Following a series of web development assignments, the team at Roche Diagnostics presented us with a challenge - a database of several thousand customer email addresses, and a desire to get in touch. We developed a user friendly, opt-in contact strategy using our 'CARP' software platform, and met with enormous success.

This project really highlights the potential for well designed online contact systems in validating contact details gathered over time. CARP provides an extremely effective tool in beginning an effective customer dialogue online and significantly improving the accuracy of collected data.

Utilising CARP, we contacted the thousands of email addresses collected as part of the ExtraCare Club database. We asked three simple questions :

Question 1.
Would you be happy for us to contact you via email?

Question 2.
Is this email the best for reaching you? If not, please correct it.

Question 3.
Do you have any questions or comments for the team at ExtraCare?

From an initial contact database, entered by hand from handwritten forms, we received responses from more than 50% of participants - all of whom were extremely keen to receive ExtraCare information and updates by email.

Many customers gave us new, more relevant email addresses, which we subsequently imported back into the ExtraCare CRM for future use.

The system also handled a number of customer enquiries, efficiently forwarding questions to the appropriate ExtraCare team member - questions were answered rapidly and user confidence in electronic communication grew.

This simple project forged an online dialogue that has been extremely beneficial to ExtraCare and the customers involved. A clear goal, great tools and a true customer focus provided huge value.

More information on CARP can be found here.

ExtraCare can be found at www.extracare.co.nz.