When was the last time you took time out of your day to not only think about your customer's experience but actually walked in your customer’s shoes? Over the past few years I have had fantastic engaging conversations with some of the industry's leading experts in CRM and CEM. Many of them have been or currently are CEOs, COOs or CMOs for major brands. I always find it interesting to explore with them how often they use their brand's products and services as well as take the time to really experience their brand by walking in their customer's shoes.
The good news is that most if not all of them have used or engaged in the brands they lead at least once. Many of them engage with their brands on a daily basis either by consuming them or using them. They look at reports on a daily basis that measure satisfaction, show purchase trends, monitor net promoter scores and some even handle customer escalations. Most surprisingly however, very few of them have taken the time or effort to walk through the full customer journey and experience what it is like to be a prospective consumer of their product. Now don't get me wrong most if not all of them have spent time thinking about the customer experience, even mapped it out in a boardroom, they have gone online and purchased their product and some have even called the customer care line but very few take the full end to end journey themselves.
One of my favorite shows is Undercover Boss. The premise of the show is where the CEO, owner or leading executive takes time off from his daily duties and spends several days in the life of an employee of their company. It never fails, they always find an unsung hero within their company, practices that they personally find appalling and policies that when created sounded like a good idea but in practice does not compliment the brand they are trying to achieve.
What would you discover if you became Undercover Customer Experience Officer and walked through your brand’s customer journey?
Monday, December 2, 2013
Friday, November 9, 2012
Shared Post
It has been an extremely busy month of November. I wanted to share a simple article about how simple it is to create a customer service memory and in turn gain a customer for life.
http://wordofmouth.org/blog/the-captain-and-the-fork
http://wordofmouth.org/blog/the-captain-and-the-fork
Monday, October 1, 2012
Beyond the Golden Rule
If the customer experience is core to your brand and core to your strategy then your employees are an essential part of that equation. I firmly believe in the golden rule, treat people the way you want to be treated. But I also believe when it comes to your customers you should treat your employees the way you want your customers to be treated.
The customer experience begins the moment you hire a new employee and welcome them into your organization. To keep it simple I have outlined what I believe are the essentials to introducing a new employee into your family.
1) Treat them as one of your most important customers - As a manager or leader in your organization it is important to remember you have multiple customers to support including the members of your team. Internal customer care is as important as external customer care. I recently read the article by Clayton M. Christensen entitled, "How Will You Measure Your Life?" . In this article Christensen touches upon the fact that as leaders we have the ability to impact other's lives beyond just the workplace by helping develop greater self-esteem, allowing others to feel they are learning and developing, that they have been recognized for achieving valuable things, and have played a significant role in the success of business.
2) Show them why they should believe - Educate and inform your new team members on your business. Show them how the company has gotten to where it is today. Share with them the core values and explain to them how and why the core values are important to you as a leader and to the business. Explicitly share with them how their role plays into the overall success of the company and demonstrate to them that you care about their success as much as you do your own.
3) Provide and train them on the tools they need to be successful - Everyone needs different tools to do their job well. Take the time to insure the tools you are providing your employees work, are reliable and allow them to get the job done. Solicit feedback on a regular basis from your team members on the effectiveness of the tools.
4) Introduce them to the organization - People want to feel welcomed into the organization. Treat them as if they are new guests into your home and you are introducing them to your closest friends and family. Walk them around your business sharing with them the basics such as where the breakroom, bathroom etc. are located but also take the time to introduce them to others within the business. This not only makes them feel welcomed but it reiterates to your other team members that they are important enough to be introduced to new people into the business. If possible try to find someone in the business to partner them up with either as a mentor or an employee advocate.
5) Get to know them as a person - Now that you are beyond the interview and hiring phase take the time to get to know your new team members as a person. What are their likes and dislikes? Do they have children? Where are they from? What is the most interesting job they have ever had? What do they think are their biggest strengths? One of my favorite questions, if you could have a super power what would it be and why? Taking the time to get to know someone as a person once again helps them feel more engaged and included in the company.
Following these simple steps are the first steps to building a culture that values employee engagement. It is my belief that employee engagement leads to customer engagement and helps to deliver the ideal customer experience.
The customer experience begins the moment you hire a new employee and welcome them into your organization. To keep it simple I have outlined what I believe are the essentials to introducing a new employee into your family.
1) Treat them as one of your most important customers - As a manager or leader in your organization it is important to remember you have multiple customers to support including the members of your team. Internal customer care is as important as external customer care. I recently read the article by Clayton M. Christensen entitled, "How Will You Measure Your Life?" . In this article Christensen touches upon the fact that as leaders we have the ability to impact other's lives beyond just the workplace by helping develop greater self-esteem, allowing others to feel they are learning and developing, that they have been recognized for achieving valuable things, and have played a significant role in the success of business.
2) Show them why they should believe - Educate and inform your new team members on your business. Show them how the company has gotten to where it is today. Share with them the core values and explain to them how and why the core values are important to you as a leader and to the business. Explicitly share with them how their role plays into the overall success of the company and demonstrate to them that you care about their success as much as you do your own.
3) Provide and train them on the tools they need to be successful - Everyone needs different tools to do their job well. Take the time to insure the tools you are providing your employees work, are reliable and allow them to get the job done. Solicit feedback on a regular basis from your team members on the effectiveness of the tools.
4) Introduce them to the organization - People want to feel welcomed into the organization. Treat them as if they are new guests into your home and you are introducing them to your closest friends and family. Walk them around your business sharing with them the basics such as where the breakroom, bathroom etc. are located but also take the time to introduce them to others within the business. This not only makes them feel welcomed but it reiterates to your other team members that they are important enough to be introduced to new people into the business. If possible try to find someone in the business to partner them up with either as a mentor or an employee advocate.
5) Get to know them as a person - Now that you are beyond the interview and hiring phase take the time to get to know your new team members as a person. What are their likes and dislikes? Do they have children? Where are they from? What is the most interesting job they have ever had? What do they think are their biggest strengths? One of my favorite questions, if you could have a super power what would it be and why? Taking the time to get to know someone as a person once again helps them feel more engaged and included in the company.
Following these simple steps are the first steps to building a culture that values employee engagement. It is my belief that employee engagement leads to customer engagement and helps to deliver the ideal customer experience.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Hiring the Smile
When it comes to good customer service there is nothing more important than hiring the right person. A favorite colleague reminds me all the time about how and why Nordstrom’s is so successful with creating the ideal customer experience; they hire the smile and train the skill.
So how do you hire the smile? First and foremost look for individuals who have a positive attitude and are genuinely excited about the prospect of working for your company. When interviewing a candidate I appreciate it when the prospective employee has taken the time to research and understand what we do as a company and demonstrate knowledge about our clients, culture and our business in general.
Being a customer service specialist is not for everyone. While we would like to believe we get everything right, part of the reason you have someone answering your calls is because you are sometimes dealing with unhappy customers. I believe in trying to do as realistic job preview as possible. I have interviewed candidates for various positions and there have been times that I intentionally try to scare them away so that I can see firsthand how committed they are to the opportunity versus just looking for a job.
Hiring the right candidates is not the responsibility of Human Resources. The entire team has the responsibility for hiring the right candidates. Coworkers, fellow team members as well as managers should participate in the interview process. Listen closely in particular to what the fellow team members have to say about the candidates ability and passion to do the job. They are the ones, who do the job on a daily basis and know better than anyone what it takes to be successful.
Everything I have talked about here is not just geared towards your customer service associates but should apply for every position you hire for within your organization. Every employee acts and serves as a face to your brand.
Stay tuned for my next entry which will be all about what to do once you hire the right person and to treat them the way you want your customers to be treated.
So how do you hire the smile? First and foremost look for individuals who have a positive attitude and are genuinely excited about the prospect of working for your company. When interviewing a candidate I appreciate it when the prospective employee has taken the time to research and understand what we do as a company and demonstrate knowledge about our clients, culture and our business in general.
Being a customer service specialist is not for everyone. While we would like to believe we get everything right, part of the reason you have someone answering your calls is because you are sometimes dealing with unhappy customers. I believe in trying to do as realistic job preview as possible. I have interviewed candidates for various positions and there have been times that I intentionally try to scare them away so that I can see firsthand how committed they are to the opportunity versus just looking for a job.
Hiring the right candidates is not the responsibility of Human Resources. The entire team has the responsibility for hiring the right candidates. Coworkers, fellow team members as well as managers should participate in the interview process. Listen closely in particular to what the fellow team members have to say about the candidates ability and passion to do the job. They are the ones, who do the job on a daily basis and know better than anyone what it takes to be successful.
Everything I have talked about here is not just geared towards your customer service associates but should apply for every position you hire for within your organization. Every employee acts and serves as a face to your brand.
Stay tuned for my next entry which will be all about what to do once you hire the right person and to treat them the way you want your customers to be treated.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Aligning Your Mission & Core Values
What does Southwest Airlines, Zappos, Chick Fil A, Nordstrom and Starbucks all have in common? All of these companies have a strong brand and culture that is built around the customer experience. If you review their mission statements, core values and most of their PR you will find references to the employee and customer experience and how it aligns to their product offering. Examples include:
Southwest Airlines - Follow "The Golden Rule," meaning that we treat each other the way we want to be treated, which is why doing the right thing by our Employees and Customers is so inherent to who we are as a Company. We believe in Living the Southwest Way, which is to have a Warrior Spirit, a Servant's Heart, and a Fun-LUVing Attitude.
Zappos - Their 1st core value is "deliver WOW through service". Straight from their website "Customer Service Isn't Just A Department! We've been asked by a lot of people how we've grown so quickly, and the answer is actually really simple... We've aligned the entire organization around one mission: to provide the best customer service possible. Internally, we call this our WOW philosophy."
Chick Fil A - Mission statement "Be America's best quick-service restaurant." Their published purpose is "To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”
Nordstrom "At Nordstrom, our goal is to provide outstanding service every day, one customer at a time." Further focus is provided to Nordstrom employees at all levels with this Nordstrom goal, which is also a management mission... "We Work hard to make decisions in the best interest of our customers and those serving them."
Starbucks - "Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time." To accomplish its mission, Starbucks has principles that guide all of its employees as they go about their daily business including •Our Customers – When we are fully engaged, we connect with, laugh with, and uplift the lives of our customers – even if just for a few moments.
Over the past few weeks I have been working with a company to help them evaluate and define their core values and overall company mission. Many companies when creating core values and a company mission statement tend to get wrapped up in the wordsmithing and getting overly creative and fluffy in the language they use versus being straight forward about what is important to them and to their company's culture and brand. Many times the focus is all on the product or service and what is forgotten is the culture and how you define the employee and the customer experience. When developing core values and your company's mission statement you really want to be able to answer the how and why your company does the things that it does.
When developing core values and mission statement one suggestion that I found to be very helpful is to identify the attributes and values of people and companies that you really admire, what makes them different? Why do they stand out from everyone else? Next think about the companies and individuals that do not align with your core beliefs, why do they stand out? What examples can you think of that bring them to the forefront of your mind for the wrong reasons?
If your customer experience is core to your brand then it needs to be expressed somewhere in your company's core values and or your mission statement. You need to insure that everyone who comes in contact with your company, especially your employees, understands the importance of the customer experience to your overall brand. This simple first step will help you and your company begin to lay the foundation for making the customer experience a differentiator for your brand.
Southwest Airlines - Follow "The Golden Rule," meaning that we treat each other the way we want to be treated, which is why doing the right thing by our Employees and Customers is so inherent to who we are as a Company. We believe in Living the Southwest Way, which is to have a Warrior Spirit, a Servant's Heart, and a Fun-LUVing Attitude.
Zappos - Their 1st core value is "deliver WOW through service". Straight from their website "Customer Service Isn't Just A Department! We've been asked by a lot of people how we've grown so quickly, and the answer is actually really simple... We've aligned the entire organization around one mission: to provide the best customer service possible. Internally, we call this our WOW philosophy."
Chick Fil A - Mission statement "Be America's best quick-service restaurant." Their published purpose is "To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”
Nordstrom "At Nordstrom, our goal is to provide outstanding service every day, one customer at a time." Further focus is provided to Nordstrom employees at all levels with this Nordstrom goal, which is also a management mission... "We Work hard to make decisions in the best interest of our customers and those serving them."
Starbucks - "Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time." To accomplish its mission, Starbucks has principles that guide all of its employees as they go about their daily business including •Our Customers – When we are fully engaged, we connect with, laugh with, and uplift the lives of our customers – even if just for a few moments.
Over the past few weeks I have been working with a company to help them evaluate and define their core values and overall company mission. Many companies when creating core values and a company mission statement tend to get wrapped up in the wordsmithing and getting overly creative and fluffy in the language they use versus being straight forward about what is important to them and to their company's culture and brand. Many times the focus is all on the product or service and what is forgotten is the culture and how you define the employee and the customer experience. When developing core values and your company's mission statement you really want to be able to answer the how and why your company does the things that it does.
When developing core values and mission statement one suggestion that I found to be very helpful is to identify the attributes and values of people and companies that you really admire, what makes them different? Why do they stand out from everyone else? Next think about the companies and individuals that do not align with your core beliefs, why do they stand out? What examples can you think of that bring them to the forefront of your mind for the wrong reasons?
If your customer experience is core to your brand then it needs to be expressed somewhere in your company's core values and or your mission statement. You need to insure that everyone who comes in contact with your company, especially your employees, understands the importance of the customer experience to your overall brand. This simple first step will help you and your company begin to lay the foundation for making the customer experience a differentiator for your brand.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Customer Care as a Differentiator
The subject of customer care ROI seems to becoming even more relevant than ever before. It is very rare that you open a business magazine where there is not an article written about how important the customer exerpience is in building the brand of any company. The question is, are companies really ready to make the shift in their entire business to make this a key differentiator?
To truly make a customer experience a differrentiator all strategies need to align to that core objective. This means that everything from who you hire, to how you train them, what they are incentivized to do and how you measure their success needs to be aligned to the customer experience. Over the next few weeks I will produce a series of articles related to to this topic. I will examine everything from how you align your company's core values and objectives all the way down to the types of interview questions you should ask when hiring any new employee into your organization.
Stay tuned...
To truly make a customer experience a differrentiator all strategies need to align to that core objective. This means that everything from who you hire, to how you train them, what they are incentivized to do and how you measure their success needs to be aligned to the customer experience. Over the next few weeks I will produce a series of articles related to to this topic. I will examine everything from how you align your company's core values and objectives all the way down to the types of interview questions you should ask when hiring any new employee into your organization.
Stay tuned...
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Keeping Customers Informed
As I spend my Tuesday evening hanging out at the airport in LaGuardia waiting on a flight back home I am struck by how important it is to keep your customers informed even if the news is not good. I have to compliment the gate agent for USAirways who has consistently provided updates every 10-15 minutes on the status of our flight. This small gesture has helped to make a less than pleasant experience a bit more bearable. I would like to say that this is the first time that I have been delayed in New York but unfortunately out of my last 3 flights here I have been delayed atleast an hour and one evening spent more than 4 hours sitting at the airport only to have my flight canceled at midnight. The one constant between all 3 incidents was the ongoing regular updates from the USAirways gate agents.
Hopefully I will make it home tonight at a reasonable hour tonight. With the help and assistance from USAirways I have been able to keep my family informed of the status of my flight. The simple gesture of the gate agent to keep me informed has created a postive brand experience during a not so positive situation.
Hopefully I will make it home tonight at a reasonable hour tonight. With the help and assistance from USAirways I have been able to keep my family informed of the status of my flight. The simple gesture of the gate agent to keep me informed has created a postive brand experience during a not so positive situation.
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