(An excerpt from Jeff Tobe’s new book, “The CX Edge: Critical Customer Experience Questions to Help You ATTRACT, KEEP and WOW Customers)
I am sure you have heard of the Gallup Organization. Most likely, you have heard their name associated with political polls. If you look at their website, they are actually “a global analytics and advice firm that helps leaders and organizations solve their most pressing problems.” Each year, since 2013, Gallup has done an engagement survey worldwide. In the U.S., it’s called “State of the American Workforce.” In 2020, they found that only 33% of American workers are engaged at what they do in the workplace compared to 70% worldwide!
It’s pathetic! It means that 67% of Americans go to work to get their paycheck. Now, don’t confuse employee SATISFACTION with employee ENGAGEMENT. They are happy to get their checks. They will even tell you that they love working for the organization. They are just not engaged.
I have given you the first (and major) reason to change your entire organization’s mindset to that of customer experience. In working with hundreds of organizations over the years, I know that when companies make the leap from customer service, and settling for a satisfied customer, to customer experience, they incur both LOYAL external customers and ENGAGED employees. We have also proven that the more engaged people are internally, the better the experience externally.
So, why not focus internally and get your people more engaged at what they do?
BUT…there are some OTHER important reasons to consider CX….
1. Customer loyalty is more important now than ever before.
Companies across the world have an average customer satisfaction rate of 86%.
Customer experience is key to exceeding your customers’ expectations. Brands have to be accurate, dependable, and provide the service they promise. The opportunity lies in the ability to deliver what you promised and surprise, wow, and delight your customer with extra care and support.
A loyal customer contributes 2.6 times as much revenue as a somewhat satisfied customer, and 14 times as much revenue as a somewhat DISsatisfied customer.
The main goal is to create a consistent customer experience across all touchpoints to exceed your and your customers’ standards. By keeping an eye on the entire customer journey, you’re making sure that the promise of a positive experience is kept and that you’re offering a superior service.
Customers today want highly personalized communications and timely messages from brands that truly “get” them, with 91% of consumers more likely to shop with brands who recognize, remember, and provide them with personalized experiences.
Although loyalty programs may be dying, loyalty can still live on as a crucial piece of CX if brands focus on strengthening their customer relationships and offering them relevant, personalized content—and delivering it at the right time to the channels that matter most to them.
2. Another reason to consider CX is that New shoppers are more likely to turn into loyal customers.
Creating a WOW experience really impresses purchasers and ensures that they will keep doing business with you in the future. A superior experience becomes a valued and unique asset for any type of business.
Acquiring a new customer costs seven times more than maintaining an existing one. Investing in your existing customers will pay off and it’s only a matter of time until you see positive results.
What if your customer is unhappy?
There are few things that impact a brand’s reputation more than the way it responds to complaints.
What you do about those complaints is known as Service Recovery. Do you have a formal, written service recovery policy? Do all of your people know exactly what it is?
Who are your best customers? I’ll argue they’re your lost customers. No, the winter cold hasn’t frozen my brain; I left out a key phrase. Who are your best customers—to help you with business process and product improvement?
Every business loses customers. It’s a fact of business life. And the tendency may be, especially for the small businessperson, to shy away from communicating with customers who have walked away. Yet, consider what a treasure chest of information those lost customers hold. There’s a reason those customers aren’t buying from you. The reason may be benign. For example, they’ve moved or their needs have changed. But the reasons may be due to shortcomings in the way you do business or in the product or service they were buying from you. Wouldn’t you like to know? Perhaps a minor correction would regain the customer. Surprisingly, a lot of companies act as if they couldn’t care less why customers are defecting.
Fellow speaker and author, Janelle Barlow wrote a wonderful book with co-author Claus Moller, in 2008 by the title, A Complaint is a Gift . What an amazing mindset! What if everyone in your organization actually WELCOMED complaints?
It’s seems counter intuitive to want to hear more complaints, but we should! We can get more complaints by letting the customer know how to voice them. Toll-free numbers and point-of-contact comment cards can work, but they’re passive. Active solicitation of comments can best be done by contacting customers directly. Surveys after a completed transaction or scheduled meeting work best, depending upon the nature of your business. Today, it is important to have people who are dedicated to auditing comments about your company on social media. Responsiveness is a key to service recovery. If we wait too long, it becomes harder to resolve an issue.
The key is to let the customer know that you want their feedback—and that you will act upon it. This is the key. If you don’t provide service recovery and fix the underlying problem, the customer will be less likely to voice issues in the future. Also, remember to fix the problem and fix the customer. I
Having worked with many rural hospitals in the arena of patient experience, I always make sure they have a written, and well-publicized, service recovery policy. Every employee knows what they can do to solve a patient’s complaint. I go so far as to have physical “toolboxes” placed in strategic locations throughout the hospital. These toolboxes contain gift cards from $5–$25 which an employee, upon documenting the reason, can attain and present to the patient as an apology…no need to ask a supervisor or their boss.
The key to handling negative feedback is to respond politely and assure them that you’re trying your best to find a solution to their issue. Make your customer feel heard and cared for and you’ll find it will pay off in the long run.
In fact, did you know that 95% of people who had a bad experience are willing to give the brand another go if they know their issue has been dealt with correctly?
So, why aren’t YOU considering a CX Initiative in YOUR organization.
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If your organization has 125 employees or more, give us a call for a FREE evaluation and blueprint about how to move forward with a Customer Experience initiative designed specifically for you. Call 412-759-5319 or go to www.TheCXedge.com