An "Inspirational" Excerpt from Chapter 4 of "The Best Service is No Service" by Bill Price and David Jaffe

Proactive contact requires making contact with customers to achieve a range of objectives, most of which obviate the need for the customer to contact the company. Proactive contacts can be used in the following four ways:

4. Surprise the customer with new or valuable information. Example: proactive retention campaigns, including customerwowing “down-selling,” as Telstra does today and MCI did in the 1990s, calling customers to inform them that they are on the wrong calling plan based on recent usage, with recommendations (the most advanced version being moving the customer without them even asking) for better-suited plans. USAA Insurance also practices down-selling as part of its customer-centric strategy: “‘We try to understand individuals’ needs and offer appropriate solutions rather than trying to sell them products and services that aren’t in their best interest,’ said [President Robert G.] Davis. It’s not uncommon for a USAA representative to inform a member that he or she has too much insurance or offer alternative products that can save added dollars. ‘As long as we continue that bond with them, that’s the difference between us and most other companies,’ he said.”¹