After four wonderful years working at iPerceptions
After four wonderful years working at iPerceptions, I have made the very difficult decision to move on (this coming Friday will be my last day). A personal one, and a decision that I have spent a great deal of time marinating on….in the end though one that obviously feels bitter / sweet.
I joined iPerceptions back in mid 2005. At the time, I had spent the prior 10 years or so building round one (Web 1.0 – hate the term) of the Internet. My career started in 1996 where I built one of the first vertically integrated web development shops in Canada (eventually sold to a larger competitor and went to work with them). It was a time when companies knew they needed an online presence they just had no idea why. The upper hand came from having a strong understanding of how brands could leverage this new digital platform. It was all about strategy. My focus then was on two things; community, and audience / site measurement. This was our niche. When I met the team at iPerceptions, it was a natural fit. I was drawn to the ‘voice of customer’ space. Things were quite different then, both with the company, and the web analytics industry in general. The timing however was perfect, and the past four years have been incredibly empowering.
For starters, iPerceptions has quintupled (5x) in staff over the past four years. Today, iPerceptions has offices in Toronto, Montreal, Atlanta, New York and London. Growth spurt is an understatement.
When I joined the company, I came in wearing a ‘senior account exec’ hat. Back then, voice of customer solutions were very much a ‘missionary sale’. People didn’t know what to do with our data, let alone know where we fit inside their organization.
Today, progressive companies embrace voice of customer at the highest strategic levels. Marketing and research teams are being re-organized to analyze and interpret customer feedback as a primary data source. Organizations are hiring experts in customer insight, and entire departments are being devoted to the customer experience. A real paradigm shift.
In 2005, the Web Analytics Association ‘discouraged’ our membership application, as the industry didn’t recognize what we did as web analytics practice.
Today, the Web Analytics Association is growing leaps and bounds with VoC professionals and sponsors who have helped to bring customer experience and feedback to the forefront of the industry. The site is even running our 4Q Website Survey as a way to capture visitor experience data on their own website.
When I first joined the company, we had one main competitor with whom we fought for most of this emerging market. Today, there are handfuls of good voice of customer providers, each with their own set of strengths and unique value propositions. Back then, the only sentiment / attitudinal based metric people cared about (those who knew they needed something more than clicks and path) was ‘satisfaction’.
Today, more and more progressive companies understand the need for other, more telling outcomes (intent, task completion, next steps, referral etc).
So much has changed around us in this industry, that I could probably write forever…but I have new challenges to take on (both personal and professional). All this change does one thing for sure, it begs the question of what changes lie ahead. One thing for certain, change is a foot.
I have watched and personally contributed to the growth of this industry. It has been truly amazing to work with some of the people and brands that iPerceptions has allowed for.
If I look back over the past 15 years of my career in the web industry, it truly has been a natural evolution of both the internet as a channel for customer empowerment, and my own professional development as a digital marketer.
We will look back in a hundred years at the past 15, and we will realize that it represents a very small blip in the overall paradigm shift. I fundamentally believe that we are only just beginning to define what the web means, and I am excited for what comes next.
As for me, I’m off to do my ‘stupid passion thing’. I will still be working with the team at iPerceptions, and not swaying too far from the web analytics industry.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with some really great people and brands over the past four years. Let’s make sure to stay in touch:
Twitter | LinkedIn | FriendFeed | Facebook
Jonathan Levitt
I joined iPerceptions back in mid 2005. At the time, I had spent the prior 10 years or so building round one (Web 1.0 – hate the term) of the Internet. My career started in 1996 where I built one of the first vertically integrated web development shops in Canada (eventually sold to a larger competitor and went to work with them). It was a time when companies knew they needed an online presence they just had no idea why. The upper hand came from having a strong understanding of how brands could leverage this new digital platform. It was all about strategy. My focus then was on two things; community, and audience / site measurement. This was our niche. When I met the team at iPerceptions, it was a natural fit. I was drawn to the ‘voice of customer’ space. Things were quite different then, both with the company, and the web analytics industry in general. The timing however was perfect, and the past four years have been incredibly empowering.
For starters, iPerceptions has quintupled (5x) in staff over the past four years. Today, iPerceptions has offices in Toronto, Montreal, Atlanta, New York and London. Growth spurt is an understatement.
When I joined the company, I came in wearing a ‘senior account exec’ hat. Back then, voice of customer solutions were very much a ‘missionary sale’. People didn’t know what to do with our data, let alone know where we fit inside their organization.
Today, progressive companies embrace voice of customer at the highest strategic levels. Marketing and research teams are being re-organized to analyze and interpret customer feedback as a primary data source. Organizations are hiring experts in customer insight, and entire departments are being devoted to the customer experience. A real paradigm shift.
In 2005, the Web Analytics Association ‘discouraged’ our membership application, as the industry didn’t recognize what we did as web analytics practice.
Today, the Web Analytics Association is growing leaps and bounds with VoC professionals and sponsors who have helped to bring customer experience and feedback to the forefront of the industry. The site is even running our 4Q Website Survey as a way to capture visitor experience data on their own website.
When I first joined the company, we had one main competitor with whom we fought for most of this emerging market. Today, there are handfuls of good voice of customer providers, each with their own set of strengths and unique value propositions. Back then, the only sentiment / attitudinal based metric people cared about (those who knew they needed something more than clicks and path) was ‘satisfaction’.
Today, more and more progressive companies understand the need for other, more telling outcomes (intent, task completion, next steps, referral etc).
So much has changed around us in this industry, that I could probably write forever…but I have new challenges to take on (both personal and professional). All this change does one thing for sure, it begs the question of what changes lie ahead. One thing for certain, change is a foot.
I have watched and personally contributed to the growth of this industry. It has been truly amazing to work with some of the people and brands that iPerceptions has allowed for.
If I look back over the past 15 years of my career in the web industry, it truly has been a natural evolution of both the internet as a channel for customer empowerment, and my own professional development as a digital marketer.
We will look back in a hundred years at the past 15, and we will realize that it represents a very small blip in the overall paradigm shift. I fundamentally believe that we are only just beginning to define what the web means, and I am excited for what comes next.
As for me, I’m off to do my ‘stupid passion thing’. I will still be working with the team at iPerceptions, and not swaying too far from the web analytics industry.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with some really great people and brands over the past four years. Let’s make sure to stay in touch:
Twitter | LinkedIn | FriendFeed | Facebook
Jonathan Levitt
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