Sothebyshomes.comCustomer Experience Strategy

April 21, 2023

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The New Sothebyshomes.com Customer ExperienceAfter reviewing

Existing site and documentationWeblogsCompany brandingLimited, high-level conversations with managementHigh level budgets

This document willPropose a vision for a best-in-breed Sothebyshomes.comProvide a roadmap for executionDescribe future work products and deliverablesOutline challenges and next steps

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Vision

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Vision

A best-in-breed Sothebyshomes.com should become:

A brand driver that communicateskey values and attributes

A customer relationship life-cyclehub that delivers user-focused functionality

A learning lab that enables thecollection of business intelligence

zBrand Driver

RelationshipLifecycle Hub

Learning Lab

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Vision

Communicate key values and attributes

The website should translate key brand values and attributes through its design, copy, information architecture and functionality

UniquenessIntegrityKnowledgeQuality

Client-FocusedArtfulInnovativeTransparent

DesignCopyInfo ArchitectureFunctionality

Values Attributes The Web

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Vision

Be a focal point in the relationship cycle

Sothebyshomes.com should help manage the relationship among:

Prospects and current clients

Agents, branch office managementand affiliates

Business management(EVPs, CEO)

Internal IT anddevelopment vendors

Customer Experience effort

External players (media, investors,co-brokers, financial analysts)

ExternalPlayers

BranchManagers

InternalIT

Seller

CEO/EVPs

BuyerAffiliate

Agent

Sotheby’sHomesWebsite

CustomerExperience

DevelopmentVendor

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Vision

Deliver user-focused functionality aligned with a relationship lifecycle

Through a compelling user experience, the site should become a key lever in the client relationship lifecycle.

Develop and deliver content and functionality, both unrestricted and password protected, that meet user needs, promote interaction and strengthen relationships online

Awareness Delivery Customer Relationship Management

Relationship Lifecycle

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Vision

Address offline challenges

While communicating the brand’s values and attributes online, the site should help to shape and address SIR’s response to offline challenges related to:

Responsiveness toward clients

Communication of industry knowledge

Connectedness to sales transaction social dynamics

Unique market position

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Vision

Become a learning lab that collects business intelligence about user needs and wants

Through continued monitoring, the site should establish the user experience framework that informs and influences future product development, as well as enhancements of existing functionality

Site Metrics

Lead Management

Usability Feedback

Current Site

Future Products

Phase 1

Continuing Research

Site Metrics

Lead Management

Usability Feedback

Continuing Research

Current Applications

Future Phases

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Roadmap

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Roadmap

Two pronged approach, gradually building a strategic, user-focused online presence while tactically implementing current high priorities

Introduce user-centered design methods to develop strategic priorities and IT-vendor solutions

Launch tactical pain-improvements in next two quarters

Iterate CRM with User Feedback

Prioritize Quantitative Analysis

Research Stakeholders/Usability/Competitors

Strategic

Transition IT Vendor RFP

Execute Build

Identify Top ‘#’ Pain PointsTactical

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Roadmap: Strategic

Introduce user-centered design methods to account for all stakeholders

Regardless of live interpersonal interactions, website is the center of the relationship to all stakeholders

Define stakeholders, competitive sets and business success factors

Perform deeper research through interviews, focus groups and contextual inquiries into stakeholders’ needs, wants and tasks

Obtain quantitative, qualitative and psychographic data of users types through 3rd party research and ratings agencies

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Roadmap: Strategic

Deliver solutions according to users’ needsUser Centered Design Process: Design. Build. Test.

Iterate.

Heuristic and usability analyses like Cognitive Walkthroughs highlight existing task completion problems

Competitive and Quantitative Gap analyses suggest best-in-breed functionality and prioritization

Place usability testing into build plans

Maintain online surveys and questionnaires to monitor post-launch effectiveness and gather feedback to reprioritize

Employ CX contractors/add staff as warranted

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Roadmap: Strategic

Fully express the brand and develop CRM to create a collaborative partnership with users

Develop registration strategy and password-protected content and functionality

Refine current solution-centric functionality to develop a personalized environment with push campaigns based on user profiles, needs and wants

Create features to collect business intelligence and monitor site usage, SEO and metrics for quality improvement

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Roadmap: Tactical

Identify top ‘X’ pain points and fix now with current IT vendor

Prioritize current proposed functionality and execute the biggest bang for the buck that satisfies the most pained stakeholders

Execute ‘quick-win’ usability and visual design improvements identified through strategic analysis

Execute all outstanding bug and maintenance issues

Upgrade back-end functionality only to the degree that we need it to launch chosen prioritized functionality

Execute through 3Q09

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Roadmap: Tactical

Transition to new IT vendor relationship

Site is complex enough now that any IT vendor must be treated as a development partner, not just fixer of one-offs

Begin RFP process to identify, vet and negotiate with appropriate vendors, potentially including NRT web services

Requires renewed internal commitment to maintenance costs and deeper internal IT and CX staffing

Transition in 4Q09

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Future Deliverables

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Future Deliverables

Deeper Stakeholder Research

Interviews/Focus Groups: performed amongst all stakeholders and regions; standard inquiries into know-your-customer, their attitudes, needs, wants and quantitative behavior

Contextual Inquiry: direct observation of agents, branch managers and buyers/sellers in the field; develops model of how users try to execute tasks and the barriers they encounter

Qualitative data: purchase third party attitudinal and behavioral data from likes of NetRatings, ComScore, Hitwise, Forrester/Gartner

Success factors and barriers: developed mainly with the business to define metrics

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Future Deliverables

User Experience Analysis Usability Testing and Cognitive Walkthroughs: through

labs or in-house, provide tasks for users to perform and track success/failure and roadblocks

Heuristic Analysis: using best practice criteria defined by 15 years of web industry academic research, evaluate how well the site conveys its navigation, brand and content

Competitive Analysis: define competitors, and judge the site’s relative position amongst them; perform quantitative functional gap analysis to identifies gaps and leads and suggest new functionality

Weblogs: defines baseline metrics and traffic patterns

Personas: defines idealized user types that suggest proposed tasks

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Future Deliverables

Customer Relationship Management: providing continuous feedback Online Surveys: short, inconspicuous, opt-in calls for

feedback; easily quantifiable

Password-Protected Content: move agent/client relationship more online; real time transaction data; increasing stickiness in exchange for deeper business intelligence

Push Marketing: customer relationship should continue past the sale/inquiry

Lead Router

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Next Steps

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Challenges for Sothebyshomes.com

The following specific challenges need to be taken into consideration:

Success factors need to be enlarged to encompass CRM view

Current allocated resources are low compared to sites of similar size and complexity

Not enough cooks, plenty of chefs

In-house technical resources should be as strong as CX

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Next Steps

With Business: Deep interviews to define stakeholders, competitive sets and success metrics

With Field: Begin research effort through interviews and focus groups across all regions

With CX: Heuristic and Competitive Analyses

With Vendor(s): Pain-point fixes and/or begin RFP process