A 360° View of the Customer Leads to Better Service and Higher Sales

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - April 6, 2010) - Most, if not all companies today recognize the importance of providing a true 360° view of the customer. According to a new research study Providing a 360° View of the Customer - Better Service - Higher Sales published by Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), customers benefit from better service and efficiency, and sellers derive improved loyalty and, inevitably, more repeat business from established customers. The study captured data from over 400 companies.

Even in a tough economy, top performers achieved a 91% customer retention rate and increased net client value by 6%, while the vast majority of companies saw a decline in customer spend. These high performing companies doubled the efficiency in searching for customer data and achieved significantly higher satisfaction ratings from customers.

Access to data and two-way communication forms the basis of the strategic actions being taken in the pursuit of a true 360° view of the customer. "While top performers differentiate themselves by concentrating on a dialogue with the customer, those who have not yet achieved leading status still struggle to integrate multiple sources of data into a single view," says Cindy Jutras, vice president and research fellow, Aberdeen Group.

"Any attempt to integrate multiple sources of data will be impacted by the underlying technology infrastructure. Legacy systems and outdated architectures limit the ability to create a consolidated view that is easily navigated. Ideally customer-facing employees should have access to summary data with the ability to drill down to successive levels of detail," adds Peter Ostrow, research director, sales effectiveness, Aberdeen Group, the report's co-author.

A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the following underwriters: FrontRange Solutions, SAP and VeraCentra. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit:

Providing a 360° View of the Customer - Better Service - Higher Sales

Visit Research.Aberdeen.com for additional access to complimentary Customer Management Research.

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen provides fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having queried more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen or call (617) 854-5200, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748.

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