Tag: data

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Smart Home

Goodbye Eon

So, I’ve decided to move energy supplier.

Goodbye Eon. For the past 5 years it’s been… well, ok. We got on. You supplied me with my energy. I said thank you and paid you for it. It was good. Until…

Eon Next…

So, two things – 1) My Fixed tariff comes to an end and 2) Prices go up next month!

So, naturally – 1) I want to go on a Fixed tariff and 2) keep my bills as low as possible for as long as possible.

Eon – whom are now moving to be known as Eon Next, have a tariff I want but can’t. That’s because I’m an existing Eon customer. I have to wait to be migrated over to Eon Next. Which can take anything up to six months. Something, ideally, I don’t want to do.

So naturally, I went onto to some comparison sites – spoke to some friends – and found another energy supplier with a tariff that works for me!

I rang Eon back. As you would in any relationship. Asking – can you do anything before I move. No, sorry sir, we can’t.

Ok. So rang up the new supplier and initiated the move. Takes 17 days.

Today, I had a call from Eon.

“Hello Mr Bansal, I’m speaking from Eon. We believe you are leaving us, is that righ?”

“Hello, yes – that is correct”

“Can I ask why you are leaving?”

“You can, but it’s all on the notes – I’m sure you’ve read them before calling me, right?”

“No. I haven’t. Can you tell me why you’re leaving?”

“Well, again – I could – but I’ve made a few calls to Eon prior to leaving – so it’s all detailed there”.

“Ok. To log onto your account – will need to run through some personal security questions….”

“No. You’ve rang me. I don’t know who you are. Yes you know I’m leaving you – but that’s it. I’m not giving you any of my personal details.”

“Ok. In that case, Goodbye”.

And the Eon lady hung up the phone.

If I really mattered as a customer – I’m sure, you could’ve easily gone off script, I’m sure you could have easily accessed my account prior to me calling, I’m sure you know that most people are not going to give you/answer security questions when you’ve rang them (due to the number of scams that take place – where people are phishing for information), I’m sure…. there’s a lot more I could add here.

Many businesses will lose customers – and I’ve said it before, use the data you have to talk to the customers – understand their needs and do what you can. Keep your current customers as close as possible as you can to you. It’s these customers that will either talk positively about you… or not.

In this case, if Eon had said, we’ll put you on a priority list and move you as soon as possible – within a month, or something along those lines – I could have potentially stayed.

So, with that… it’s Goodbye Eon.

(Should I be naming them? – Good question… don’t get me wrong, I’m leaving on ok terms – who knows, could get back together one day – I just hope that a) Eon can learn from this, but moreso, b) other companies/organizations learn that your customers/people are the most important element)

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Shopping Social Media

Data is not the new oil…

Yesterday, I tweeted this…

Huge game last night. England V Germany. You’d think, cooking dinner would be the last thing on many peoples mind.

Yet – not one single takeaway or food place near me (including those I order from on a regular basis) reached out to me – with offers, suggestions etc… anything! to tempt me to order some food and not cook at home.

Yes – I could’ve been out – nevertheless, they don’t know that and maybe I would’ve wanted some food when I got home!

Anyway – the point I’m trying to make is…

The concept behind “data is the new oil” is that just like oil, raw data isn’t valuable in and of itself, but, rather, the value is created when it is gathered completely and accurately, connected to other relevant data, and done so in a timely manner.

And do you know who said this? – It was actually Clive Humby, UK Mathematician and architect of Tesco’s Clubcard, who is widely credited as the first to coin the phrase.

Tesco Clubcard – they hold so much information about you – if you shop there. And that’s how they are able to personalise the vouchers and offers they provide you.

However – when I was in Toronto a few years ago, I met with Sir Tim Berners-Lee. We were talking on the same stage. During my talk, I mentioned… Data is the new oil. After the event, we were in a room, with some photographers and other folk who had been on stage that day, and Sir Tim comes over to me.

‘Bal… it is Bal, right?… well, you said Data is the new oil… it isn’t. That’s wrong. Data is not the new oil.’

‘Woah.. .Hey Sir Tim, how is it not the new oil? – it’s so valuable… ‘

‘Oil.. once refined and used, that’s it. Data on the other hand, can be used multiple times, re-used and sold many times – and there is still value left within it’.

‘Wow… didn’t think of it like that Sir Tim.’

Anyway, Sir Tim and I chatted for a few minutes, gave me his business card and then was ushered away and so was I (to a dinner I think…)

But the point is… there is sooooo much data out there, and more and more people (customers) are willing to share it. It’s second nature in most cases. And if you’re a business – there’s so much you can do with that data.

You can do the basics, have a Customer Relationship Management system, that helps you build and grow the relationship with your customers. If that’s to complex, then just have a basic spreadsheet with customer information – that you can use to contact, call or just offer them a discounted pizza! (I do have to mention – when it comes to data, please ensure you are familiar with GDPR).

You can find out so much about your customers via social media – they’ll be sharing their favourite food, drinks, locations, etc… you can figure out so much!

Now, most big corps know how much value data has. There are ‘data scientists’ that help to break down the data into meaningful information that then can be used. There’s ‘Chief Data Officers’ – with the remit to have a team that solely looks at data and insights – again, using the value to drive business decisions and returning the biggest bang for your buck!

Whilst most small to medium companies probably can’t afford these luxuries, there are small steps that can be taken. Basic ones. Simple ones. Going back to Tesco Clubcard – can you have a loyalty scheme? – A very easy way to gather data. Connect, link and see your customers profiles on social media. Share stories of them enjoying your product or service – and see who’s liking that post, who’s sharing it – are they potential customers? – A lot of this is automated – you don’t actually have to manually do it!

So back to last night – Great win for England… and now they’ve progressed to the next stage, to play Ukraine in Rome, let’s see which local businesses use their data to engage with their football loving customers!

Categories
Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday… to a time I was in Vegas!

This month’s Throwback Thursday is to a place.

A place that I thoroughly enjoyed – and I know, it’s not to everyone’s liking, but there’s so much on offer there… from the Statue of Liberty, to a variety of shows… to the brilliant food… oh the buffets, wow!

Yep you guess it… it’s Las Vegas!

I’ve been there a few times.

Now some people may say it’s a bit tacky, not nice, cheap, etc…

But you know what, it’s the mindset you go with. If you go with an open mind – you’ll also really enjoy it. There’s so much to do… so many places to visit, you really do need some time there.

Now, to clarify, this isn’t a sponsored post by the Las Vegas Tourism board, nor am I endorsing any of the places to visit within Las Vegas – however, there are a few places you must really visit there.

Such as the Lions in MGM…

Oh, there’s real ones there also!

Then there’s the great marketing that pulls you into the various places…

Bal, why are you sharing your trip to Vegas with us?

Well, a few reasons.

  1. There’s things, in business, we can learn from Vegas. Whilst out there, I could see how certain things were really important… one for example is, location. There’s the main boulevard… and the places on there were very busy. However, if you go a little north and further out, not as busy and a little cheaper – to attract the clientele. So where your business operates from, is important to ensure you attract the maximum number of customers possible.
  2. Offer – there’s all sorts of offers to attract you – like eat all you can buffet. Once again, businesses who highlighted these offers and were able to show, it’s a great deal – were busy. I’m sure they’re still making good money, so what offers have you got on, to attract customers?
  3. Size matters. It’s like, when they were designing it, someone said… ‘Go Large or Go Home!’. Everything is supersized. Everything is there. And what I noticed, the more attractions, the more visually appealing… the busier they were! Take the fountains… when the show starts… people were outside to see them. Take the lions in the MGM Hotel. There was something unique about every location that made people go there. And spend their money.

So, there’s a few takeaways you can apply to everyday business from my takeaways from Vegas.

Obviously, anything you do… is a gamble. But if you do it with some research, a bit of data to back your decision…. you could be onto a winner.