Strategy Strategy Formulation: Formulation: Customer Interface

Introduction

‰The customer interface is the virtual representation of a firm’s chosen value proposition ‰

Seven design elements of the customer interface (7Cs)

  • Context
  • Content
  • Community
  • Customization
  • Communication
  • Connection
  • Commerce

 

Dimensions of Context

  •  Function Refers to the organization and accessibility of information
    1. Section Breakdown
    2.  Linking Structure
    3. Navigation Tools
    4. Speed
    5.  Reliability
    6.  Platform Independence
    7. Media Accessibility
  • Aesthetics Refers to the visual characteristics of a site
    1.  Color Scheme
    2. Visual Themes

 

Context Classifications

  •  Aesthetically Dominant: Emphasis is on the look-and-feel of the site.
  •  Functionally Dominant: Emphasis is on the display of textual information.
  •  Integrated: Balance of form and function.

 

Content: Deciding What Information to Include

  • 􀂉 The CONTENT of a website refers to all the digital information on the site
    􀂉

    • Dimensions of Content
      – Offering Mix
      – Appeal Mix
      – Multimedia Mix
      – Timeliness Mix
      • Current Content
      • Reference Content

 

  • 􀂉 Content Classifications
    1.  Product Dominant: Encompasses store sites that primarily sell physical goods
      • Superstore
      • Category Killer
      • Specialty Store
    2. Information Dominant: Encompasses store sites that focus heavily on information
    3. Service Dominant: Encompasses store sites that focus on the services offered, often for a fee

 

What Makes A Community?

  • Community includes a feeling of membership in a group along with a strong sense of involvement and shared common interests
  • 􀂉 Five components determine the shape of online communities:
    1. 􀂉 Characteristics
    2. 􀂉 Member Motivation
    3. 􀂉 Member Participation
    4. Member Benefits
    5. 􀂉 Interaction Tools

Characteristics

The more evolved the community the more likely it is to have these six characteristics

  1. Cohesion: the community develops a group
    identity
  2. Effectiveness: the group has impact on members’ lives
  3. Help: members feel comfortable asking for and receiving help from other members
  4. Relationships: interaction between individuals leads to friendships
  5. Language: members develop a specialized language and/or abbreviations with unique meaning within the community
  6. Self-regulation: the group sets rules for its own interaction and develops a system for policing itself

 

Community Classifications

• Nonexistant– sites that have no community offer no way for users to interact with one another, on either a one-to-one basis or one to many basis
• Limited– sites that offer features such as reading and posting information, stories, or opinions
• Strong– sites that offer interactive community functions such as chat rooms and message boards

 

Customization: Creating an Individualized Website

  • Customization refers to a site’s ability to tailor itself to each user or to be tailored by the user
  • 􀂉 Dimensions of Customization
    • Personalization: The user initiates and manages the customization process
    • Tailoring: Software dynamically publishes unique versions of the site to address specific user’s interests, habits and needs more appropriately
  • 􀂉 Commonly used customization features:
    – E-mail accounts
    – Content and layout configuration
    – Storage
    – Agents

 

Communication: Keeping in Touch with Users

  1. 􀂉Communication refers to the dialogue between a site and its users
  2. 􀂉 Dimensions of Communication
    – Broadcast
    – Interactive
  3. 􀂉Communication Archetypes
    • One-to-Many, Non-Responding User: Site messages are announcements that users receive without needing to respond.
    •  One-to-Many, Responding User: Site messages are invitations to users to submit their comments and responses.
    • One-to-One, Non-Responding User: User receives personalized messages to address specific interests or needs without a need to respond.
    • One-to-One, Responding User: User responds to personalized messages sent by the site.

 

Connection: Linking with Other Websites

  • Connection is the degree to which a given site is able to link to other sites
  • 􀂉 Dimensions of Connection
    – Outside Links
    – Framed Links
    – Pop-Up Windows
    – Outsourced Content

 

Connections Classifications

  1. Destination Site: Provides almost exclusively site generated content with very few links to other sites
  2. Hub Site: Provides a combination of site generated content and selective links to sites of related interests
  3. Portal Site: Consists almost exclusively
    of links to a large number of other sites

 

Commerce: Enabling Financial Transactions

  • 􀂉Commerce refers to the sale of goods, products or services on the site.􀂉
  • Dimensions of Commerce
    •  Functional tools that are the commerce enabling features of a website
      •One-Click Shopping
      •Credit-Card Approval •Delivery Options
      •Security •Order Tracking
      •Shopping Cart •Configuration Technology
      •Registration
      •Orders Through Affiliates
  • Commerce Classifications:
    Low: These websites have the ability to process transactions, but with few of the tools that enable e-commerce.
    Medium: Some websites have no need for all the commerce bells and whistles and contain financial transactions as a necessary feature but not as their main purpose.
    High: These websites are fully equipped with all or almost all the functional tools that enable e-commerce.