Up With CX

Does Your Business Have the "WOW" Factor?

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 19:48:31 -0500

Every year in Denver Colorado, the Small Business Development Centre works with existing and up and coming businesses to launch, relaunch and just generally “better” their businesses. A lot of the time business owners feel that consulting on their companies is about fleshing out “weak links” and fixing them. However, the Executive Director of the Small Business Development Centre, Tameka Montgomery, says that simply delivering adequate service is not enough in the 21st century. Montgomery stresses what she calls the “wow factor”. Instead of simply pleasing customers, businesses should routinely be striving to exceed their expectations. Think about the last time you had a consumer experience worth sharing. Chances are it contained some element of surprise or unexpected delight. Think of the small boutique which uses personally stamped paper bags and tissue paper over the chain store that puts all of its merchandise in uniform plastic bags. Which experience leaves you feeling like you have purchased a more “valuable” item? The same can translate beyond the retail experience - for example a B2B business who sends personalized cards after transactions. Delighting your customers and ensuring positive word of mouth is as simple as some small personalized touches, or an unexpected “extra”. For more on “how to wow” check out the full article here: http://www.ourcoloradonews.com/business/growth/creating-a-wow-experience/article_639fbb4e-daa9-11e0-ae77-001cc4c002e0.html

Are Your Customers Loyal?

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:20:05 -0500

Anyone in business knows that customer creation and retention are vital if you want to continue to hang the “open” sign on your front door. Many companies spend the majority of their marketing resources attracting new customers with flashy advertising and tempting price incentives. However, what they are failing to consider are the advantages of retaining existing customers. You see, customer “loyalty” is twofold; not only are you ensuring repeat sales, you are also increasing the opportunities for recommendations from a satisfied clientele. In other words, free advertising.

In the recent 2011 Temkin Loyalty rating, 6,000 US consumers were polled across several industries. Participants were asked to assess their levels of loyalty based on 3 criteria: willingness to purchase additional products (or services), reluctance to switch to an alternate provider, and the likelihood to recommend the company to friends and family. Amazon.com, Kohl’s, and Costco took the top spots, respectively. Additionally, the survey revealed that consumers don’t have a high degree of loyalty across many industries. Retailers score the highest level of repeat customers, while health insurance and TV service providers score the lowest.

What can those in the non-retail sector do to boost levels of loyalty? The answer is simple: customer service. It doesn’t take rocket science to ascertain that low loyalty levels are associated with health insurance providers because of their customer-hostile business models. However, there is no reason why those in the B2B, service, and other non-retail industries can’t capitalize on customer loyalty. The criterion listed in the Temkin study are a good starting point - why not ask yourself how your customers would rate you? What are you doing to make yourself indispensable and worthy of praise? Creating a “wow” experience for your clients is essential for not only keeping their business but capitalizing on their referral power.

For the full article and more details on the report, check it out here:

http://experiencematters.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/new-report-2011-temkin-loyalty-ratings/

Three Businesses That Failed For Lack of Customer Service

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:05:05 -0400

There are a number of reasons why businesses fail; poor planning, inexperienced owners, market downturns – you get the idea. But a new article for Inside Tuscan Business.com suggests that one reason is showing up more than any other – bad customer service. The Better Business Bureau in Tucson, Arizona deals with a variety of customer complaints across all industries; but what these complaints have in common is that they are usually rooted in customer service.

While some situations leave customers so irate there is just no pleasing them, the majority can be satisfied if a business listens and engages with them appropriately. With the recent bankruptcy of the customer service- adverse Blockbuster, the number or business failures related to poor consumer relations warrants closer examination. While customer service is certainly known to have a bigger effect on small businesses, are larger businesses who fail to listen their customers becoming just as susceptible?

When a huge corporation like Blockbuster fails it is often seen as due to a lack of innovation or increased competition. Then again, what is seen as a “failure to adapt” could just as easily be expanded to ‘a failure to listen to what customers want’. Instead of taking note that people who watch movies increasingly liked to watch them online and/or without the inconvenience of having to leave their home, Blockbuster continued to offer the same basic service (including what many considered “exorbitant” late fees).

Customer service is not just about resolving complaints; it’s about analyzing customer feedback and listening to what the people who use your products want. Most CEO’s don’t deal with unhappy customers face to face, thus they either don’t clue in fast enough to changes in consumer behavior (or worse) they just don’t care. In any event, listening to your customers just got a whole lot more important.

Check out the full article (including a great chart of BBB statistics) here:

http://www.insidetucsonbusiness.com/news/on_guard/three-businesses-that-failed-for-lack-of-customer-service/article_42816a5e-d4df-11e0-9b64-001cc4c002e0.html

Now THAT is truly scary customer service.

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:52:36 -0400

Now THAT is truly scary customer service.

You Can’t Bottle CX

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:05:06 -0400

The internets were abuzz recently over the announcement that multimedia linchpin Adobe was rolling out yet another incarnation of its industry leading business software. With “Digital Enterprise Platform”, Adobe has added themselves to the growing list of businesses peddling customer experience technology, with a package that provides companies with a full suite of customer experience management (CEM) products. What differentiates this new software from previous offerings is that it is designed to make the multichannel customer experience a priority. In other words, Adobe is betting that digital marketers (not IT departments) will be the primary consumers.

With a rich and successful history in software design and multimedia channels, Adobe’s new customer communications solution should be taking the customer experience world by storm, right? Wrong. Anyone with a vested interest in CX (present company included) is fundamentally wary of products which promise to deliver “customer experience” in a neat little box. As Adobe’s vice president of enterprise marketing, Kevin Cochrane, stated ““Technology is the least important consideration on the entire journey. Those focused on technology alone are, frankly, going to lose. There is an organizational challenge around who is going to champion transformation so you need to have involvement across all points of interaction. “

A good customer experience is not something that can be programmed, and believing that a product is capable of engaging in a customer relationship is optimistic at best and delusional at worst. After all, the whole “magic” thing is something really only Disney can promise. Trying to bottle customer service is like trying to bottle air – it’s essentially intangible.

Check out the Q & A with Kevin below for more insight on Adobe’s platform and strategy: http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/7926-q-a-kevin-cochrane-of-adobe-on-customer-experience-management

Are “bad and bizarre” ideas better than...

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 08:05:05 -0400

Are “bad and bizarre” ideas better than “boring” ones? Seth Godin thinks so. Check out this vintage TED talk.

You're Being Watched: By Your Customers

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:33:00 -0400

We’re all familiar with those old detective movies; a tall man with a hushed but authoritative voice lurks in the shadows (his face artfully hidden by a hat and trench), fervently murmuring observations into a winding tape recorder. While mobsters are generally familiar with these types of individuals, businesses are not. In a struggling economy the importance of customer service grows exponentially as businesses compete for consumer dollars. As a result, numerous websites devoted to ‘policing’ customer experiences have cropped up and they specialize in separating the good guys from the bad ones. However (unlike our dapper detective), these consumer P.I.’s are literally everywhere.

Now we’re not talking some little old lady typing ten words a minute about how the price of beans went up at the supermarket again, these guys mean business. The Consumerist, RipOffReport.com, and My3Cents.com are but a few of the websites broadcasting bad (and in some cases ridiculous) customer experience stories. The people behind Consumerist are slick, humorous, and putting up dozens of posts every day. Businesses of all kinds need to take these sites seriously; because they are taking customer service to task (and hopefully bringing it to new heights in the process).

Having an unflattering post go up on any one of these sites is certainly not ideal, but it should be taken as an opportunity. Face it, no business runs perfectly 100% of the time (sometimes a bill will be incorrect or an item sent slightly damaged). Most customers understand that – it’s how a business handles the situation after the fact that makes a difference. So listen to your customers, take responsibility for your actions and turn mistakes into opportunities to win back loyalty. As long as you’re one of the good guys, you’ve got nothing to hide.

Check out virtual detectives at Consumerist here:

http://consumerist.com/

Ever feel like your bank, you know, isn’t really listening...

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:43:42 -0400

Ever feel like your bank, you know, isn’t really listening to you?

Why Should Christmas have all the Fun? Thank Your Customers on Thanksgiving

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 08:15:06 -0400

You love your customers, you really do. You send them cards after they make purchases, calendars every January, and bourbon every Christmas. Their business card sits in your wallet and thanks to your CRM you never miss a birthday. The good news is this means you are well on your way to building relationships with your customers. The bad news is, so is everybody else. Why not do something different and send valued clients a card for Thanksgiving? After all, that is the spirit of this turkey-fueled holiday. American and Canadian Thanksgiving provide an ample (and often missed) opportunity to stand out from the pack and let customers know just how grateful you are for their business.

“The Cycle of Gratitude” as it is referred to on E-Myth.com is an essential component of building business through reciprocity and one of the easiest ways to score referrals. “When you deliver your product or service “on time, every time exactly as promised” you create a customer experience that can turn a one-time customer into a life-long advocate. In short, you’ve nurtured a customer’s gratitude — and they’re likely to turn around and reward you with a referral”.

But the gratitude cycle shouldn’t stop with a referral if your real goal is to establish long-lasting customer relationships. You can keep the cycle going year round by thinking outside the box a little bit. Small gestures like an unexpected thank-you card score points with customers and increase the value of your customer experience. So this Thanksgiving weekend when you’re picking up your turkey and stuffing, grab a few thank you cards. It’s a small token of appreciation with big possibilities.

Read the full article here:

http://www.e-myth.com/cs/user/print/post/the-cycle-of-gratitude

Amazon tops the list of companies with the most loyal...

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 08:16:05 -0400

Amazon tops the list of companies with the most loyal customers.

Have you shopped at any of these places recently? Why?

Does Your Business Have Any Pink Pens?

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:13:35 -0400

My mother is the kind of person who always pays attention to details – she’ll notice if you’ve only ironed half your shirt, point out the one spot you missed vacuuming, or focus on the rogue pillow set upon an otherwise perfectly tidied bed. Far from being superficial she is simply particular, something that good businesses should strive for if they ever intend to be great. As E-Myth contributor Peter Rogers documents in a recent article, it’s the details which can sometimes make or break you. Mr. Rogers (who also gives great tips on customer experience) tells the story of seemingly pleasant dining experience he had in a very upscale restaurant in Sonoma County.

Everything about the restaurant was exceptional - the atmosphere, the food, the service. Mr. Rogers went so far as to say that he “felt like the only person there”. Unfortunately, it was this very level of experience that made Mr. Rogers so sensitive to even a minor inconsistency. At the end of the meal the waitress brought him his credit card slip to be signed. Instead of presenting him with the executive quality pen he would have expected from such an establishment, she instead handed him a “cheap pink pen with a fuzzy tassel on the top”.

What some would consider a relatively minor oversight in an otherwise pleasant evening was completely incompatible with the image and rank of the restaurant. It rattled Mr. Rogers and changed his view of the entire establishment. Whether it was in fact an oversight or there had simply been an inordinate amount of pen thieving recently, cheapening your brand is never a good thing. Any business (especially those who consider themselves “experts” in CX), should examine their practices with a fine-toothed comb in order to flush out any inconsistencies within their brand experience.

Read the full article here:

http://www.e-myth.com/cs/user/print/post/3-steps-to-the-perfect-customer-experience

Are You Making Your Customers Take Extra Steps?

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 09:01:06 -0400

Like many parents out there I am eager to capture my children in colour, black and white, moving, and still. Whether it’s family outings, sporting events, or just any act of candid adorableness, I usually have a camera on hand to document the day’s events. Inventions like the smartphone have made this task remarkably easy, but in perhaps a bit of an old fashioned gesture I purchased an actual Sony video camera for taking extended films. After all, there’s only so much you can do on an IPhone.

Sadly, I haven’t had the chance to use my video camera in quite some time; it’s not that my children weren’t being cute enough (au contraire this is never the case), nor is the camera in any way broken or damaged. The reason I haven’t used my camera in months is because Sony decided that the camera can only charge and transmit photos on a special “Sony camera cradle” (included in the original purchase). Well, one giant move and a busy family later said “cradle” has gone M.I.A. and I can’t take pictures with a lifeless camera. Of course these cradles are only made by Sony and to replace one would be a massive (and somewhat costly) headache.

A quick Google search of “Sony Camcorder” yielded many unflattering reviews from other Handycam users. The interesting thing was that very few were displeased with the actual quality/performance of the camera; the overwhelming issue was with the incompatibility of the camera with other devices. “I have to look at the manual every single time I take video and want to load it on the computer. Why on earth would you not put a USB jack on the unit itself … I will think twice before I ever buy any Sony product” said one unhappy customer (and this guy hadn’t even lost the cradle!). Even as electronic gadgets get more and more complex in what they can do, this doesn’t negate that their design has to. In a highly interconnected and technology dependent world, people want to be able to easily pick up chargers or cords if they forget or misplace them.

Ultimately, the real problem here is not with the cradle itself, it’s with the existence of the cradle in the first place. When so many machines are capable of charging and transmitting with a simple plug that can be found in most electronic stores, why include a highly specific charger with your product? How many times have you been at a meeting or event when your laptop died; It is increasingly probable that someone else in attendance will have the charger you need. In fact, the trend with electronics has been more towards universality and portability in general. The purpose of purchasing a “point and shoot” camera is to eliminate as many steps as possible from the picture taking process. Why then turn around and make accessing those pictures so much harder? Over complicating products only serves to alienate your customer base and turn their devices into islands amid a sea of harmonious gadgets.

Are you giving your customers too much choice?

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:23:06 -0400

Are you giving your customers too much choice?

Who Says You Can’t Track ROI for Social Media? Unless...

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 07:57:48 -0400

Who Says You Can’t Track ROI for Social Media?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about Peter Shankman’s now famous experience with his favorite restaurant Morton’s. Long story short Mr. Shankman was settling in for a flight to Newark NJ when he innocently tweeted about wanting a steak from Morton’s. Upon his arrival in Newark he was greeted by not only a delicious steak dinner but a smiling waiter who had driven more than 2 hours to meet his plane.

Now Mr. Shankman might consider himself an average Joe, but with over 100,000 twitter followers many thought the moral of the story was “have lots of followers, get better customer service”. Mark Hurst of GEL even wrote a whole article on the subject, the aptly titled “Why You Won’t be Getting a Free Steak on Twitter”. While it’s true that Mr. Shankman’s social media influence likely played a hand in his getting such excellent service, the real moral of this story was perhaps a little less obvious.

Many businesses struggle with trying to calculate their ROI from social media engagement, but in reality it can be as simple as marketing dollars. Let’s face it, the real winner here wasn’t Mr. Shankman, it was Morton’s. While many have thumbed their noses at what some described as a “shameless PR stunt”, the reality is that the company scored hundreds of thousands of dollars in free advertising. By actively engaging with their customers and having an actual human monitoring their twitter account, Morton’s was able to capitalize on their social media involvement with huge results. And ultimately that’s a pretty small price to pay to have your company rank among the customer service legends.

Read the full article here:

http://goodexperience.com/2011/08/why-you-wont-be-getti.php

Is That Everything?

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 08:10:00 -0400

Everyone is guilty at one point or another of being a slave to their “comforts”. Some of us find comfort in an exquisitely soft cashmere sweater while others can’t enjoy the game without their lux lazy boy in the media room. Comforts are those little indulgences that make the days go by easier. While some balk at paying $4.00 for a simple brew, my comfort of choice is definitely coffee. I have always found that the superior service and product offered in higher end coffee chains are worth the additional cost for my daily cup of java. Recently, my family and I relocated to a new neighborhood sadly devoid of my usual haunts. What used to be my daily Starbucks run has now morphed into my daily Tim Horton’s run, and boy can I tell the difference.

While one could surely write a short novel based on the mediocrity of Tim Horton’s coffee, my real problem is with the service training (or lack thereof) that Tim Horton’s deploys. “Is that everything?” may seem like an innocent enough question but it really grinds my gears. It is obvious that the phrasing is meant to promote additional selling, but it actually comes across as quite dismissive in a service context. Before 8am it feels more like “are you done?” or even something you would say to someone who is wasting your time.

Tim Horton’s certainly gets points for consistency, but just because you are a huge chain does not mean the customer experience has to feel impersonal (see Starbucks). I decided to do some sleuthing on the Tim Horton’s website and wasn’t all that surprised with what I found. While training is a top priority (every franchise manager must go for training at national headquarters in Oakville Ontario) customer service protocoldoes not appear on the website. Managers are schooled extensively in the areas of food handling and hygiene procedures, financial controls, employee relations, equipment maintenance and security, but the emphasis here is clearly more on consistency than on thoughtful service training.

That’s not to say that Tim Horton’s ignores their customers; they have just neglected to approach their customer service training from a holistic perspective. In this day and age service is more than just providing a consistent product at a reasonable price. Bill Hogg of Customer Think recently wrote a great article on customer service training. What was his number one tip? Make people feel welcome: “People should always feel welcome when they enter your store or office, regardless of the reason”. He also noted that people who feel comfortable are more likely to continue to use your services. For a company who openly refers to their customers as “guests”, Tim Horton’s needs to up their customer service training to provide a truly welcoming experience.

How Does Your Business Card “Stack” Up?

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:10:05 -0400

How Does Your Business Card “Stack” Up?

Customer Service is a Lifestyle

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 08:10:05 -0400

A couple weeks ago a friend and I were enjoying dinner at a local restaurant. Well, we were trying to enjoy dinner; truth is our waitress was a little … off. While she was well intentioned, she was also overly attentive (read: continuously interrupting), and bungled our order a couple times. Towards the end of our meal she brought us a beer which had accidentally been poured and offered it to us free of charge. Awesome way to make up for questionable service, right? Wrong! A few minutes later she observed us sharing our “free” beer and said “oh, it actually wasn’t mistakenly entered” (basically alluding to the fact that she would have to pay for the beer). Seriously? Needless to say we left feeling awkward (for the record we did tip her, but not enough to cover the beer).

Robert Foley on business.com had a similarly weird customer experience where a counter person in Whole Foods actually told him the fruit on the cake he ordered was old. Why the cake was even on display baffled Foley and it made me think about our poor bumbling waitress. Both employees probably thought they were simply being honest, but their over sharing of information had a negative effect on the transaction. So when does customer service become a liability instead of an asset?

It is one thing to train your employees what to say, but it is also important that they understand what not to say. Doing this involves training them to “put themselves in the customer’s shoes”, in other words empathy. Would they want to hear about old food when they were expecting a quality product? Common sense is not something you can teach (ask my mother) but you can get your employees in the right mindset by encouraging them to be mindful and empathetic on a daily basis. Customer service isn’t a “thing”, it’s a lifestyle.

Read the full article here:

http://www.allbusiness.com/small-business-customer-service/16432455-1.html

Is Your System Good for “Nothing”? “Let me get my supervisor”....

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 08:10:05 -0400

Is Your System Good for “Nothing”?

“Let me get my supervisor”. These five words can illicit fear in even the most seasoned of customers; and with good reason. The brief moments of conversation between any front line responder and a “higher up” is the point of “limbo” in many customer experiences. It’s the make or break moment for the company and the customer, and often times could mean the difference between repeat business and lost business. It is the moment when you are either going to be delighted by a thoughtful fix, or frustrated by red tape. Many organizations suffer from a complicated web of bureaucracy, leaving many of their first contact employees powerless to assist customers in a meaningful way. This type of “system” doesn’t make sense from either perspective as it alienates customers and leaves valuable personnel powerless.

For a show so famously known for being about “nothing” Seinfeld is rife with examples of mundane yet supremely frustrating customer service examples. In the above video Jerry and Elaine are having a typical experience at a car rental company; they “reserved” a car that is no longer available. The agent offers to speak with her supervisor (to see if anything can be done), only to return with a fake apology and no real answers. The “reservation” system apparently doesn’t actually guarantee a “reserve” on the car requested. In this case, not only does the company fail to properly handle the transaction, they also appear to do nothing to fix a reservation system that doesn’t make reservations!

How many times have you showed up at a hotel only to discover this same fact about the room you book months earlier? Hotels will often upgrade or provide some other sort if “comp” for the inconvenience but it always leaves me wondering why this type of error even occurs in the first place. A system which doesn’t actually achieve the very purpose it was designed for is pointless at best and downright stupid the rest of the time.

So, watch, laugh, and ask yourself: does my system make sense?

So you invested in a website, started a blog, learned what a...

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 08:20:03 -0400

So you invested in a website, started a blog, learned what a “tweet” was, and even got your niece to set up a Facebook profile. Guess what? So did everybody else. While virtually anyone can create a social media presence making a social media impact is much, much more difficult. In this age of information abundance, getting your content to stand out is still something that eludes many businesses. So why isn’t your content getting more interest?

While creating good, original content should be a priority for anyone wanting to be a voice in their industry, it is equally important to recognize that there is a difference between people seeing your content and people sharing your content. This is where the old quality versus quantity debate comes in; are you focused on volume or content? The Social Media Examiner has done a great article via the New York Times on how to decide if your content is designed to get people talking about it. But in my opinion, getting your stuff out there is more than just what you are sharing; just like your content, your audience needs to be “quality”.

While it doesn’t hurt to have thousands of people following you on twitter, are these “supporters” really people who care about your business or are they just looking to build their own exposure? Worse yet, are they even really people? Newt Gingrich famously bragged of having over a million twitter followers when in actuality more than 80% of them were “dummy accounts” (fake accounts created by so-called follow agencies). Interested supporters are more likely to actually see the content you are posting, and are thus more likely to share!

Read the full article here:

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/9-reasons-why-your-content-is-not-shared-on-social-networks-new-research/

Good Customer Service Can’t be Automated

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 08:10:05 -0400

Admit it, at some point in your life you have probably wished for a robot. From the seven year old who wants freedom from homework to adults who hate cleaning the house, we have all fantasized from time to time about a mechanical “assistant”. Well the fantasy is a fast approaching reality. The TIMEO (which plays table tennis with you), the EngKey (which substitutes as an English teacher in South Korea), and the RP-6 (a remote doctor robot) are only a few examples of “working” robots that have been rolled out in the past several years. However, this surge in hardwired help is not without some controversy as analysts argue that technology advances will ultimately result in considerable unemployment as machines (and software) start to match and outperform workers.

To illustrate this point, consider the story of American folk hero John Henry. Henry became an important symbol of the working class after he famously raced a mechanical steam drill only to die in victory. This story illustrates the futility of fighting technological progress because even though Henry was more powerful, he ultimately worked himself to death (and was replaced by the machine anyway). Let’s face it, humans get tired, they get sick, they have families. Not only are machines becoming increasingly capable of doing their jobs, they can perform their tasks for indefinite periods.

While it is one thing to automate a repetitive job, scientists at IBM are taking robots to the next level. By building computers designed to “outperform” humans in strategic tasks (for example a chess game) they are giving machines increasingly human qualities (such as logic and reason). IBM’s most famous success was the victory of their computer Deep Blue over former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov in 1997. Though IBM claims that the match was a scientific project, Kasparov maintains IBM was only interested in beating him and nothing more.

As robotics and artificial intelligence develop further, it is clear that the number of jobs done by computers will increase too. Businesses are eager to engage these types of technology as they quickly pay for themselves and don’t require dental plans or pension. Machines have already begun replacing many “left-brain” (or analytical type jobs) and as a result business is shifting to a new “right-brain” economy. IBM (or anyone else for that matter) has yet to make a right-brained or empathetic computer, so employees with strong creative abilities and high levels of empathy are in demand.

Customer service is a perfect example of an area where businesses need right brain skills from the employees they hire. The correlation between empathy levels and business profits is undeniable, and empathy (not machines) wins customers over. For example, nothing pisses people off more than wasting time navigating an automated system only to be provided with irrelevant information. Well, nothing except for when they finally do get through it’s to an incompetent or indifferent agent. So while it’s advisable for businesses to use automation where they can to maximize efficiency (for example a good CRM), when it comes to dealing with their customers the machine is not mightier. You just can’t automate good customer service.