Answer; There’s no doubt about it.

For the past ten years and broadcasters have been introducing more and more interactive entertainment for TV viewers - from voting for their favourites on ‘Stars in Their Eyes’ to evicting their least-loved from the Big Brother House.  Automation has allowed TV companies to handle the explosive call peaks that happen when viewers get fired up to call.

Today’s most enlightened broadcasters are going a step further, using CRM systems and techniques – directly accessible through their automated systems - to capture viewer information.  They’re using that information to build a picture of their viewer demographic, to create loyalty by increasing the viewer’s sense of belonging and to fine tune their programme formats in line with what viewers respond to best.

Building the viewer demographic
 For years broadcasters have been happy to take calls from their viewers then let them go, without taking any opportunity to learn who they are.  Their automated systems took the call, processed it and moved on.  Today they’re able to monitor who’s calling, how often and when.  They’re also building in automatic information capture to ask viewers basic information about their profile and viewing habits.  All of this builds into a more accurate picture of who’s watching what – useful for broadcasters and their advertisers alike.

Increasing loyalty
Once you know who your viewers are you can encourage them to stay loyal, offering bonus points and loyalty club type benefits.  At Eckoh we’re also adding the personal touch; programme producers can get real time access to a complete caller profile when live calls come through to their studios; information that can help them and the programme’s presenters recognise regular callers and personalise their response.

Perfecting programme formats

Like any other commercial business, broadcasters must fine tune their product in response to customer feedback.  Viewer data can now be captured for long term analysis, which allows producers to identify formats and formulas that generate the best audience reactions. This intelligence is then fed back to the production companies that create programming on the broadcasters’ behalf, helping them to constantly refine programme content and accurately judge the success of new formats. 

It’s been proven beyond doubt that viewers love interactive TV - and that broadcaster’s love it too.  After all, it’s a valuable source of revenue that complements – and occasionally exceeds – that achievable by advertising. 

Understanding viewers and their motivation to call, will deliver benefits for both, but will only happen if the most advanced call handling platforms are used.  Traditional platforms, operated by the telephone networks simply can’t support the same level of information capture, real time access and long term statistical analysis.  If you’re a broadcaster, make sure you partner with an organisation that’s able to help you ride the CRM wave.