I often look at the business world and wonder. What are they all about? They spend oodles of money in branding (in simple terms to be recognised by potential Customers, to distinguish themselves in the marketplace).

1. CVF ARTICLE OF THE WEEK Add Us to Your Safe Sender List
Value of being Anonymous? By Gautam Mahajan
I often look at the business world and wonder. What are they all about? They spend oodles
of money in branding (in simple terms to be recognised by potential Customers, to
distinguish themselves in the marketplace).
Companies also profess they wish to present a human face. They want to be seen as
caring, friendly, and concerned.
Why is it that when the chips are down, they behave like inanimate behemoths with
anonymous officers?
Isn’t this a dichotomy? Isn’t this against what they seemingly want to portray?
Try to find responsible executives in a company to tell them what is happening to you as as
a Customer or your experiences? (Companies will find you to ask questions, but they do not
want you to find their executives). Try finding a telephone number, and if you do, you start to
go through corporate watch dogs (receptionists, secretaries, assistants if you can get past
the answering systems, those wonderfully inert inventions that corporates love). Elsewhere I
had written that companies, while they pretend they are inanimately anonymous to
Customers (the only time they appear distinctive is in branding exercises), they are
composed of real people, real live people. Companies are in the people business (they
comprise of people, even though the voices come across as tinny IVR ones), and they deal
with people (read Customers, employees, partners, society).
Why then do they come across as anonymous? (Smaller stores and mom and pop
businesses may have a more human face). Is it that it is convenient to do so? Cheaper? Is
this because the next quarter results are lurking around the corner? Or is it because they do
not care (I do not believe anyone would be that crass)? Or is it that the convenience of the
Customer is secondary to the convenience of the company? Or because Customer focus is
only a corporate myth, which they try to dispel through brand building? Or is it that the CEO
will be crucified to look at Customer ease and corporate accessibility before profits. And is it
because the number one thought that comes to them for increasing profit is a cost cutting
strategy? Not a Customer strategy to boost profits (can corporates see this? It means
creating value, giving a great experience in the shortest possible journey).
I quote from Prof. Luiz Moutinho, a world famous Marketing Guru, who has been unable to
get any help from Vodafone on some serious issues. He says ‘All the other possibilities lead
towards a paradigm where Service should be called “ Make the Give Up….” a policy of
total Corporate Anonymity….as opposed to corporate transparency and engagement
through a “brain to brain” intelligent dialogue with Customers.’ I rest my case.
But wait, I have something even worse. Most companies talk about a 1 to 1 interaction, they
talk about customisation and a Customer segment of one! The fact is for most companies,

2. Customers are anonymous. Many companies have no idea how many Customers they
have. The company knows what and how much they sell and through which channel. They
can tell you about the profitable products, the profitable segments of Customers. But who
are these faceless people? The answer is we do not need to know. How, then will they
customise?
Granted this is changing. Social media and big data give them the opportunity to interact
with the Customers. It gives them the chance to put a name to some of these people, and to
access them, but at the company’s terms. Big data gives some personal information but
much of it is still masked through the anonymity of huge unrelated mass of information that
companies have to delve into, clarify and make sense of. But they are more comfortable
doing this than really knowing Customers.
And what will happen when we go away form a physical retail store to a virtual one?
Companies have to ask if Customers want to be anonymous, or if they are offering their
personal data, their likes and their dislikes, do they want to be anonymous or do they want
to make themselves known? And do they want to deal with anonymous people in
companies?
Look at the net. You will see article upon article on making Customers anonymous, but very
few on making them known. I just did a Google search and found nothing! And of course the
reader will say, we can make the Customer known, he just doesn’t want to be known.
Others will say, we are taking photographs, making records and soon they will be known
Customers.
I would suggest a strategy to change. Change will start with the CEO and the CXO’s getting
to talk to Customers and get to know them (their needs, their likes and dislikes, what creates
value for them. Knowing their names may not be as important), and likewise for other
executives. In a digital environment it may be difficult, but the winner will be the companies
that try and succeed. Some companies already do this and executive spend one day a week
with ‘anonymous’s (a.k.a. Customers)
Will you be able to create more value for a known or an anonymous one? Will you create
more value or less if your people were not anonymous? Or are you destroying Value?
Your comments are welcome!
Gautam Mahajan, President-CustomerValue Foundation
M: +91 9810060368
Tel: 11-26831226,Fax: 11-26929055
email: mahajan@Customervaluefoundation.com
website: http://www.Customervaluefoundation.com
Customer Value Foundation (CVF) helps companies to Create Value and profit by
Creating Value for the Customers, employee and for each person working with the
companies.
Total Customer Value Management (Total CVM) transforms the entire company to focus
on Creating Value for the Customer by aligning each person's role in Creating Customer
Value and getting shareholder wealth and Value.