Nikon Rolls Out RightNow Marketing Across Europe
RightNow Service and Marketing Combination Will Provide Holistic Customer Care
Slough, United Kingdom, November 29, 2006
Nikon Europe has extended its relationship with RightNow® Technologies (NASDAQ: RNOW) and deployed RightNow Marketing' as its out-bound customer communication system. The new deployment gives the camera manufacturer increased capabilities and capacity for all types of communications including information about latest offers and promotions, training and seminars, and newsletters.
Individual countries will be responsible for driving local marketing campaigns and will be able to segment the registered user base as they please. In France a promotion for Nikon's new D80 camera is already underway. This entitles newly registered users to a free gift. As soon as they register, the marketing tool sends an email to them with an offer for a free SD card:http://www.nikon.fr/promoD80/accueil_OpeD80.html
Nikon Germany and Austria are using RightNow to run a sales promotion to target eligible customers with either a six month 'all risk' insurance policy or a cash back incentive. Customers who register a product receive an email containing a link to a Nikon web page. Once the customer clicks through, adds any necessary additional details and submits the information, the system automatically generates a PDF voucher unique to the contact. This is attached to the customer's personal account and the details emailed to the customer.
With visibility into click through rates, and with the ability to create 'test' campaigns before executing en masse, the marketing application is providing Nikon with greater campaign control and understanding. It is now possible to discern return on investment for their direct marketing programmes and forecast more accurately the result of these. By replacing relationships with external marketing agencies, the application places Nikon in the driving seat, allowing marketers to create, time and execute campaigns.
By adding the marketing application, Nikon is standardising both its in-bound and out-bound customer touch points on RightNow's CRM suite. This integrated approach benefits customers by placing knowledge at the heart of service and marketing interactions. As customers communicate with Nikon during registration or a service incident, relevant information will be gathered and used, with permission, for more targeted campaigns. Likewise, Nikon's service agents will also have greater insight into customer histories and preferences which will assist with the delivery of improved service interactions.
"At Nikon our customer care strategy starts with the camera design and culminates in our ability to offer post sales support whether in the form of technical assistance or timed and relevant news about training, events or equipment," David Ward, CRM manager at Nikon Europe BV, said. "By working with RightNow across our service and marketing channels we're confident of providing the very best customer experiences synonymous with a brand like Nikon."
Deployment of the system is still in its early stages; however projections suggest that the original specification of 2 million emails per year may fall short of actual usage, with Nikon Germany already anticipating that it will send 1.5 million emails to customers in 2007.
"The digital camera market is fiercely competitive so, by necessity manufacturers have to find a way to add additional value to their proposition," Wayne Foncette, RightNow's VP of UK & Ireland, said. "Product quality, price and brand equity all have some bearing on a consumer's choice, but it's the customer care layer beyond this that really fosters customer loyalty. Nikon's holistic approach to this means it is able to better serve its customers and, therefore, better able to differentiate itself from the competition."
The pan-European roll out of RightNow Marketing is part of a global programme which has seen RightNow Service' and Marketing also deployed in the US.
About RightNow Technologies
RightNow (NASDAQ: RNOW) delivers the high-impact technology solutions and services organisations need to cost-efficiently deliver a consistently superior customer experience across their frontline service, sales and marketing touch-points. Approximately 1,800 corporations and government agencies worldwide depend on RightNow to achieve their strategic objectives and better meet the needs of those they serve. RightNow is headquartered in Bozeman, Montana. For more information, please visit http://www.rightnowtech.co.uk/.
RightNow is a registered trademark of RightNow Technologies, Inc. NASDAQ is a registered trademark of the NASDAQ Stock Market.
Greg Gianforte