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CM.com is introducing an official partner programme for external agencies. The reason is that demand for implementation of the Halo platform is rising so rapidly that the Breda-based technology company can no longer handle it all in-house.
Through the new programme, marketing agencies, e-commerce specialists and SEO/SEA agencies can become certified to independently help onboard clients. CM.com recently appointed Martijn Verdaasdonk as partner manager to oversee the programme and is organising training courses for participating parties.
“Smaller e-commerce companies are more likely to opt for an agency,” says sales manager Laurens Atsma. “For them it’s harder to get started on their own. They need people from IT, content, marketing and operations. A full project team. That’s where the partners come in.” Verdaasdonk adds: “With agencies you create greater reach and greater capacity.”
Agencies can also take the platform on a white-label basis and offer it as part of their own services.
A first partner event will take place on 25 June, tied to the release of a new marketing proposition.
The partner programme marks a new phase for CM.com, which with Halo is focusing on AI-driven customer communication throughout the customer journey. Atsma describes how consumer buying behaviour is shifting: from the webshop to the channels themselves. “The webshop is a distraction. New customers want instant, direct results. Two-way communication, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That’s why AI is taking off so incredibly fast.”
He illustrates that the technology works with a few examples. At Yoursurprise, a personalised gift website, the sales department used to get stuck with a growing backlog of outstanding queries and restricted opening hours. Now, 70 per cent of customer questions are handled by an AI agent, which also prepares print proofs and provides order information. At nutritional supplements brand XXL Nutrition, the team worked until 6pm, while customers only started shopping and asking questions in the evening. “They were missing out on conversions and couldn’t answer questions straight away. Now they’re available 24/7, with fewer staff and higher conversion rates.”
Atsma sees Halo’s focus so far mainly on inbound customer service, but expects that dynamic to change. “Companies are moving from reactive to proactive use of customer contact. A cost centre becomes a profit-driven department. You want customer service to proactively up- and cross-sell and truly serve customers, make them happy.” In his view, this means the webshop as a channel will shift from retention machine to experience centre. Accessibility via the right channels will become the core of the customer relationship. The transactional heart will move from the digital shopfront to the direct point of contact with the customer.
Among the first cohort of Halo agency partners are Xsarus and Pi Marketing.
Photo: Designtoasty / Unsplash
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