Brands at Risk Presentation for The eMarketing Association (eMA) October 4, 2006

Session Agenda Your Questions Answered: Does online experience influence brand perception? Are poor experiences common today? How bad can it really be? What’s the least I should know? What are leading companies doing to address the risk? What can I do to help? Can I go home now?

Connecting Online and Brand Experiences The Internet is pervasive and expanding Faced with a large number of online options, consumers make snap judgments Customer expectations are higher than ever Customer loyalty must be reinforced over time

Websites Takes Center Stage A company’s website often serves as a “proxy” for a future commercial relationship A company’s website often serves as the primary intermediary for an ongoing commercial relationship What is your online experience saying about your brand?

Real World Example “Handsome Internet Expert seeks professional Cape Cod-based landscaper for home improvement project”

Risky Business(es) “[Mlife] ads aired during the 2002 Super Bowl offered AT&T Wireless's Web site as the only meaningful information. The site was so overwhelmed by inquiries that it became inaccessible.” (Seattle Post Intelligencer) “Salesforce has had several recent system outages … Those raise doubts about whether its platform can be trusted for apps more time-sensitive than CRM.” (Information Week) Other Notable Outages: World Cup Soccer, Hallmark, Carl’s Jr., Arizona Cardinals, …

When Good Websites Go Bad From the Gomez consumer study “10 Things Your Customers Want You to Know” “How many times were you unable to complete an online purchase before you stopped visiting the site?”

When Good Websites Go Bad From the Gomez consumer study “10 Things Your Customers Want You to Know” “When you are unable to complete an online purchase, how often do you believe the problem is with the shopping site?”

When Good Websites Go Bad From the Gomez consumer study “10 Things Your Customers Want You to Know” “How would your decision to stop shopping online affect your shopping at the company’s physical store?”

When Good Websites Go Bad From the Gomez consumer study “10 Things Your Customers Want You to Know” Career- Limiting Risky “When it takes too long to complete your order, what action do you take?” Expensive

What Online Experiences Matter Most? Availability Can users do what they came to your site to do? Responsiveness Can users do what they came to your site to do without unnecessary delay? Consistency Can you deliver an excellent experience for every customer, every time?

Benchmarking Online Brands Available Benchmarks

What Winning Looks Like Online leaders work to create a “Performance Culture” based on: Communication Shared metrics guide cross-functional business and technology teams Customer-at-the-center Experience and Quality of Service (QoS) are measured from a customer perspective Continuous improvement Wins are demonstrated and the bar is raised again and again C-Level sponsorship There is a commitment to service, measurement, and truth that starts at the top

Your Personal 30-Day Action Plan Marketers are in the best position to serve as “customer experience evangelists”: Day 1 Share the Love Inspire your co-workers with this riveting presentation Day 2 – 7 Take Stock Ask around to see what metrics are available today Day 8 – 10 Rally the Troops Pull together and interview a cross-functional team Day 11 – 29 Plan to Win Define mutual goals and how to achieve them Day 30+ Make it Happen Take action and celebrate customer-facing wins

Conclusion Online experience plays a critical role in brand perception Poor online experiences are common and can have devastating consequences Focus on a progressive set of experience metrics and strive to create a performance culture Long-term customer success and brand protection begins with you!

Thank You! Matthew Poepsel Vice President, Professional Services Gomez, Inc. 781.778.2766 mpoepsel@gomez.com