Customer Advocacy Programs Drive Business Growth and Competitiveness in Current Market, Says SoftwareReviews

SoftwareReviews' latest research reveals that customer advocacy activities often happen without strategic foresight, highlighting the need for an effective advocacy program that will enable organizations to more effectively compete in a tight market.

TORONTO, June 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Customer advocacy often serves as the engine for new client acquisition, a function that is becoming increasingly crucial in this competitive and volatile market. However, challenges can arise when implementing an advocacy program that can negatively impact an organization's position. These challenges include a shortage of referenceable customers who could transform into passionate advocates and the absence of a consistent approach to harness customer feedback to boost satisfaction. To tackle these issues and provide insight on the best practices to successfully and sustainably create customer advocates, SoftwareReviews has published its latest research-backed blueprint, Get Started With Customer Advocacy.

Blueprints are the firm's proprietary methodology for technology and marketing initiatives. The new blueprint is designed to help businesses transform customer satisfaction into revenue growth, bypassing existing hurdles and optimizing their advocacy strategies.

SoftwareReviews' research highlights the inherent obstacles of initiating a customer advocacy program. Many customer success professionals carry out ad hoc customer advocacy activities to address immediate needs, yet these actions often lack strategic foresight. This disjointed approach is further exacerbated by unclear role descriptions and senior leadership's frequent underestimation of a structured customer advocacy program's business value and the resulting overlap of tasks between Sales, Marketing, and Product teams. Furthermore, customer-facing staff often lack the skills necessary to nurture effective customer advocacy, reinforcing the need for a comprehensive and coordinated customer advocacy strategy.

"Customer advocacy puts the customer at the center of everything an organization does," says , senior research analyst at SoftwareReviews. "By cultivating a deep understanding of customer needs and how they define value, and through delivering positive experiences throughout the customer journey, organizations inspire and empower customers to become evangelists for their brands or products. Both the client and solution provider benefit from this collaborative relationship through sharing feedback and supporting the product direction."  

To address existing challenges and unlock future opportunities, SoftwareReviews advises organizations to focus on cultivating meaningful relationships with top customers and advocates while harnessing the power of customer advocacy to drive growth and competitiveness. To implement an effective advocacy program, the firm recommends those tasked with implementing customer advocacy programs to take the following steps to improve success rate and help drive business growth:

Step 1: Build the Business Case

• Make program success clear to the leadership and stakeholders.
• Understand and document any risks or threats to pilot success.

Step 2: Develop Advocacy Requirements

• Use maturity tools to identify the current state and where to start.
• Understand key resources and personnel required.

Step 3: Win Executive Approval and Launch Pilot

• Set clear objectives.
• Define clear success criteria and metrics.
• Create realistic timelines and a roadmap with key milestones.

According to SoftwareReviews' blueprint, customer advocacy has transformed from a simple referral program into a valuable asset for companies. Embracing a customer-first mindset and recognizing customer advocacy as a strategic growth initiative is essential for thriving in today's market.

Download the Get Started With Customer Advocacy blueprint to gain comprehensive insights on establishing a customer advocacy program that effectively translates customer satisfaction into significant revenue growth.

SoftwareReviews' research-based resources are developed by industry experts to provide instructions, tools, and project artifacts to help organizations dramatically reduce project duration and improve project outcomes. 

For more information about SoftwareReviews or to access resources to support the software selection process, visit softwarereviews.com.

About SoftwareReviews

SoftwareReviews, a division of Info-Tech Research Group, empowers organizations with the best data, insights, and advice to improve the software buying and selling experience. 

For buyers, SoftwareReviews' proven software selection methodologies, customer insights, and technology advisors help maximize success with technology decisions. For providers, the firm helps build more effective marketing, product, and sales processes with expert analysts, how-to research, customer-centric marketing content, and comprehensive analysis of the buyer landscape. 

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across software, IT, and HR and over 200 industry analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact [email protected].

SOURCE SoftwareReviews