Build for Change: Revolutionizing Customer Engagement Through Continuous Digital Innovation

Trefler founder and CEO of software firm Pegasystems, opens this business guide with the undoubtedly true, if unsurprising, observation that plenty of companies are currently doomed "not because of macroeconomic stress but because there is an entire emerging generation of customers who hate doing business with them." With the balance of power between companies and consumers rapidly tilting in favor of the latter, he aims to help business people figure out how to both reach and delight their customers. Trefler splits the new generation of consumers into "Gen C" (those who prize content) and Gen D (those who discover, devour, and demonize%E2%80%94or, in less dramatic terms, take to Yelp and Twitter to make their displeasure known.) He also criticizes the current emphasis on constant data acquisition, asking if readers are truly thinking about what this data represents. Trefler goes on to name companies that failed to take customer interest into account, including Circuit City, Borders, and Blackberry, and insist on the importance of cooperation between the business and IT departments. There's not much new here, but there's a sense of urgency and drama in this slim volume, which readers will find either inspiring or exhausting dependent on temperament. (June)