Winning Digital Customers

Howard Tiersky is the founder and CEO of The Digital Transformation Agency, a digital experience consulting firm. He previously served on the adjunct faculty of New York University, as vice-president of Capgemini, and as director of new media for Ernst & Young. He speaks regularly at conferences, and has worked with brands like Verizon, NBC, Avis, Mattel, and Airbus. He is the co-author of Impactful Online Meetings, and was named by IDG as one of the "Top 10 Digital Transformation Influencers". Howard Tiersky is a graduate of New York University and USC School of Cinematic Arts.

If you're trying to make your brand really stand out in today's digital world, how do you achieve that? There's really only one way — you have to get your digital customers to love your brand. That happens only if they feel connected, and have faith that your brand will give them what they need.

So what does it take to be loved? You've got to stand for something that resonates with your customers, and they need to see your values in action. In a world filled with online customers, the "Digital Transformation Formula" is a five-step process:

What is a digital transformation? No matter what industry you're in, customers today already prefer digital experiences. Digital transformation is changing your business model to deliver consistently great online experiences your customers love.

The Roadmap — Step #1 — Understand your customer. Get customer centric. Understand what customers are trying to achieve when they buy your offering, and what you can therefore do to trigger more future behaviors which are aligned with your business goals. Identify what is a great digital experience for them.

The Roadmap — Step #2 — Map the customer journey. Map out your current customer experience in detail, so you have a baseline against which to measure improvements. Define the steps customers go through to do business with you today, pain points to be eliminated, and your vision for the ideal customer experience.

The Roadmap — Step #3 — Build the future. Start working towards your ideal digital customer experience by identifying the technical, organizational, and operational roadblocks that presently exist. Start designing the breakthroughs you will need to deliver on your vision.

The Roadmap — Step #4 — Optimize the short-term. Building the future will take time, so start building momentum by going after the low hanging fruit first. Look at things you can change quickly to enhance the customer experience. Identify and fix things to generate some early wins and quick hits.

The Roadmap — Step #5 — Lead the change. Make sure your leadership signs on to keep working on the digital transformation until you achieve your vision. Without this buy-in, you won't be able to overcome the challenges and resistance which inevitably arise. Get everyone on board with where you're going.

The only way to really stand out in today's digital world is to get your customers to love your brand. Stand for something that resonates with them, and let them see your values in action.

Winning Digital Customers is a very solid book. It was written by Howard Tiersky, the CEO of a digital experience consulting firm, who has worked with very big brands like Verizon, NBC, Avia, Mattel, and Airbus. He makes the very good point that given a choice, today's consumers prefer digital experiences rather than having to deal face-to-face with your staff. Therefore, you have to make sure you're delivering an excellent digital experience, which makes your brand stand out.

That makes sense, but what makes this book great is the author then goes on and provides a five-step roadmap for delivering the kind of digital experiences that will make customers love your brand. I always like to see the big picture before going into details so I like seeing the roadmap first. You can then focus on doing more of what adds value for your customers, in terms of digital experiences.

When Jack Welch was CEO of General Electric, he famously said: "If the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near." There're no questions today's consumers value digital experiences. If you aren't delivering on digital yet, this book might give you some ideas on how to address that. Well worth reading and applying.