Thriving customer relationships are clearly a good thing but how do we achieve them? The most frequently heard answer is ‘customer engagement’ but what does that involve in practice?
The term is often used interchangeably with ‘customer access’ and, for some, it’s all about digital channels. However, that’s only part of the equation. As senior leaders from the pharmaceutical industry told Caroline Gosling, the critical element is a ‘reset’ of the pharma- customer dynamic.
Like many commonly used phrases, ‘customer engagement’ can easily become background noise. Occasionally it needs to be dusted off and re-examined critically. COVID-19 and the ensuing lockdown has given us the opportunity and, to be honest, the necessary kick in the pants, to take a hard look at what we mean by customer engagement, what good could and should look like now, and why do it in the first place.
This article considers the practical perspectives, rising challenges as well as lessons from the pandemic for customer engagement.
