Customer Engagement

Definition

From Jeremiah Owyang at http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2007/02/01/defining-engagement/ :

“Engagement indicates the level of authentic involvement, intensity, contribution, and ownership”

It’s possible for me to shorten it to:

“Apparent Interest”

I say apparent because someone can be interested and never act on it, measuring that will be difficult. If they act on it, say it, or gesture, then we can measure. I say interest, as I really see engagement the verb of interest.

Engagement Formula:

“Attention + Interaction + Other Attributes”

This formula uses Attention, which is often time-spent. The attribute should be limited to when users time out of a website, as a single user can have multiple tabs open, and even open all night. Interaction is a clear example of a user being engaged. You need both attributes together as a user could be engaged without interacting with the site. I listed out “Other Attributes” as each tool is different with variable outcomes. For example user engagement on my blog could range from reading, commenting, or subscribing. Tools like Facebook could have a different set of attributes to determine engagement, such as poking, sharing, or friending."

More Information

See the video interview on Customer Engagement Metrics