Spirit 38 - Volvo Construction Equipment

“In the not too distant future we could be inviting
construction equipment customers from our online forum into the
management decision making process for input on a whole range
of relevant topics - product development, safety, fuel efficiency,
Volvo Ocean Race, customer satisfaction, brand research etc.
Having an online forum will provide an opportunity we have
never had before - very inexpensive and very fast access to
accurate customer sentiment.”
“That’s why our eBusiness
strategy is rooted in the
real world of our customers
and our dealers.”
MEASURABLE AND COST-EFFECTIVE
“Apart from increased speed of action, wide customer
reach and low cost of operation, the other quantum leap in
efficiency as regards the internet is that all online actions are
quantifiable and measurable. This is very useful in terms of
evaluating sales and marketing activities aimed at driving more
customers to our dealers to generate more sales.” Rowley explains.
“On a global level advertising campaigns will cost a few hundred
thousand Euros to set up and run for a few months. Ultimately
without providing any quantifiable measure of success. The same
for brochures etc. In comparison sending an email to a potential
customer costs 0.2% of a Euro and almost immediately you know
whether it, or any of its embedded links (which highlight elements
of the total offer) have been opened.”
“From these origins you build a data tree. In a
relatively short space of time you have a fact based analysis of
customer responses and feedback and a whole range of other
performance metrics.”
Pragmatic customers
“When new ideas come along it’s normal to expect
some degree of skepticism. People need to see the relevance of
new ideas to them and for the business. That’s why our eBusiness
strategy is rooted in the real world of our customers and our
dealers,” Says Rowley.
“Customers are savvy and pragmatic. If we make it
secure and easy for them to transact online, they will – we already
see the evidence of that today.”
Rowley concludes, “This is just the first bounce of
the ball. There will be lots of further developments in the years
ahead. But at least we are in the race now and laying some
solid foundations.”
Volvo Spirit Magazine
Volvo Spirit Magazine is also embracing
new channels of communication to strengthen its
relationship with its readers, as Steven Lefebvre, Volvo
Construction Equipment, External Communications,
explains.
“Individuals have embraced the Internet
and now business is catching up. It’s still early days
but the magazine has a dedicated Facebook page,
which allows our followers to access our latest
articles, exclusive pictures and videos. Readers can
also upload their own stories, and there’s a discussion
forum to allow us to interact with our community.
There’s also a Volvo Construction Equipment press
page, for the latest press releases, while we’re also
present on Twitter and YouTube.”
“It’s important that people come back to
us with their views. Add all these channels together
and we begin to see some good numbers of people
following us. The numbers are growing all the time
and they keep coming back. While it is difficult to see
how this will impact on how we communicate in the
future, we at Volvo Construction Equipment want to
lead the way.”
SPIRIT35