Doing Words

More evidence: rest of world is really hard

// June 3rd, 2008 // 0 Comments // Glocalisation

Austrians? Yes, Austrians. My reasons will become apparent.

Does it really matter how well you communicate on your new web startup? Will a few typos and spelling mistakes really make a difference? If you’re formal when you should be casual, or flippant when you should be serious, will it really affect your big metrics?

Oh, dear reader, it may indeed. Sit down, take a load off, recline. It’s time for another story from the dawn of the internet age… (more…)

Amazon.com’s affiliate program still can’t deposit to non-US banks?

// April 3rd, 2008 // 0 Comments // Glocalisation

Which decade was this written in? &quot;Prohibitively expensive&quot;? Not any more it isn’t. Google manages it very smoothly, even with tiny ad clients like me. Long past time to glocalize, Amazon! Uploaded with <a href=”http://plasq.com/”>plasq</a>’s <a href=”http://skitch.com”>Skitch</a>

The next step in online banking: helping the customer?

// March 19th, 2008 // 0 Comments // Glocalisation, strategy

That’s a controversial headline, because the bankers I speak to say, "isn’t providing an online banking service helping the customer?" Well, not so much. Now every bank offers online banking, and most charge a fee of some kind, it’s less about helping the customer manage their money and more about helping the bank cut costs and increase revenue.

Yet banks of all shapes and sizes are striving to "engage more fully" with the retail customer, build a longer relationship, "broaden the relationship" . In other words, sell us more financial products and keep us as a customer for longer by knowing more about our financial needs.

So help me optimise every saving, cheque, term deposit, loan, credit card, lease, equity trading and piggy bank account I have. Help me learn where my money is going each month, help me balance my household budget.

The typical online customer relationship with an Australian bank is now almost entirely a task-oriented one: I need to pay a bill or transfer some money, so I click on a bookmark, login, do my transaction, and log-off again asap. Yet, other than perhaps the ATM machine, the online banking application is probably my primary touch-point with the bank’s brand and brand experience. For most of us, the ATM and the online banking application is my bank.

If I’m a bank, do I want an entirely task-oriented relationship with my customers? Definitely not.

Task-oriented relationships turn rich, diverse brands into utilities – the only time I care at all about my choice of gas provider is if I learn that I can get gas a lot cheaper from another utility brand. I do NOT want my bank to become just another utility. So, how can banks use that utilitarian touch point of the online banking application as leverage into a broader, richer, engaging relationship with their customers?

How about: help them manage their finances?

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