Page 35 -

What type of relationship does each of our Customer 29

Segments expect us to establish and maintain with them?

Which ones have we established? How costly are they?

How are they integrated with the rest of our business model?

We can distinguish between several categories of Self-service solve each other’s problems. Communities can also
Customer Relationships, which may co-exist in a In this type of relationship, a company maintains no help companies better understand their customers.
company’s relationship with a particular direct relationship with customers. It provides all the Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline launched a
Customer Segment: necessary means for customers to help themselves. private online community when it introduced alli, a
new prescription-free weight-loss product.
Personal assistance Automated services GlaxoSmithKline wanted to increase its under-
This relationship is based on human interaction. This type of relationship mixes a more sophisti- standing of the challenges faced by overweight
The customer can communicate with a real customer cated form of customer self-service with automated adults, and thereby learn to better manage customer
representative to get help during the sales process or processes. For example, personal online profiles give expectations.
after the purchase is complete. This may happen on- customers access to customized services. Automated
site at the point of sale, through call centers, by e-mail, services can recognize individual customers and their Co-creation
or through other means. characteristics, and oΩer information related to orders More companies are going beyond the traditional
or transactions. At their best, automated services can customer-vendor relationship to co-create value with
Dedicated personal assistance simulate a personal relationship (e.g. oΩering book or customers. Amazon.com invites customers to write
This relationship involves dedicating a customer movie recommendations). reviews and thus create value for other book lovers.
representative specifically to an individual client. It Some companies engage customers to assist with the
represents the deepest and most intimate type of Communities design of new and innovative products. Others, such
relationship and normally develops over a long period Increasingly, companies are utilizing user communities as YouTube.com, solicit customers to create content
of time. In private banking services, for example, dedi- to become more involved with customers/prospects for public consumption.
cated bankers serve high net worth individuals. Similar and to facilitate connections between community
relationships can be found in other businesses in the members. Many companies maintain online com-
form of key account managers who maintain personal munities that allow users to exchange knowledge and
relationships with important customers.

!"#$%&'(%)*+(%,,---.; /012013---245.-67