Measuring Total Customer Experience

Back to the Basics: 4 Customer Experience Management Tips

  February 22, 2012 in Blog, Consulting & Training, Customer Experience Enhancement, Measuring Total Customer Experience by Marci Bikshorn

There is no doubt that customer experience management is becoming more important than ever for companies as they settle into 2012. As the year begins to move forward, we challenge you to a new kind of resolution. Step back and take a hard look at everything your company is doing to exceed your customer’s expectations. Then, figure out a few areas that could use improvement.

Begin with the fundamentals. This is a good refresher for your employees, and a “must do” for new hires. After putting so much time and energy into product selection, pricing, marketing, advertising, and research, it’s easy to lose focus about the basics of customer experience management. Here are 4 basic customer service tips that can be utilized each day when interacting with your customers.

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An Excellent Example of Customer Experience Management: Zappos.com

  February 08, 2012 in Blog, Brand & Market Research, Case Studies, Measuring Total Customer Experience by Marci Bikshorn

Zappos - Customer Experience Management

There is no end to the lengths that company Zappos.com will go to provide great customer service. In fact, its 2010 advertising campaign focused solely on how committed the company is to its customers. Where did this fantastic advertising idea come from? It developed out of the many ways that Zappos had been going above and beyond for its customers throughout the past year.

Last year, Zappos overnighted a free pair of shoes to a wedding where the best man had shown up without his shoes. In that same year, Zappos delivered a bouquet of flowers to a woman who ordered six different pairs of shoes because her feet had been damaged by medical treatment. It says heaps about a company that would go to such extreme measures to genuinely help a customer.

These examples are really what customer experience management is all about, going above and beyond for your customers. The reason Zappos succeeds may have just as much to do with its customer retention programs as its genuine compassion for consumers. Here are just a few of the reasons that customers remain loyal to Zappos.com:

1. Customer Service Training

Each new employee in the Las Vegas office has to participate in a four-week training program. No matter the position they now hold, there are no exceptions. A large focus of this initial training is on customer experience management.

After the four-week training period for all employees, there is a more specific three-week program for the call-takers. As you may have seen in the 2011 ad campaign, consulting and training really pays off when customers ask more difficult questions.

What you can do: Create a training program to allow all employees to understand the company’s stance on customer service. With all employees on the same page, everyone can be relied upon to talk face-to-face with customers during the busier holiday seasons.

2. Understanding Brand Image

Zappos has implemented many different layers to its communication and customer retention strategy due to an understanding of their brand image. Consumers think of Zappos as just a shoe store, although they sell many different items. Because Zappos realizes this is the current brand image, they choose to focus on marketing their one constant, customer service. Instead of only promoting goods and services, they choose to build a brand image around likeability.

What you can do: Use customer intelligence programs to better understand how consumers portray your brand. Brand research can be a useful tool as a small part of a complete customer retention program.

Service Excellence Group is a customer experience measurement and solutions provider. Through our innovative programs, we can offer intellectual and resourceful answers to give you a competitive edge with a better understanding of your brand image. Find out more about our customer experience management solutions.

The Benefits of a Performance Management Program

  November 03, 2011 in Blog, Consulting & Training, Measuring Total Customer Experience by Marci Bikshorn

A Performance Management Program ensures an orderly course of action by which companies involve employees in improving their work related tasks in order to meet the organization’s goals.

Companies that value and follow a pre-determined course of action reap the benefits.  We encourage a 5 step process:

Step I: Prepare your team by setting expectations

Step II: Continuously observe performance

Step III: Cultivate your team’s ability to perform to the set standards

Step IV: Assess each team member’s performance with frequency

Step V: Reward for exceeding best practices (more…)

Performance Management. Monitor Your Customer Experience Training Effectively

  October 26, 2011 in Blog, Consulting & Training, Measuring Total Customer Experience by Marci Bikshorn

If you are looking for your next big strategic move the answer just might be to tighten the rope between tactical business objectives and day-to-day actions.  Effective customer experience training and mentoring combined with a method to observe, measure and track progress against best practices and pre-determined core company objectives will contribute to your accomplishments.  In addition, as your organization views the results of these observations, it provides an occasion to recognize each employee for their successes.  Obviously your employees want to be praised and recognized for outstanding performance. (more…)

The My Plate Approach to Customer Service Measurement

  July 28, 2011 in Blog, Measuring Total Customer Experience, Mystery Shopping by Guest Author

Balanced Meal Anology to Customer Service MeasurementThe government recently came out with a new approach to the Food Guide Pyramid and introduced us to My Plate.  How can My Plate be compared to Customer Service Measurement?  By conducting customer satisfaction research, we have found a way to relate Customer Service to a well thought out meal.  When planning your dinner you think about the foods you want to eat, how they complement each other and if they are well-balanced.  Will the steak be better with potatoes or bread?  Do you want a Ceaser salad or mixed greens?  What kind of fruit will you eat?  Will the cheese on your potato be enough dairy?

When it comes to customer service measurement there are four sections of your plate with one side to consider. (more…)

A Running Shoe’s Take on Good Customer Service

  July 07, 2011 in Blog, Brand & Market Research, Consulting & Training, Measuring Total Customer Experience by Guest Author

Customer Satisfaction MeasurementA good pair of running shoes is more important than where you run in them. How do they perform on a track, on a treadmill or in your neighborhood? Are they reliable? What about durability? Can you count on them to offer the same performance day in and day out? This comparison is just like customer service being more important than the location it is provided. Customer satisfaction measurement or at least your awareness of your service level is extremely important. You receive customer service every day in all forms. From the mail carrier to the grocery store to calling about your cable bill, they all provide various forms of customer service. (more…)

Retail Customer Service Training – From One Person To Another

  March 17, 2011 in Blog, Consulting & Training, Measuring Total Customer Experience by Marci Bikshorn

The performance of your team is vital to your company’s success. A full-service Customer Experience Measurement Program company should address your team’s needs in an initial consultation session. An initial consultation session with a mystery shopping company should include: (more…)

From Customer Service to Customer Experience Enhancement

  March 08, 2011 in Blog, Customer Experience Reporting, Measuring Total Customer Experience, Mystery Shopping by Marci Bikshorn

Customer Experience Enhancement - Mystery ShoppingCustomer Service. Everyone is familiar with the term. For consumers, it’s that hard to define set of expectations everyone has when interacting with servers, sales professionals, and front line providers.

Customer Service. It’s what puts many people off most about “calling the 800 number,” it’s what puts many people off when they can’t find someone to ring up their purchase, it’s what puts many people off when their product and service questions aren’t answered.

But to every organization, large and small, it’s a way of life. And in a business world where only the fittest survive, customer service has long been an organization’s “bread and butter”.

Today we’ll see why, by itself, customer service is just not good enough anymore. We’ll see why it’s time to focus on customer experience enhancement. (more…)

Customer Satisfaction = Happy Employees

  February 25, 2011 in Blog, Customer Experience Reporting, Customer Feedback, Measuring Total Customer Experience by Marci Bikshorn

Hardly a client meeting goes by that someone doesn’t ask:

  • How can we improve upon employee loyalty and retention?
  • How can we surpass their expectations and satisfaction and reduce turnover?

Easy answer. Have happy employees!

Your company mantra should scream, “We must develop and ensure that we maintain satisfied employees.” (more…)

Customers Love Talking to People….Not Machines

  February 23, 2011 in Blog, Consulting & Training, Customer Feedback, Measuring Total Customer Experience by Marci Bikshorn

evaluation in customer service

I find it to be increasingly frustrating when I contact a company with a service issue and am forced to talk to a machine.  Takes me back in time to the world of The Jetsons.

Growing up in an era where “rolling out the red carpet” every time for every customer, keeping client files of names, birthdays, sizes, past purchases, sending written thank you notes and personalized birthday greetings, and hand delivering purchases if a customer just didn’t have time to pick it up…to conducting business in 2011 by talking to a machine.  What’s wrong with this picture? Something about the customer experience just doesn’t feel right. (more…)