, and lists of complementary products. As every successful recommendation further trains the underlying algorithm, the suggestions become more and more precise.

Results

Recommendations powered by Einstein helped Icebreaker generate 28% more revenue from recommended products and increase the average order value by 11%.

Takeaways

Thanks to machine learning capabilities, AI-based recommendation engines perform tasks more effectively than their alternatives. Utilizing built-in Salesforce Einstein reduces integration and maintenance costs.

#6. A seamless experience and history-based customer service bring a 99% retention rate

DUFL is a luxury travel assistant that takes care of their clients’ luggage, including packing, shipping, doing laundry, and even fixing damages (e.g., broken shoe heels). They introduced Salesforce Sales Cloud and Service Cloud and made their service more personalized in the following ways:

• DUFL now remembers every client’s unique needs and provides highly-customized service.
• They provide omnichannel support experience and resolve similar issues based on the history of clients’ decisions.

Results

DUFL’s team of just 25 employees easily manages their growing customer base (+10% every month) and maintains a 99% retention rate.

Takeaways

Robust technology can empower a small team to deliver an exceptional service to an expanding customer base.

#8. Personalization ensures a 95% subscription renewal rate on the information providers market

Encyclopedia Britannica started creating digital products and went online in order to combat a 97% decline in print sales over six years. To keep up with customers’ preferences, they needed to emphasize their core values of information reliability and a personal approach for every reader.

Utilizing Salesforce Service Cloud and Chatter, the rebranded Britannica Digital Learning started analyzing customer data, developing buyer journeys, recording customer feedback, and integrating all of this into their digital product development process.

Results

The social media sentiment scores and subscription renewal rates of Encyclopedia Britannica grew to 95%, and their profit margins have increased 8% since Salesforce implementation.

Takeaways

Even though there is plenty of free information online, Encyclopedia Britannica won back its customers by promoting its high credibility and delivering personalized services. Yet again, this proves that being customer-centric is a sound survival strategy even in remarkably competitive markets such as information services.