This post takes basic elements from direct economy, and associates them with existing products or services to bring to light the reality of this economic evolution.
Certain passages were taken from Xavier Comtesse’s texts.
In a world where access to consumption via e-commerce is available to all, consumers have more and more choice, and therefore power to distinguish good products at the best price.
In this context, the revenue model, customer relations, customer value, distribution, partner networks, cost structure and organisation must evolve considerably. It turns out that it’s the new customer relationship which predominates as a new business model.
We can describe the current economical transformation by a massive transfer of the activity and know-how from the company towards the customers. From now on, the term direct economy is used to express the declining power of intermediaries faced with the rise in power of the consum-Actor.
The profound transformation of business models, especially the revenue model, makes competitor companies in the same economic sector drastically review their business models, and it’s without doubt this differentiation which is marking the current period.
Combinations of four factors are currently generating a different economy. These are:
the arrival of the consumer into the value creation chain, which changes production processes;
the disappearance of intermediaries who give way to new forms of intermediation;
the apparition of new business models which destroy the old income models in passing;
real time price setting, following the comparison and auction fashion;
By acting together, these four central elements of direct economy overthrow and deeply disrupt the old economy. It’s in this fundamental transition period that complete customer relationship management solutions will be indispensable to ensure knowledge transfer between the customers and the producer. All companies are concerned by this phenomenon, and their strategies will have to lean on such solutions.
SKY-click, Skype and Salesforce together give companies access to customer knowledge without investment, thereby respecting the direct economy. This customer knowledge is essential for the evolution of their business because so many consumers use the Internet via a PC and mobile phone to get informed, buy and get trained.
SKY-click covers the frontal "click to call" part, directly accessible by the web surfer, and which replaces the old traditional telephone. Behind the button displayed on a website, a blog, an application or the mobile, we find a complete call center which can be installed by the company in a few minutes without any other investments. SKY-click functions in Call-back mode to optimise the information received before the call is placed. It is possible to get the name, first name, the language, the product or service the customer is interested in before the agent launches the call.
The phone link is managed by Skype for free from PC to PC, or for very low tariffs if customers want to get called back on their mobile or fixed line.
Finally, customer relationship is followed-up by the Salesforce solution, which manages gathered data to improve the quality of information concerning the customer’s knowledge and needs.
