One on One with Peppers & Rogers Group's Orkun Oguz

These days, retaining customers is just as important as acquiring them. It used to be that putting up a Web site or a Facebook page was considered a web presence. With the proliferation of social media, smartphones and tablet PCs, entirely new avenues of communication have opened up between company and customer. How well companies adapt to the changing social landscape and harness the power of social media could mean the difference between making a meaningful and lasting connection with clients, and being passed over for a company that actually listens. Peppers & Rogers Group has long been a thought leader on the importance of treating customers as individuals. Orkun Oguz, Managing Director, North America of Peppers & Rogers, spoke with Consulting One on One about another method pioneered by the company, the Mobile App Index, which aims to help companies ensure their social media interactions with customers are a conversation, not a one way street.

Consulting: What is the Mobile App Index and what does it measure?

Oguz: Right now, the number of apps out there are increasing at a very fast pace. Some of our clients are thinking of publishing their own apps, and we help them with what things they need to pay attention to. We always feel we are at the cutting edge of 'customer-centricity,' and apps are becoming one of the main channels customers are interacting with companies, so it's just one of the new innovative ways we deliver to our customers.