Enabling Customers to Drive Your Enterprise

Abstract

Discusses the theory of front‐ and back‐seat driving relative to customer‐driven enterprise in marketing. With deregulation and privatization picking up speed in service industries, customer service roles are vitally important. Shows that marketing must embrace new technologies alongside customer choice and marketing ideology with intelligence. Also posits requisite planning as a positive approach as involving customers in learning how to drive themselves. Describes the author′s early involvement in requisite planning at Bowater Packaging in which transformed production technology and localized competition were involved along with corporate renewal. Describes the theory behind CUSTOMDRIVE 5 and includes a model with six steps. Concludes that, if CUSTOMDRIVE 5 is understood and implemented, then marketing professionals will soon take on board the relevant message.