OtterBox Customer Relationship and Management Strategies

By: John White

MBAK223

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Executive Summary

Chapter 2: CRM Evaluation

Chapter 3: B2B Prospecting Strategies: Gas and Oil Industry

Chapter 4: Social Strategy

Chapter 5: Customer Experience and Satisfaction Survey

Chapter 6: Marketing Metrics and Analytical Tracking

Chapter 7: Customer Loyalty and Retention Plan

Chapter 8: Sales Forecast, Long Term Growth, and Conclusion

Chapter 1: Executive Summary

Every OtterBox customer has a story about how their technology has been saved by an OtterBox

case. Mine came at the airport right before a family vacation to Cape Cod. As we were approaching

security, somehow our iPad ended up on top of our stroller. Then someone (not me) bumped the

stroller and the iPad went crashing down to the floor. Direct hit! However, with our OtterBox case

surrounding it, there was absolutely zero damage done. A broken iPad would have been a bad and

expensive way to start off our vacation.

OtterBox's success story is quite remarkable. They have evolved from a small startup into the

global leaders in the protective case industry for mobile technology. Their cases are hip, stylish, colorful,

customizable, and nearly indestructible. OtterBox has implemented several very effective business

strategies that have separated them from their competition, enabled them to grow into a global

organization, and win accolades from the likes of Forbes, Inc. Magazine, as well as many others. In this

essay, I will be discussing OtterBox’s customer relationship and management plan. Additionally, I will be

making some suggestions on how to enhance their strategies and position the company for long term

growth.

First and foremost, OtterBox has innovated faster than their competition. When I started in the

wireless industry back in 2003, a cell phone case was nothing more than a piece of synthetic leather with

a flimsy plastic clip. The leather would rip after a while and the cheaply made plastic clips were

constantly breaking. Today, OtterBox's top of the line case, The Armor Series, is waterproof, dust proof,

shock proof, and drop proof. It offers several layers of protection produced from very high quality

materials. Quite simply, OtterBox has earned a reputation for having the best cases in the world. This is

due to hiring creative employees that embody the innovative spirit. Their company culture encourages

collaboration and team work. Hence the reason there is an espresso lounge in the lobby of their HQ in

Fort Collins, Colorado. The company culture surrounding innovation has paid huge dividends. OtterBox

always beats their competition to market with the most in demand products.

A few of the awards that OtterBox has won for

innovation and quality products.

OtterBox puts an emphasis on providing world class customer service. Juilianna Gunter,

OtterBox's Global Sales Operations Analyst states:

"We have service and sales staff dedicated to understanding our customers and are always

identifying ways to exceed their expectations. We think that great service is what sets us apart

and gives our current customers the desire to work with us again and refer us to their friends.

This team is the internal-facing drivers of Voice of Customer which helps the business quickly

align to customer expectations.”

As part of my research for this project, I put out my own OtterBox customer satisfaction survey

via Survey Monkey to my followers on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. The question

regarding the experience with OtterBox's customer service yielded 75% of the respondents stating their

experience was excellent and the remaining 25% said it was good. None of the respondents reported an

average or poor experience. More on this later.

OtterBox does a superb job of utilizing digital marketing. They post very intriguing content that

keeps their customers constantly engaged with their brand. The message they put out to their followers

on social media is to take your technology out into the world with you wherever life takes you. Don't be

afraid to break it. With an OtterBox you can take your devices anywhere. They post beautiful pictures

with their customers doing amazing things with their mobile technology in tote. In addition to putting

out engaging content, OtterBox uses social media as a customer service tool so that their customers can

express their wants in regards to new products, ask questions, get updates on orders, and receive

support. The close engagement and responsiveness to their followers on social media gives their

customer base the feeling that they are a part of the brand and helps build relationships that foster

repeat business. I personally like their YouTube channel. It shows their cases in action. My favorite

video has to be the one where a few guys take their iPhone kayaking. The iPhone is protected by an

OtterBox Armor Series case. The video shows them running over it with their SUV as well as taking it

down a waterfall!

OtterBox identifies their target market as, "klutzy tech users everywhere." This is brilliant. They

have created a product that sells very well in both B2B and B2C. In today's world everyone owns a

couple mobile devices or in my case four or five. OtterBox's products appeal to a very wide range of

consumers. Being able to sell to both businesses and consumers is a huge advantage. Many companies

have a narrow target market or niche product, which makes it difficult to sell enough of them to be

profitable.

Chapter 2: CRM Evaluation

OtterBox is currently using Sugar as their company CRM application. Sugar provides them with

the ability to manage their many vendor relationships throughout the world including wireless carriers,

big box chains, and mom and pop stores. Additionally, it helps them keep their sales teams in sync with

support and marketing. With so many global and domestic travelers they utilize the mobile version of

Sugar so that records can be updated while their employees are traveling. OtterBox has a large

presence on social media, and they need a CRM that ties sales, marketing, support, and feedback

together. The below infographic describes social CRM, and is a good representation of how OtterBox

utilizes their CRM.

(conversity.be, 2013)

In my opinion, the biggest single strength with Sugar is that it is open source. It is the most

flexible and customizable CRM in the marketplace. This provides the ability for companies to customize

the application for their specific use and needs. Sugar users are able to create dashboards that serve a

specific function for their workflow needs. Every company has a slightly different workflow process. The

ability to streamline their CRM with their processes makes it a seamless application that integrates well

with the other mission critical applications that the company utilizes to maintain productivity and

efficiency within their organization. Open source gives the opportunity for more developers to be able

to contribute, and greater levels of innovation. (crmsearch.com, 2014)

Additionally, Sugar works well with various cloud platforms. When a company switches to Sugar

from a competitor CRM system they have the flexibility to continue using the cloud service they used

previously without the hassle of having to change their database systems. This makes for a much

smoother less expensive transition. It also gives them the choice to make an upgrade to a superior

cloud service when one becomes available. Other CRM’s are limited in their choice of compatible cloud

services. System integration is an attractive feature for many companies that choose Sugar as their

CRM. (crmsearch.com, 2014)

One weakness I identified for Sugar is that it requires a minimum of 5 users. This can price them

out of the marketplace for many small businesses. Additionally, Sugar’s service level agreement (SLA) is

seen as inferior when compared to the competition. Businesses want services that are reliable and

bulletproof. Without an aggressive SLA Sugar is perceived to be not as reliable as its competitors. Th is is

especially a problem when courting the large enterprise customers as they cannot afford to have

problems with their CRM system as the losses in revenue could be very significant if it were to go down.

(crmsearch.com, 2014)

Another one of Sugar’s perceived weaknesses is that they are not as well known in the

marketplace outside of the open source community. This is a problem when they are pursuing new

customers. Many times they have to overcome the obstacle of being the unknown. Which sometimes

prevents them from even being invited to the conversation. (crmsearch.com, 2014) (sugar.com, 2014)

Next up in my evaluation is SalesForce.com. Unlike Sugar one of their strengths is brand

recognition. They have aggressively positioned themselves in the marketplace as an innovative CRM

that is well known and widely adopted. Their growth rate has been remarkable as they continue to take

market share from competitors at an astounding rate. This graph illustrates the trend of their

tremendous growth rate.

(manojranaweera.me, 2014)

Salesforce promotes within their user community, and has taken to social media to tell their

story. Their social media strategy has exponentially grown their market share, and brand awareness.

Salesforce’s integration application with social media allows companies to monitor their online

footprint, engage customers, and analyze the impact. This piece of software would align itself nicely

with OtterBox’s large presence on social media, and customer engagement strategies. (salesforce.com,

2014)

SalesForce.com champions its software as being user friendly. Their customers see this as a

huge plus as they don’t have to invest large amounts of time and resources in training employees on it.

They also see it as a way to reduce input errors by users which can save their customers time, money,

and hassle. Additionally, its streamlined user interfaces and dashboards mean less time is wasted by

employees not being able to figure how to use the applications within the system. (crmsearch.com,

2014)

Although Salesforce has positioned itself as an innovator in the marketplace , its competitors

have quietly surpassed them in the number of features offered and overall functionality. Unlike other

platforms Salesforce does not offer a choice in cloud platform vendors. This can make integration

cumbersome as their customers have to use Salesforce’s proprietary cloud service. (crmsearch.com,

2014)

Another weakness is in their marketing software. Unlike their competitors, Salesforce requires a

third party application to achieve many of the advanced marketing capabilities and tracking tools that

many businesses are seeking in today’s marketplace. This means they have two p ieces of software they

must use; and, there is a higher rate of failure with two systems than with one. This can also increase

the costs of integration and management from the IT side. For customers that are seeking a robust

feature set, Saleforce’s multi-vendor approach does not sit well. The marketing limitations for

Salesforce would be a hard one to overcome to win OtterBox’s business. I don’t think they would be

able to provide as robust of a marketing platform as their incumbent CRM, Sugar. OtterBox utilizes

Sugar’s advanced marketing analytical tools to help them track campaign results in real time and

determine their effectiveness which is used to shape future efforts. (crmsearch.com, 2014)

Zoho CRM is a low cost and easy to implement solution that is best suited for small business

(SMB). They have found a good niche market with SMB as it seems to be an area that is overlooked and

underserved by other CRM solutions. I put out an inquiry this week to my network on LinkedIn in an

attempt to find out what CRM’s people are using at their respective companies and whether or not they

are pleased with them. I got a response from Miles Thompson, a small business owner. He stated the

following, “I personally like Zoho for the integration of CRM, accounting, docs, and email campaigns. It

is a wonderful system at a great price.” (crmsearch.com, 2014)

Zoho’s CRM integrates with 20 other of their customized business applications. In addition to

CRM, accounting, docs, and email campaigns, Zoho integrates with a company’s sales order processing,

inventory management, and the ability to convert a quote into an order with one click. Zoho’s

streamlined applications give it a unique competitive advantage over other CRM’s. The picture below

illustrates Zoho’s many applications. (crmsearch.com, 2014)

(zoho.com, 2014)

Zoho’s weaknesses include a lack of direction in social CRM and analytics. This is a huge miss

and an area that they will need to improve in order to remain relevant. Companies have moved into a

very social selling environment as they continue to embrace social media as a marketing and sales

strategy. In regards to analytics, this is a key piece that most organizations utilize to track results.

Without a solid framework for analytics in place, companies will have to go to a third party for this piece

of their CRM. Without a strong social strategy and analytics, they would not be a good fit for OtterBox.

(crmsearch.com, 2014)

While Zoho is strong in the SMB marketplace, they do not play as well in the mid-market and

enterprise level businesses due to a lack of configuration flexibility. They tend to have a one size fits all

model which is unappealing to the complex customization needs of larger companies. Zoho will need to

work on this piece of their business model in order to gain larger accounts, and remain competitive.

Lastly, I will examine Oracle’s strengths and weaknesses. Oracle has been around for many

years, has a strong global brand presence, and was the first SaaS CRM to bring to market advanced

marketing solutions. They enable their users to track the results of their marketing campaigns digitally.

They also have advanced lead management software which allows a smooth distribution of leads to a

company’s sales team. (crmsearch.com, 2014)

Oracle offers a key differentiator with its CRM on Demand feature. This unique feature creates

configurable dashboards which allow users to make customized reports that can be pulled upon request

by the end user. Massive amounts of data can be reviewed in real time and then put into customized

reports to share with other divisions within a company. The snapshot below gives a look into one of

Oracle’s dashboards, and is a representation of their robust analytics tools.

(ewek.com, 2014)

A few limitations with Oracle system include an interface that is eff icient; but, it is not engaging

like Salesforce.com. While the CRM on demand feature offers good workflow management tools, it

lacks the social integration of many competitors. Additionally, their mobile solutions are limited and

only work on certain devices. This would be a problem for OtterBox given the mobile nature of their

workforce. Another weakness includes a lack of third party applications. This limits their functionality

compared to competitors that have a host of third party apps that can be plugged in to offer a more

robust solution. (crmsearch.com, 2014) (oracle.com, 2014)

After researching and analyzing these four CRM systems, I have come to the conclusion that the

best fit for OtterBox is their existing CRM, Sugar. Sugar is giving them the functionality, integration,

analytics, social, and workflow management that a global company like OtterBox needs. Additionally,

the robust mobile application that Sugar offers is a great fit for OtterBox’s global workforce. While the

others all offer compelling features, I was not able to find a strong enough business need that would

justify making a move away from their incumbent CRM application.

Chapter 3: B2B Acquisition Strategies for the Gas and Oil Industry

OtterBox has a strong global presence in both B2C and B2B. For this report, I will examine their

sales and acquisition strategy for the oil and gas industry and offer my own ideas on ways to further

penetrate this lucrative vertical. Like many industries, the trend in mobile connectivity in the oil and gas

industry has moved away from voice only flip phones into smart phones. Additionally, they have seen a

substantial increase in the adoption of tablets over the last several years and the use of laptops decline.

Tablets are more portable and faster to startup. Thus, they are easier and more convenient to use in the

field.

(Johnson, 2011)

The shift to smartphones and tablets is due largely to advances made in mobile computing

technologies such as cloud computing and customized mobile software and applications that are

specifically written for the gas and oil industry. Gas and oil companies are using smart devices to relay

mission critical data from the field back to the office in real time. As advancements continue to be made

in the mobile data industry, the rate of use of tablets and smartphones for the gas and oil industry will

continue to rise for the foreseeable future. Kari Johnson special correspondent for the American Gas

and Oil Reporter states:

“With oil and gas professionals already thoroughly connected to cellular wireless networks, and

microchips firmly embedded in every imaginable upstream oil and gas business process, a new

generation of mobile hardware and software solutions is positioned to introduce potentially

game-changing possibilities that reshape workflows across corporate disciplinary domains–from

executives and managers, to geologists and geophysicists, to drilling and production engineers.

The goal is to provide a pervasive computing environment with almost “ambient”

communications and intelligence for unobtrusive access to information at all times.”

The increase in cost from a flip phone to a smartphone is substantial. This is where OtterBox

comes into play. Oil companies invest large amounts of money into their mobile computing needs.

Along with this comes a pertinent business need for protection of these costly devices. The harsh

environments in which field workers in the oil and gas industry work in and take their mobile devices

into, require them to be equipped with a ruggedized case for protection. Below is a features advantage

benefit (FAB) table that examines four of OtterBox’s most popular cases and how they would benefit an

oil and gas company that is deploying smart devices company wide.

(Johnson, 2011)

Features and Benefits Analysis (FAB)

Product/Service Feature Advantage Benefit

Armor Series Protects against shock,

dust, water, scratches,

and drops. Can withstand

2 tons of crushing force.

Survives 10 foot drops.

Toughest case ever built.

There is no other case on

the market that provides

the layers of protection

that the Armor Series

does.

-w ithstands any work

environment.

-extends the life of

devices

-reduces money spent on

replacement devices

Defender Series 3 layer protection that

w ithstands shock, bumps,

scratches, dirt, and dust.

Extremely ruggedized

case. Cost is lower than

Armor Series.

-fewer broken devices

-saves company money

on replacements

Commuter Series 2 layer protection against

drops, dust, scratches.

Light weight case perfect

for business travelers and

executives.

-stylish and sleek

-provides protection from

every day wear and tear

-easily slides in and out of

pocket

Symmetry Series Protects against drops

and shock.

Sleek design and flashy

colors.

-offers protection while

stylish

(OtterBox.com, 2014)

While the benefits of implementing smart devices are many for gas and oil companies, it comes

at a great expense. The replacement cost for an iPhone or high end Android can range $500-$650 per

unit. OtterBox cases provide premium protection for smart devices even in the harsh condition s that

employees of an oil company work under. OtterBox saves companies money by substantially reducing

the amount of replacement devices needed due to broken phones and tablets throughout the year.

Companies deploy high end smart devices with a goal of maximizing the productivity of their workers

with high quality equipment that provide enhanced connectivity. However, if the devices are getting

broken too often or do not last as long as they are intended to, the ROI on this investment can quickly

turn upside down.

OtterBox helps companies save money by protecting their investments into mobile technology by extending the life of their devices and reducing the money that is spent on costly replacements. Keeping the company bottom line moving up and to the right!

I have developed three sales goals to improve market penetration within the gas and oil vertical.

Number one will be to increase sales 15% over last year within the domestic gas and oil market .

Additionally, there will be a goal of a 10% increase in sales for the international gas and oil market.

Lastly, there will be a goal of winning one enterprise account, 2 mid-market accounts, and 5 SMB

accounts per quarter.

In order to achieve these goals, a strategic sales activity plan would be needed to drive the

desired results. A wish list of accounts would need to be created. I recommend using Data.com to find

key players within both the domestic and international oil and gas industry. Data.com enables sales

professionals to search for specific executives within a company and gain their email and direct dial

extensions. IT professionals should be targeted as they are typically in charge of managing the smart

devices within a company. CFO’s would also need to be marketed to as they are in charge of managing

the company’s financials. They play a major role in most purchasing decisions. It is imperative to

convince them that a ROI in investing in ruggedized cases would be achieved by protecting their smart

devices and reducing the company’s spend on replacements. Email marketing, telemarketing, and social

sales via LinkedIn would be used to target these key individuals.

LinkedIn in an essential tool for developing leads. Business Development Executives would be

encouraged to be actively engaged with LinkedIn for networking and developing relationships. One

suggestion would be to join groups on LinkedIn for the gas and oil industry and post monthly about the

value that OtterBox cases can provide to their industry by protecting their company investment into

smart devices. Additionally, I would encourage OtterBox’s Business Development Executives to post to

LinkedIn on a regular basis to inform their network on the value of OtterBox’s products. Show the m

visual demonstrates of how tough they are by creating videos and posting the links to YouTube. They

can then share the link to the video on LinkedIn. Additionally, this can provide case studies for how they

have helped companies within the gas and oil protect their smart devices and save money. I find all too

often that sales executives are not using LinkedIn to its fullest potential.

The CRM system would be used to manage the leads and develop detailed information

regarding each potential new account. Additionally, it would be used develop and maintain long-term

strategic relationships with key channel partners such as carriers, online retailers, and other industry

specific vendors. These partnerships would be leveraged to seek out new opportunities and strengthen

relationships within existing accounts. I recommend attending both large and small scale trade shows

within the gas and oil industry to meet with potential new accounts, current accounts, and key channel

partners. This will ensure customer satisfaction within existing accounts by providing world class

customer service with the goal of growing revenue streams within each account. The goal of

prospecting efforts is to set meetings with decision makers where the value offerings of OtterBox would

be fully demonstrated.

OTTERBOX BOOTH AT CXCW IN AUSTIN, TX OTTERBOX BOOTH AT CES IN LAS VEGAS, NV

There are several competitors to OtterBox in the ruggedized case market; Targus, Stanley Black

and Décor (Incipio), EcoPod, and Body Glove. Targus is a staunch competitor with a strong global

presence within major retailers. Additionally, they have made major inroads into the B2B market.

Stanley Black and Decor is a global giant in the tools marketplace. Their spinoff for the mobile case

industry is called Incipio. They utilize their brand recognition to make a strong play within the

construction industry and other industrial verticals. Griffin is a well-known accessory manufacturer in

the mobile industry that makes cases and many other products for smart devices. Body Glove has been

around for a long time and has strong global brand recognition. Their cases are sold under the name

Body Glove Mobile. They make a very stylish and hip looking product with catchy colors and designs. In

the proceeding paragraphs, I will discuss in more detail each competitors strengths and weaknesses.

Targus has a very strong and well-made product. They offer a wide product set for smartphones

and tablets. They are in the laptop market as well , which could give them a leg up in the B2B space in

that they would have another product offering which OtterBox does not have. Their cases are

ruggedized but do not include all of the protection that OtterBox offers. Even their most ruggedized

case only offers protection from drops. They do not state whether it protects from dust, water, and

scratches. In my opinion, their products are not as sharp looking as OtterBox and appear very bland

when compared to OtterBox’s stylish offerings. (Targus.com, 2014)

Stanley (Incipio) has the brand recognition of an entrenched brand that is well known within the

construction industry. This is clearly their target market, and they play very well in this vertical. They

have a global presence on every continent in the world, and have used the deep pockets of Black and

Decor to expand their reach. While their cases appear to be rugged, and they have the Stanley brand

name on them it is unknown what they protect against. Unlike OtterBox they do not list what they are

designed to protect against. So, the consumer does not know what they can expect in terms of

protection. From a design perspective they are clearly marketed towards males. OtterBox has a much

more diverse product offering that includes designs, colors, and style points that would appeal to

females as well. Another weakness is they do not currently offer cases for tablets. (Stanley.com, 2014)

Griffin has a very wide product set for mobile devices that includes ruggedized cases. In

addition to cases they make headphones, docking stations, and Bluetooth speaker systems. Their

expanded product set over what OtterBox offers can be a threat in that consumers can use them as one

stop shop for all of their accessories for mobile devices. They have a wide product line in the types o f

cases they offer and their protection capabilities. Their cases are stylish, functional, and rugged.

However, their top of the line cases do not offer quite the level of protection that OtterBox does as they

are not water proof. Of all the brands I have researched it would seem to me that Griffin would offer

the greatest level of competition to OtterBox. (Griffin.com, 2014)

Body Glove has been around the longest in the mobile case industry. They have a very

recognizable brand name and a strong global presence. Their cases are very sharp looking and stylish.

They have several lines of cases ranging in levels of protection, colors, and design. Their top of the line

case offers protection from drops and scrapes. However, it lacks the full ruggedized protection against

water, dust, and scratches that OtterBox’s top of the line case offers. (Bodyglovemobile.com, 2014)

Below is a picture of each brand’s top of the line case. A chart is provided that compares the

level of protection provided and the ruggedized features. The information was pulled from each

company’s website.

Feature: Griffin Body Glove OtterBox Stanley Targus

Drop Yes Yes Yes ? Yes

Water

Proof

No No Yes ? No

Dust Yes No Yes ? No

Scratch Yes Yes Yes ? Yes

Pressure No No Yes ? No

(Griffin.com, bodyglovemobile.com, targus.com, Stanleyincipio.com, OtterBox.com, 2014)

In order to leverage competitive advantages it is imperative to demonstrate OtterBox’s value

offerings in terms of the number of ruggedized features offered compared to the competition. It is clear

that OtterBox has the most rugged case in the marketplace. With the extreme and harsh conditions that

workers in the gas and oil industry work under, this will be a key value proposition that OtterBox can

offer. When in a meeting with key decision makers, visual demonstrations are always a very powerful

tool to build value. A demonstration would to show the durability of the product, would be to take an

iPhone with an Armor Series case on it toss it across the room, put it into a glass of water, throw it a bag

of sand, and then stand on top of it. Once the demonstration is complete , then it can be shown that all

of the features of the phone are still intact and fully functional. The old saying that seeing is believing is

still very relevant in B2B. This simple demonstration in a meeting would give the wow factor on the

durability level of OtterBox cases and help convince key decision makers that the product can stand up

to the extreme work conditions of the gas and oil industry. (Otterbox, 2014)

Another key differentiator that would be demonstrated is the many form factors, styles, levels

of durability, sizes, and colors that OtterBox cases come in. Many of the competitors don’t have the

variety that OtterBox has. Consumers in both B2B and B2C like choices; and, OtterBox can deliver on

that in a big way. OtterBox has the variety in their offerings to be able to provide a case for everyone in

the company, from field workers that work under harsh conditions that need the most ruggedized case

available to executives that work in an office environment that need a sleeker looking case that still

provides protection from every day normal wear and tear. It will be important to leverage this

competitive advantage in all marketing campaigns to the gas and oil industry. (Lynn, 2014)

OtterBox has Business Development Executives that are tasked with winning new B2B accounts,

and growing the relationships with existing accounts. They will be the primary sales force used to

penetrate this vertical. The potential revenue for the company is tremendous. A sale to a large enterprise

account with 10,000 employees at a cost of $60 per case would net the company $600,000 in revenue on

smartphones alone. Then, assuming they have approximately 2000 tablets at a cost of $80 per case, they

would net an additional $160,000 in revenue. A sale to a large enterprise account in the gas and oil

industry could very easily generate the company close to a million dollars or more.

The sales team utilizes SugarCRM to obtain and document as much information as possible on

potential customers. As I mentioned previously, I recommend using Data.com as a supplement to the

CRM system to obtain contact information of key decision makers. This information can be used re ach

out to them via telemarketing, email, and LinkedIn. SugarCRM allows classifying leads as “prospecting,

sales qualified, or proposal stage.” Prospecting leads need to be contacted yearly or bi-yearly, qualified

leads monthly or quarterly, and proposal stage weekly or monthly. Of course, this could vary a bit based

off the business needs of the client or at their request. (sugarcrm.com 2014)

Interest level would be gauged based off the responses from potential customers and the answers

they provide to qualifying questions. If a company just invested a large amount of money in cases within

the last month or so, they would be categorized as prospecting. A qualified lead would be a company

that is nearing the end of their lifecycle with their current cases or one that has expressed interest in a

meeting in the future. A lead in the proposal state is one that a company is in the market for a new

solution to protect their smart devices or that has no unified strategy in device protection i.e. they just

send their employees in to a store to buy whatever case they think they might like. This customer would

be one that has been met with, their business needs qualified, and a discussion has taken place about

moving forward. In terms of managing customers where OtterBox is not a good fit, they would be put

into a yearly follow up plan to check in with them to see if their business needs have changed. SugarCRM

can be used to prompt a reminder for the sales executive to fol low up.

In terms of identifying a target prospect list, I recommend pursuing a mix of large enterprise

companies, mid-market, and small business. Both domestic and global companies should be targeted. I

define enterprise accounts as companies with 10,000+ employees. Mid-market accounts have 100-9999

employees and small business from 1-100 employees. I have provided examples below of companies

that fit this description and that could be put on target list:

Enterprise Mid-Market Small Business

Before contacting a prospect, it is imperative to do research on the company and develop a

strategy for gaining the business. LinkedIn is a fabulous tool to use to leverage when developing

information for pre-call research. Business Development Executives can use their existing network to find

someone who might have an in to the company that could give an introduction to a decision maker. The

first contact becomes a warm lead instead of a complete cold call. This simple tactic is one that I have

used many times in my own sales career that has measurably improved my close ratio. It i s also imperative

to use Google and the company’s website to find out information regarding the company. This way the

sales person comes across as a well-informed partner to the company and not just somebody calling out

of the blue to try to sell something. This strategy is one of a consultative sales professional. Finding

information about how a company uses smart devices, which devices they use, and which wireless carrier

they are on would be valuable pre-call information to obtain. Additionally, any information regarding

their current strategy to protect their devices would also be invaluable information.

In order to get a foot in the door at an oil company an engaging opening scri pt must be used in

the initial communication. Below is an example of a script that could be used:

“Hello, my name is John White, Business Development Executive at OtterBox, makers of the most

ruggedized cases for smart devices on the planet. Do you have a minute to spend with me over

the phone to discuss your company’s strategy to protect your smartphones and tablets? Great!

What type of smart devices is your company currently using? Do you have a strategy in place to

protect this costly investment? Last year we were able to save another global oil company

$100,000 by significantly reducing the number of broken devices and extended the life of their

devices. We realize that many of your employees work under very harsh conditions and need

strong cases to withstand those conditions. Could we take this conversation to the next level

when you have some availability to meet at your office? I would like to come in to show you how

amazingly durable our cases are and demonstrate the exceptional value we can offer companies

within the gas and oil industry.”

Once the meeting is set, it is time to educate the customer on the key differentiators from the

competition and inform them of the many competitive advantages OtterBox has. During this process the

customer will certainly have several objections. Confidently overcoming these objections and showing

the customer why OtterBox is the best choice for their business will make or break the sale. Here is a list

of objections, I would expect the customer to have and underneath each one is how I would respond.

Your product is too expensive. We can get cases for half that price.

Yes, we realize that our cases are more expensive. However, we offer the most

protection of any case on the market. They are resistant to water, dust, dirt,

drops and crushing force. There is no other manufacturer that can offer the levels

of protection that we can. Our Armor Series case is the toughest case ever built,

hands down. The materials we use are of the highest quality available. Given

the amount of money you told us that your company spent on replacement

phones last year using your current cases, the increased protection our Armor

Series cases would provide will yield a significant, and measurable savings on

replacement devices that will far outweigh the additional cost of our cases.

Our field workers work around a lot of liquid, specifically water injection tanks. How do

we know for sure that your cases are water proof?

We are glad you asked that. We brought in a water jug to the meeting to

demonstrate this for you. As you can see all of the ports on the phone are

completely sealed and the device is fully enclosed to prevent water from getting

in. (Drop iPhone into water jug shake it up. Take it out and then show that the

all of the features of the phone are still fully functional) as you can see the phone

still works, no problem!

We work under some very harsh conditions. How do we know that your cases are as

tough as you say they are?

We put our cases through rigorous testing before they are brought to market.

Additionally, we have been working with other oil and gas companies for the last

10 years who have tested our products, and put them through the ringer over

and over again. We have a tremendous level of repeat business from our oil and

gas customers. That lets us know that our products are performing the way we

designed them to in the field. See this bag of sand. I’d like you to go ahead and

drop it in there and shake it up. Ok, next I’m going to toss th is iPhone across the

room. Lastly, “Bob” I’d like you to jump up and down on it to try and break it. It’s

important that you do it to know that I’m not going light on it. There you see; no

dust inside, it bounced off the ground, and “Bob” was not able to crush despite

his valiant effort.

Our current case manufacturer provides us with outstanding customer service.

Whenever there is a problem with one of their products, they take care of us.

Providing world class customer service is the backbone of our company and one

of our key initiatives company-wide that has enabled us to grow from a small

startup to a global organization that serves many fortune 500 companies. You

will you have a dedicated Business Development Executive assigned to your

account. We have a fully trained support staff that is available over the phone,

via email, or social media ready to assist you should any account needs arise. Our

products come with a one year warranty. If there are any issues, just let us know

and we will take care of you with a replacement at no cost. Additionally, we have

brought in five letters of recommendation from other large oil companies that we

work with. You will find that not only have our products saved them money; but,

they speak very highly of the level of customer service we provide.

There are so many layers on your case. Are our workers going to have to take it apart to

use certain features on it? We don’t have time for them to have to take it apart just to

reply to an email or use the camera.

No, that is one of the beauties of our product. All of the features on the phone

are fully functional when in the case. There is no need to take it apart. They can

continue to work on it the same way as if there were no case on it at all. No

interruptions! No hassles!

After overcoming objections, demonstrating the value of the product and showing an ROI to the

customer the next step, is to ask for the business and close the deal. I recommend using a script similar

to this one:

“We have demonstrated to you how incredibly durable our cases are, shown you a very achievable

ROI along with the potential for substantial savings, and discussed in length our amazing customer

service policies. We would like to take the next step in becoming a l ifetime partner with your

company. Can we go ahead and place the initial order that we discussed?”

DEAL CLOSED!

Once the sale is closed the post-sale support process becomes critical. It is important to make

sure the customer knows who to contact for their needs. The proper expectations need to be set with

the customer so they know when to expect a response. Then it becomes imperative that these

expectations are adhered to. Following up within a week of the close date is very important. Do not leave

it up to the customer to make contact. A follow up call should be set with the customer within the first

month of deploying the new equipment. Any needs or concerns that a customer brings up must be

addressed immediately. The initial post sale support sets the stage for the rest of the relationship with

the customer. If they get a bad first impression, it is nearly impossible to overcome. That is why following

the aforementioned post sale process is so important in building a long lasting and profitable business

relationship.

It will also be important that the customer becomes engaged with OtterBox on social media.

Business Development Executives should be tasked with sending an invitation to connect with the

customer to his/her LinkedIn page. Additionally, the customer should be invited to follow OtterBox on

the company LinkedIn site, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. This step is crucial to keeping the customer

engaged with the OtterBox brand. Social media gives the customer an outlet to contact support, provides

them an opportunity to express their wants and desires for future products, and keeps them informed

with all that is OtterBox like new product launches, company news, and mobile industry happenings.

Studies show that companies that engage their customers in social media get more repeat business, have

happier customers, and are more likely to gain referrals.

In order to gauge the success rate of prospecting efforts, the CRM system should be relied on

heavily. Reps should be coached to keep detailed records on each customer touch. Additionally, they

should be tasked with providing notes of the outcome of each customer interaction and properly record

any information gained that could be used toward future sales efforts.

Reports should be pulled bi-monthly and analyzed by management to see where the successes

and failures are occurring. The activity rate of the reps would be included in these reports so that a solid

model could be developed for the number of touches that is needed to gain traction and create leads.

The strategy should be adjusted accordingly and feedback provided to reps so that their prospecting

efforts are continually evolving and improving. The goal is to maximize the productivity of the sales team

and produce record breaking results.

The techniques and strategies discussed in this essay have proven successful for me in my own

sales career in targeting the oil and gas industry. There is no doubt that OtterBox will continue to make

significant inroads into this highly profitable vertical. There is a lot to be gained from selling to the gas

and oil industry for a company like OtterBox. Oil and gas companies have pain points in the number of

smart devices that get broken every year. As the need for mobile computing continues to grow in the gas

and oil industry OtterBox will be there as an ideal business partner. Their nearly indestructible cases can

help an oil company to protect their substantial investments into mobile technology like no other case

manufacturer in the world.

Chapter 4: Social Strategies

John and Rachel White

OtterBox has a tremendous presence on social media. They do an exceptional job of engaging

their customer base and branding themselves as a hip company to do business with. After spending the

last week thoroughly perusing their many social platforms, I have come away very impressed with the

content they put out. It is both visually appealing, engaging, and interesting to read. The quality of their

product shines through and the beauty of their carefully crafted cases is abundantly evident on all their

social landing pages. I found myself wanting to click around and see more. They have clearly e mbraced

the social CRM strategy and are out in front in terms of how it has been implemented. Below is a

snapshot of their following on a few of the most popular social media sites as of March 25th, 2014.

A social CRM is the integration between a company’s social media strategy, and their CRM

system with a goal of taking their customer engagement to the highest level possible. The social media

content is recorded, tracked, and analyzed by the traditional CRM system. When the best of the best is

put forward, optimal engagement with a company’s target market is achieved. This happens from

careful analysis and strategic planning. A social CRM creates operational and customer service

OtterBox Social Media Snapshot

11,837 Followers

20,423 Followers

42,300 Followers

414,317 Likes

processes to drive key performance indicator improvements across sales, customer service, and

marketing. The below info graphic illustrates how workflow management has evolved from the

traditional CRM system into social CRM. (sugar.com, 2014)

To gather data points that can be analyzed across such a massive social media presence, a

cutting edge and powerful CRM system is needed. OtterBox has that in SugarCRM. The open source

format of Sugar enables OtterBox to customize their social feeds inside their CRM system to meet their

exact business needs. This is contrast to many other CRM platforms that force the customer into using

stock out of the box programs that lock the customer into their proprietary system. With so much

content to monitor, Sugar is able to monitor al l of OtterBox’s social activity and seamlessly funnel it into

their customer records. The data gathered regarding customer preferences on social media can be

analyzed and then put into specific reports that are aimed at improving the customer experience.

(Sugar.com, 2014)

For this project, I will analyze LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram to determine how they are used

today by OtterBox to engage their customers. Additionally, I will attempt to make a few suggestions on

how to maximize each sites effectiveness. Notice I used the caveat “attempt.” Finding holes in

OtterBox’s social media strategy could prove challenging.

LinkedIn is regarded as the leading social media site for business. With such a large customer

base within B2B, OtterBox has a tremendous opportunity to utilize LinkedIn to grow their business

relationships, expand their brand presence within the global B2B marketplace, and gain new customers.

LinkedIn is the largest social media site for business with a whopping 300 million business minded users

world-wide. People come to LinkedIn for many reasons: networking, job search, business news,

product information, blog participation, and engagement with their favorite B2B brands. Currently, on

OtterBox’s LinkedIn landing page there are job posts, articles on their products, mobile industry trends,

and a tab that takes people to their product page. A beautiful picture of their gorgeous lobby at their

headquarters in Fort Collins, CO, greets visitors upon visiting their LinkedIn landing page. (LinkedIn, 2014)

In order to maximize their engagement with their B2B customer base, there are a few

applications and behaviors that I would encourage their B2B sales and marketing teams to engage in.

Encourage employees to share at least one post per week on one of OtterBox's products,

company news, or mobile industry news. Word of mouth marketing is huge and the results can

be staggering. A company’s employees are their biggest brand advocates and there is a

tremendous audience at their disposal on LinkedIn.

Utilize the advanced search tool to find key executives within companies the sales team is

targeted. This tool can be used to search by location, company size, industry and much more.

This tool is very powerful for a B2B sales team. It enables sales professionals to identify key

people within a company that they are targeting and begin to engage them via LinkedIn.

Join groups within the mobile and technology sectors. Post monthly and respond to other

posts.

Utilize the TeamLink application. TeamLink allows employees to see any person in the company

that has a first or second degree connection to a potential desired client. This application

enables an employee to leverage another employees’ network to obtain a warm lead or to

gain insight before their next contact attempt.

Use Newsle to stay up with their network. The Newsle application sends a user an alert anytime

one of their connections is mentioned in the news or online. The user can then make contact

acknowledging they saw the article and congratulating their contact on their newsworthy

accomplishment. This is a great way to build rapport with key individuals within a business

network.

Slideshare.net enables sales professionals and marketers to beautifully share their marketing

materials across not only LinkedIn but to all their social channels. With a paid account, they are

analytics that users can pull down to see who viewed their content. This is a great way to gather

warm leads.

(Allen, 2014)

Twitter has mass appeal, a large global following, and can be used to target both B2C and B2B.

OtterBox’s landing page on Twitter is inviting and is complete with Tweets from OtterBox, retweets from

other brand partners, tweets from their customer base, and pictures of both their products and

customers using their products. The following is the clever brand description they use on their Twitter

landing page, “we design and manufacture protective cases for smartphones, tablets, and mob ile

technology. Dedicated to klutzy tech users everywhere.” As a tech user who has broken my fair share

of devices, I can definitely relate to this. Twitter allows followers to be in the know and offer feedback.

OtterBox uses this as a customer service tool to listen to the needs of their customers and respond

appropriately. The participation with their audience builds a sense of community and allows their

customers to feel like they are an active participant in the branding of the company. OtterBox does an

excellent job of posting engaging content on their Twitter page that keeps their customers informed on

trends within the wireless world as well as new product launches. Additionally, their customer service

team is very responsive to customers that express a need via Twitter.

Twitter enables marketers to share content, converse with their target market, grow their network,

expand their reach, and retweet valuable content from other sites. Studies have shown that Twitter

followers of a company page are exponentially more likely to purchase their products, recommend the

brand to their friends, and remain a loyal long term customer. One reason I choose to analyze Twitter

in this essay is that it plays such a large presence in the overall marketing makeup of social media. The

below chart shows the immense adoption rate of Twitter amongst marketers.

(v3IM, 2014)

Kim Greenlee spent 3 years at OtterBox, most recently as the Digital Solutions Manager until June of

2013. Kim helped shape OtterBox’s brilliant social media strategy. Twitter has been a significant

contributor to OtterBox’s overall gains via social media. I reached out to Kim over LinkedIn to get her

perspectives and input on OtterBox’s social media strategies. (Did I mention that LinkedIn is a good tool

for business?) Kim was very gracious to take time out of her busy schedule to provide me with some

detailed responses to my questions. She describes OtterBox’s strategic utilization of Twitter below:

“We did analysis of our customer base to determine best times for different types of content to

optimize either views or click-throughs (depending upon what our desired behavior was). OtterBox

was also all about engagement, so we regularly used search within HootSuite to determine who was

talking about us or topics related to the company so we could join in on the conversations: this

often resulted in a lot of what we liked to call 'surprise and delight' - that personal engagement that

is truly meaningful to consumers. In my later days, we used social, and Twitter in particular, to drive

a lot of co-campaigns where we were joining in with some of our key accounts in consumer facing

promotions.”

It is clear that OtterBox has strategically used Twitter to engage and personalize the relationships

with their customers. Their utilization of HootSuite is a great way to provide the personal engagement

that takes the customer experience from good to great. To drive traffic to their Twitter site , OtterBox

uses Twitter Badges on all their websites. (Weebly, 2014)

In addition to their already splendid utilization of Twitter, I have listed some apps below that I

recommend they consider for maximizing their productivity on Twitter, and driving their levels of

customer engagement even higher:

The Buffer app allows businesses to schedule their Tweets and time them so that they don’t

all come out at once. This gives them the opportunity to move on to other tasks. Then they

do not have to remember to go back into Twitter to post if they are busy else where.

Twileshare is an app that allows marketers to expand what they can share on Twitter, while

sharing tweets, photos, or links is seamless on Twitter. Twileshare enables the sharing PDFs,

PPT, or Excel documents. This is a great app for sharing collateral and marketing materials.

Tweetchart is a great tool for analytics. This app will chart and graph retweets, mentions,

and replies. The data points can then be used to see which followers are most engaged with

the brand and conversely those who are not engaged. (V3IM.com, 2014)

OtterBox’s products are very visually appealing with the many styles, colors, and designs of

cases they offer. Instagram is the perfect fit for a visual products marketing strategy. Instagram enables

users to distribute beautiful pictures that are enhanced using their proprietary software. The visual

functionality that Instagram provides is very powerful and draws in their audience. In addition to

pictures, OtterBox puts out videos on the durability of their cases on their Instagram feed. The videos

show their cases being put through the ringer, water, drops, and even run over by a truck. This form of

visual advertising is brilliant for a company such as OtterBox. One of OtterBox’s key elements to their

marketing strategy is that they show their customers active lifestyles and where people go with their

cases. Instagram allows OtterBox to beautifully showcase their customers using their OtterBox case to

protect their smart devices while remaining active.

Kim Greenlee had a significant hand in developing OtterBox’s strategy on Instagram. She

describes OtterBox’s strategic utilization of Instagram here:

“The strategy here was two-fold: to give consumers peeks into new products that were coming,

insider information if you will and to explore the lifestyles that having an OtterBox actually

allowed (i.e. all of the cool places you can take your tech because you have an OtterBox

protecting it).”

OtterBox’s landing page on Instagram is full of engaging photos and videos of people using their

OtterBox cases in various environments. The page is very inviting and made me want to click around.

One of the branding messages that is conveyed to their customers via Instagram is that they can take

their technology anywhere with an OtterBox. There is no need to leave it behind for fear of it getting

broken. Another engagement strategy that OtterBox uses is they encourage their followers to post

pictures they have taken to their Instagram page. This draws in their audience and involves them in the

livelihood of the page. Here is a snapshot of some of the beautifully crafted pictures that OtterBox has

on their Instagram landing page. The pictures promote lifestyle, product exposure, and brand

awareness. (Instagram.com/otterbox, 2014)

As you can see OtterBox uses Instagram to post inspirational pictures. As I perused their site , I

found myself wanting to get outside with my technology and go do something fun. Their cases are as

colorful as they are durable and their Instagram feed shows that off beautifully. Instagram is the site

they use to bring their brand to life! As I scoured over competitor sites and read countless articles on

how to use Instagram for business, I found myself with nothing more to offer on how to enhance their

usage of Instagram. In humble my opinion, OtterBox’s Instagram site is perfect!

OtterBox’s social media and social CRM tactics are intertwined with their overall customer

satisfaction strategy. There is far more to it which I will cover later. However, hopefully I have given my

readers a glimpse into their advanced social tactics and provided some good takeaways that others can

implement into their own social strategies. As I clicked around on competitor sites in the protective

case market, it became abundantly clear that OtterBox is leaps and bounds ahead of their competition

in this arena. Their engagement strategies are far superior to any of the other brands I looked at, and I

looked at all their largest competitors. It is no wonder that they have such a great reputation for

customer service. Their customer outreach programs are far more than just having an 800 number and

a website. Additionally, their CRM strategy is very social and exponentially more than just a data dump

for customer contact information like the traditional CRM systems of the past.

Chapter 5: Customer Satisfaction and Survey

OtterBox has risen to the top of the smart device case manufacturing industry with three

fundamentally solid business ideas: construct the highest quality cases in the world, innovate faster

than the competition, and provide an exceptional customer experience. I have touched on all three of

these in previous sections of this project. However, for this section I will focus exclusively on OtterBox’s

customer satisfaction levels, how they are measured, and how the data is used to improve performance.

I also will take a look at the existing data that is available from customer satisfaction surveys, and other

sources. Lastly, I will create my own OtterBox customer satisfaction survey, distribute it, discuss the

results, and determine best practices for tracking the data that my survey produces.

Customer satisfaction is always flying high on OtterBox’s radar. They go to great lengths to

make sure their customers are happy. OtterBox has very professional and responsive customer service

teams both via traditional methods such as phone and email, but also via social media. I put their social

media response time to the test for this project when I threw out a question to them on their Facebook

site asking where I could go to review their customer satisfaction levels. I put the question out there at

11pm at night. I received a professional and courteous response by 7:30AM the next morning! I was

amazed by the prompt response. Many times, I don’t get a response at all from a company when the

question is not directly sales related. If I do get a response, the response time is much longer than the

quick reply I got from OtterBox.

When searching for customer satisfaction surveys for OtterBox, the first thing that popped up in

Google search results was a survey that OtterBox created using Survey Monkey. Since I am an OtterBox

customer myself, I went ahead and took the survey. The survey is in regards to the customer experience

when contacting customer service. They ask questions about the interaction with the service

department to inquire whether or not the experience was positive. They want to know how the

customer contacted the service department, whether it was via phone or email. They asked a few

demographics questions regarding age and gender. The demographic questions are used so that they

can drill down even further on their analysis of the customer experience to make sure that all customers

are satisfied.

Survey Monkey integrates very nicely with their CRM system, Sugar, to track the results of the

survey. Once the data is synchronized with Sugar, there are many reports that can be run based off the

responses they get from their target market. From there, the data can be analyzed by various channels

of the company. This process helps them to determine areas that they are doing well as well as areas

where improvement is needed. Funneling the data from surveys through their CRM gives OtterBox the

necessary infrastructure to get their change agents involved. Strategies are then implemented to

improve their KPI's based off the areas of opportunity identified. Without a satisfaction survey and a

solid platform to analyze the data, it would be much harder to determine how to improve their

processes. I applaud OtterBox for taking this proactive approach in their customer experience strategy.

Many companies do not take the time to survey their customers. By failing to do so, they are missing

out on valuable feedback. (Survey monkey, 2014)

The customer satisfaction survey I found for OtterBox addressed quality of service from their

customer service channel. Additionally, they have a review section on their website for each of their

product lines for customers to weigh in with a rating and feedback. There are also plethora of third

party data regarding product reviews they can pull from such as YouTube, Amazon, and Best Buy. I

chose to take a closer look at the ratings on Best Buy’s website. They are amongst OtterBox’s largest

retailers. OtterBox has a very longstanding relationship with Best Buy. Best Buy has enormous global

reach that provides OtterBox with a huge distribution channel for their products. Best Buy carries

OtterBox’s products in their stores and online estore. Below is a snapshot of a few of the reviews of

OtterBox’s best-selling cases taken from Best Buy’s website. The rating system used is on a scale from 1

to 5 with 1 being the lowest score and 5 being the best possible score. I also took a few comments from

users and posted them. (Best Buy, 2014)

MANY COMPANIES SHY AWAY FROM CUSTOMER FEEDBACK AS

THEY ARE APPREHENSIVE ABOUT GETTING NEGATIVE

RESPONSES. OTTERBOX, ON THE OTHER HAND, EMBRACES

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK. THEY TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO

ALLOW THEIR CUSTOMERS TO VOICE THEIR OPINIONS.

I distributed my own OtterBox customer satisfaction survey to my networks on LinkedIn,

Facebook, and Twitter. My survey addresses a broader range of KPI’s than the survey I took directly

from OtterBox. My survey included questions regarding customer experience when dealing with

customer service, products, price, social media, preferences, and an open ended essay question wh ere

customers could comment on their needs and wants. Additionally, I asked customers how likely they

are to continue purchasing OtterBox’s products in the future. I feel this is a very important indicator to

help forecast future business. I received 16 responses over a 2 day period from 3-31-14 to 4-1-14. The

results I received were the anticipated response I was expecting. OtterBox’s customers are very

satisfied with their cases as well as the level of customer service they receive. The results of my survey

confirmed that OtterBox is delivering a world class customer experience on all measurable KPI’s. Here is

Defender Series iPhone

5S

• Rating: 4.6 out of 5

• "Durable and protects my iPhone when my phone drops on hard concrete at work."

Defender Series iPad

Mini

• Rating: 4.7 out of 5

• "A good solid case for the mini. Been through several drops already and still seems solid. Definitely recommend."

Commuter Series Galaxy

S IV

• Rating: 4.6 out of 5

• "Looks good and protects the phone for a good price."

Commutter Series HTC

ONE

• Rating: 4.7 out of 5

• "Safety of my HTC One is guaranteed."

a link to my survey questions and results: https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-K52WW57/.

Additionally, I have summarized some of the pertinent results below:

73

20

7

Customer Satisfaction Level

Very Satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Excellent Good Average Poor

Customer Service Satisfaction Level

Customer Service Satisfaction Level

In terms of tracking the results from my survey, I would recommend implementing the same

method that OtterBox is currently using. As I mentioned previously, Survey Monkey integrates nicely

with SugarCRM; and, the reporting feature can be used across the company to examine the data derived

from the survey. The reports generated from my survey could be used by many departments to ensure

customer satisfaction. For example, the question on how their customers view the costs of their

products is one I feel that OtterBox should keep a close eye on. While OtterBox is the gold standard for

cases protecting technology, along with that comes a higher price point than the competition. Most

people realize that you get what you pay for. However, there can be a point reached where a

company’s product prices them out of the market. The data points generated from my survey could be

analyzed by their pricing analysts to ensure that their pricing structures are staying in line with the

market demand.

The question regarding customer satisfaction with their experience in dealing with OtterBox’s

customer service would generate data that would need to be analyzed by managers in their customer

care department. The data would determine what direction needs to be taken with training of the staff.

This would ensure that their reputation as a company that provides excellent customer service is

maintained and enhanced. The data and subsequent reports generated from the social media question

would need to be analyzed by their marketing group. OtterBox has engaging social media sites; and,

feedback from their customers will allow them to stay at the forefront of this critical piece of their

marketing strategy. The data points from the product satisfaction questions would need to be looked at

by several departments including their engineers, product development, sales, and marketing groups.

Lastly, it is imperative that upper management keep an eye on the data and reports derived

from these types of surveys. When there is disconnect between upper management and the needs of

customers, the results are disastrous. From all indications, it appears that OtterBox’s management

teams have a good pulse on what their customers need and want. In order to maintain on the blazing

path of success they are currently on, this behavior by upper management will need to continue.

Happy Otters

Every indicator I looked at, including my own survey results, pointed to happy customers for

OtterBox. It is clear that their business model of high quality products, cutting edge innovation, and top

notch customer service has all the right ingredients to drive an amazing customer experience.

OtterBox’s customer satisfaction model is one that every startup organization should study before

opening their doors for business.

I love my OtterBox!

I can take it anywhere! Kids Approve!

Chapter 6: Marketing Metrics and Analytical Tracking

John and Rachel White [Date] [Course title]

There are many key marketing metrics that come into play in determining both OtterBox’s short

term and long term growth as well as their profitability. I will examine several marketing metrics that

pertain to OtterBox’s business model including traditional marketing metrics, online metrics, and social

metrics. Additionally, I will explore the optimal ways to measure and track these results so that they can

be used to define best practices in their marketing campaigns.

Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI)

ROMI is defined as the net amount spent on marketing divided by the marketing invested.

There are certain risks associated with marketing as a return on investment is not guaranteed.

Marketing spending is typically allocated under operational expenditure (OPEX). ROMI attempts to

measure the risk involved with a campaign prior to implementing it. OtterBox’s marketing team most

certainly utilizes a ROMI tool to determine if a campaign will yield profitable results. Marketing

departments are allocated a budget. So, using their budget on a campaign that does not produce

measurable results can be damaging to the overall strategy and hinder the progress made from other

campaigns. (Shuteyev, 2014)

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

CAC is defined as the total cost of acquisition and marketing dollars spent in a given time period,

divided by the number of new customers added. Most mid-sized companies look at this metric on a

quarterly basis and many small businesses look at it monthly. CAC is critical to OtterBox’s bottom line.

If this metric falls below a level in which profitability becomes an issue, then they will need to ree valuate

their marketing strategies, manufacturing costs, salaries, and many other ratios to make sure that they

return to profitability. (Shuteyev, 2014)

Marketing % of Customer Acquisition Cost (M%-CAC)

The marketing portion of CAC is called MCAC. This metric is calculated compute as a % of CAC

that is spent on marketing. OtterBox invests heavily in their marketing strategy. So, this metric should

be closely watched to determine which strategies are yielding the most ROI. The MCAC should be

measured quarterly and strategies adjusted based off the findings. A high MCAC ratio means that either

too much is being spent on marketing or the campaigns are simply not effective in achieving the desired

results. (Shuteyev, 2013)

Marketing Originated Customer %

The marketing originated customer percentage illustrates the percentage of new business that is

generated as a result of the company’s marketing campaigns. This ratio is found by calculating the total

number of new customers in a given period and then determining the number of new customers that

were brought on by a lead that was generated directly from marketing. This is a very good metric that

can be used to measure the effectiveness of the marketing efforts of the company. While marketing is

tasked with spreading brand awareness, ultimately its most valuable function is to attract new business.

OtterBox can use this ratio as measuring stick for its marketing effectiveness and adjust their strategy

based off the data generated. (Shuteyev, 2013)

Online Conversion Rate and Goal Completion

OtterBox derives a large portion of their business from online purchases. This goes for both their

domestic business and an even larger portion of the global business. The goal of increasing revenue

generated by an estore must include a method for tracking the order rate. This is done by tracking the

number of visitors to the website vs the number that actually place orders. Google analytics is a

valuable tool in measuring conversion rate. (Donlon, 2013)

Online Visitor Engagement

OtterBox is known for putting out very engaging content on their web site and social media

sites. Their website is dynamic and sleek. Thus, visitor engagement is a metric in which they score very

high. Visitor engagement looks at several key elements which are used to determine the effectiveness

of a company's webpages. First off, the time spent on the page is measured. Obviously, the longer a

customer spends on a company’s website the more likely they are to buy something or become engaged

with the brand. If they only stop by for a minute or two, then the website did not produce enough

engaging content to peak the customer’s interest.

Bounce rate is also an important metric to consider. Bounce rate is determined by the number

of people that go to the site and do not go any further than the landing page. If the bounce rate is high,

then the website is not effective in getting potential customers to buy or be engaged with the

brand. Given OtterBox's large presence on social media, they will want to pay close attention to the

number of social shares the website is generating. Social shares are like referrals. It is a known fact in

the business world that potential customers that are referrals from ex isting customers are the easiest to

close. Social shares is a gold mine for a company such as OtterBox. (Dolon, 2013)

Social Media Marketing Metrics

OtterBox has a very effective strategy in engaging their customers via social media. They are

fully committed to digital marketing and have implemented a broad social strategy. It then becomes

very important to track the results generated from these efforts. There are several social marketing

metrics that are relevant to OtterBox’s strategy that they should evaluate. Below is a chart that

illustrates some of the top social media marketing metrics. (Donlon, 2013)

(Shuyetev, 2013)

Traffic to the website is a very important metric for OtterBox to measure. The goal of their

overall marketing strategy is to get sales from their customers. Consumers can purchase products from

the website not from social sites. So, redirecting them to the website from social sites is a crucial

function of their social media strategy.

Repeat visits to social sites is also a vital metric. OtterBox’s customer retention strategy is one

that surrounds creating lifetime relationships. They are not looking for a one time purchase. So,

measuring repeat visits to their social sites is critical. In order to keep their customers engaged with

their brand and aware of new products, it is essential that they keep coming back to their social sites.

(Donlon, 2013)

Data Collection and Tracking Strategy

A reliable solution for tracking metrics is essential for determining the success of campaigns and

for aligning strategies for the future. I would recommend OtterBox consider Google AdWords, as it

integrates very nicely with their CRM system, Sugar CRM. As I discussed in the CRM review section for

this project, one of the beauties of SugarCRM is its open source format. This makes for an easy

integration with third party applications such as Google AdWords. Open source provides customization

to fit each company’s unique set of business needs. This is a tremendous value add for SugarCRM and

one that OtterBox should take advantage if they aren’t already. (Sugar, 2014)

Google AdWords has emerged as a go to solution for enterprises to track the effectiveness of

campaigns. AdWords enables marketers to determine which campaigns translate to clicks. Additionally,

it has a feature to measure conversion rates to actual sales. AdWords has a feature called Conversion

Import that enables their analytics to be imported directly into SugarCRM. This enables tracking of the

sales process from a generated lead all the way to a sale that is closed won. The flow chart below

illustrates the progression inside the CRM system. (Sugar, 2014)

In terms of tracking social media metrics, Sugar is a great solution for this as well. Their social

CRM platform was launched with the release of Sugar 6. This enables organizations to monitor and

track social media activities directly inside their CRM database. The open source capabilities allow this

feature to be customized to the exact specifications of each company’s social strategy, unlike other CRM

platforms that provide a stock interface for all of their customers. With Sugar 6, organizations can

better leverage social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to make sure they are

engaging each account and addressing their unique business needs. Sugar 6 allows end users to

measure traffic of their social sites and link the activity to their customer records in real time.

Once the data is in the CRM, customized reports can be pulled at the account level to measure

traffic and engagement with the brand via social media. This tool is a huge value add for

OtterBox as they are so heavily vested in digital media. Being able to track the results of their

campaigns at the account level gives OtterBox the ability to closely monitor relationships and

provide their customers the personal touch that they are so famous for. (Sugar, 2014)

Without a doubt there are many more metrics that OtterBox’s marketing team and

analysts look at. However, I feel the ones I have discussed in this essay are some of the most

relevant given the type of business they are in. As far as analyzing the data generated from the

metrics, it is obvious that the choice to use Sugar’s open source platform was a very strategic

decision as it is an ideal fit for their business needs.

Chapter 7: Customer Loyalty and Retention Strategies

In my career, I have worked for a few of the largest mobile communication companies. I was

always amazed that there was such a larger emphasis put on acquiring new customers over retaining

current customers. First off, they all paid their sales executives exponentially more for new activations

than renewals. One mobile company I worked for did not pay anything at all for retaining a customer.

Compensation drives behavior; so, it is no wonder than mobile companies generally have a poor

reputation for customer service. Another way they favor new customer over existing is that they offer

new customers much better promotions. While I cannot speak to OtterBox’s compensation plans, I do

know that that there is an intense focus around getting repeat business. Loyalty and customer retention

are a key piece in OtterBox’s business plan for long term growth and brand sustainability.

Customer loyalty strategies are centered on inspiring customers and building relationships.

OtterBox does an impeccable job with both. It is clear that creating a company culture that promotes

repeat business and relationship building starts at the top with OtterBox. In a recent interview in the

Denver Business Journal, OtterBox’s CEO Brian Thomas states the following on the type of relationships

OtterBox attempts to cultivate with their customer base:

“We try and foster long-term business relationships that are win-win for everybody. We ask

ourselves, how do we increase value for the customer where they can’t live without us?

Everybody in the world can build products, but to build that brand that people want to engage

with—that’s what lasts over time.” (Hendee, 2013)

I put this to the test with the customer satisfaction survey I sent out to my network over social

media. One of the questions I asked was, “How likely are you to continue to buy OtterBox cases in the

future?” The results were impressive; 65% said they were very likely to continue buying OtterBox cases,

21% saying somewhat likely, and only 14% saying they were unlikely.

Another way OtterBox inspires its customers and builds brand loyalty is through their

community outreach foundation, OtterCares. This is the charitable arm of the company whose purpose

is to give back to the communities that have supported OtterBox and enabled its success. By having a

community outreach program, OtterBox is able to build relationships with their customers out in the

field and help them with charitable programs that they are very passionate about. This program is a win

for everyone involved.

I have a few retention strategies of my own that I think OtterBox should consider. The first one

would be to create a quarterly contest for the best picture submitted to Instagram by customers using

their OtterBox covered technology. The winner of the contest would receive a free iPad outfitted with

an OtterBox case. This would drive traffic and create excitement and engagement via Instagram. As I

mentioned previously, OtterBox already does a tremendous job with their Instagram site. However, I

feel that this contest would help take it to the next level. They could use their other social media sites

to create awareness surrounding the contest and direct followers to their Instagram page. The winner’s

picture would be publicized all over OtterBox’s other social media channels crediting them for their

amazing photo.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Very Likely

Somewhat Likely

Unlikely

Repeat Business Likelihood

Repeat Business Likelihood

A CONTEST WOULD BOOST OTTERBOX’S PRESENCE ON INSTAGRAM AND CREATE EXCITEMENT. THEY WOULD ALSO END UP WITH

SOME REALLY COOL PICTURES OF CUSTOMERS USING THEIR PRODUCTS THAT THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO USE IN SUBSEQUENT

CAMPAIGNS.

Additionally, I would propose a thank you letter be included in their packaging. The thank you

would thank the customer for their business and contain useful information such as contact information

for customer care, and warranty information. It would also contain an invitation to follow OtterBox on

all their social media channels.

I was recently granted publishing privileges on LinkedIn. I decided to publish an article on

summarizing several of my findings from this project. In the comment section, I got a reply from an

OtterBox detractor. She stated that her case broke after a drop only a few months after buying it. She

then became disenchanted with OtterBox and bought a competitor’s case. I replied to her saying that

she should have contacted OtterBox’s customer care and that her case was under warranty. She replied

to me and said she was unaware of the warranty. My guess is that had this customer received a thank

you letter with the warranty information she would be an OtterBox promoter not a detractor.

Lastly, I would create the Otter Green Team to encourage people to recycle their old case.

Those that submit a picture of them recycling their old case via email would receive an additional 5%

discount off their purchase. OtterBox has a lot of outdoorsy customers. This group has an infinity for

protecting the environment and a rewards program that is built on being green would go a long towards

earning brand loyalty.

Measuring customer loyalty and retention would be based off repeat purchases. As I mentioned

above, the CRM system would be used to track purchase history. This would only be effective for

tracking customers that purchase directly from OtterBox’s website. Currently, OtterBox is unable to

track purchases made from outside distribution channels in their CRM. This is an upgrade that I would

recommend they make to better manage their customer relationships and track sales patterns. Only a

small percentage of OtterBox’s sales come from their website. Most consumers prefer to purchase the

accessories for their phone or tablet at the same time. They do so at a retailer or via an online channel

where they can purchase both the phone and an OtterBox case.

Another indicator for brand loyalty and engagement would be measured via social media

channels. As the number of followers grow so would OtterBox’s brand loyalty. The data regarding social

media growth would also be recording and analyzed using the CRM system.

I have included a budget below on the estimated costs to implement my customer retention

strategies.

CUSTOMER LOYALTY & RETENTION MARKETING

BUDGET OUTLINE

$ Amount

DIRECT MARKETING COSTS

Marketing Materials and translation costs $5000

Thank You Letters Printing Cost $50,000

Sub-total Direct Marketing Costs $60,000

INTERACTIVE/INTERNET MARKETING

Social Media/Viral Marketing costs $1000

Web-Site Design/Revisions $10,000

Instagram Quarterly Photo Contest $2800

Web-site Maintenance/Updates $5000

CRM Improvements $30,000

Sub-total Interactive/Internet Marketing Costs $48,800

PERSONAL SELLING/SALES PROMOTION COSTS

Employee Training Costs $10,000

Green Team Sales Promotion $1,000,000

Sub-total Personal Selling/Sales Promotion Costs $1,000,010

TOTAL CUSTOMER LOYALTY & RETENTION

MARKETING COSTS

$1,108,810

Chapter 8: Sales Forecast and Long Term Growth Predictions

With the tremendous brand loyalty OtterBox has currently; and, taking into effect the retention

plans I have suggested, I have developed an estimate for customer lifetime value. According to the

report I found on Forbes from 2010 to 2012, OtterBox experienced a 238% increase in YOY revenue. In

2012, they reported $539.8 million in revenue. With the adoption rate of tablets increasing worldwide;

and, with the continued expansion of OtterBox’s brand into global markets , I would expect this trend to

continue and the estimated numbers below reflect that. (ncbr.com, 2013)

AVERAGE CUSTOMER INFORMATION ANALYSIS

Average profit per purchase/order $25 Customer lifetime value $1,115

Average number of orders per year 1 Customer retention rate 80%

Average customer lifetime (years) 45

Overall customer lifetime value $55,750,000,000

Average cost to acquisition $5 Overall annual profit $575,000,000

Average cost to retention $5

COMPANY INFORMATION

# of customers 50,000,000

# of new customers per year 30,000,000

# of lost customers per year 6,000,000

If OtterBox’s scorching revenue growth rate holds like I expect it to, then they will do over 1.5

billion dollars in sales in 2014. Having spent over a decade in various sales capacities in the wireless

industry for three of the largest carriers in the world, I have a lot experience making sales forecasts. I

would expect OtterBox’s biggest month by far in revenue to be December as many people buy new

smartphones and tablets as Christmas gifts. The wireless accessory industry also has a big increase in

revenue during this time of year. My forecast would be for 400 million dollars in sales for December and

then an average of 100 million for the other 11 months of the year. I would expect that this level of

growth could not be sustained and will eventually level off. I think that OtterBox will remain in a

substantial growth pattern for the next 3-5 years. They may continue to grow after that just not at the

blazing rate they have been experiencing over the next. This will be due to market saturation not

because of any drop in the quality of their products.

If you are attempting to grow your company into something amazing, follow OtterBox's lead by

implementing a culture that encourages innovation, provide world class customer service, embrace

digital marketing, and create a high quality product that appeals to a wide range of consumers. I know,

easier said than done!

Superb Innovation + Excellent Customer Service + Engaging Digital Marketing + High Quality Products = OTTERBOX

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