When it comes to success, yours is inextricably linked to that of your customer.
In that case, you obviously need to watch the financial health of your customer very carefully.
If young people form part of your customer base, "then if you listen to them you're going to offer a better service", says Thomas.
Crystal Kendrick, who managed call centers before becoming president of a marketing firm called the Voice of Your Customer, said that call centers were often viewed as a cost center rather than a revenue source.
Having worked hard to get the visitor to the site in the first place to choose a product, it's vital that you look after the final part of your customer experience.
What David Plouffe and Jim Messina did in 2008 and 2012 and what Ken Mehlman did in 2004 was apply basic business imperatives to a political campaign: rely on continuously updated data, test and retest everything, develop a keen understanding of your customer base, empower your sales staff while holding them accountable, etc.
But Sullivan warns they must be careful not to cross lines into customers' personal space: "Companies should be a bit more wary … collecting customer data might not be a violation of your customer relationship, but losing control of that data to a hacker definitely is.
Listwin: One thing that is constant through the ups and downs is taking care of your customer.
Q: How could you convince the IT staff of your customer with your credibility and trust?
Told correctly, it increases the power of your business and the strength of your customer base, and it helps direct product improvements.
It is an important part of your marketing mix, because if you're not in front of your customer when they need you, they'll go somewhere else.
