Getting a grasp of the mesh of tech concepts

CUSTOMER sentiment will chart the direction for where businesses should turn in the coming year, and there are several technology concepts companies need to understand in order to tool up for this trend. Broadly, these are mobile phones, social platforms and Big Data.

Speaking to BizIT, Forrester Research's senior analyst, Clement Teo, noted that most companies understand mobility to be key, because of the pervasiveness of mobile phones these days. But what companies need to realise is that context is what matters. Slicing the target population by behaviour and demographics, for example, is one way to approach different customer segments, which need to be fed relevant mobile advertising or businesses risk alienating them with blanket advertisements.

The second, social platforms, is an extension of this concept. Social networks are giving a voice back to customers, and a bad review spreading across a network can be disastrous for a retail or F&B (food and beverages) outlet, because reviews from friends carry more clout.