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.

1.Be Genuine

Forming a sincere relationship with your customers is a vital part of running any business. When your customers have questions, listen attentively and do everything in your power to provide them with the answers they need. We know your customers are important to you, but it’s also important that your sincerity is obviously displayed. Instead of sounding like you are just reading lines from a memo, speak compassionately.

2. Use Positive Trigger Words

Obviously the words you use have an impact on how people will react? If a customer comes to you with a concern, try using encouraging action words such as “I will” versus “I can.” Also, there are specific words that, when spoken in a genuine tone, can lift a customer’s mood and leave a more positive impression.

CBS News recently wrote an article highlighting six words that will “dramatically change the way customers react to your conversations.” Here are those six enthusiastic words to implement into your vocabulary:

• Yes
• Delighted
• Pleasure
• Sorry
• Happy
• Absolutely

3. Spend Time Helping

There may be times when a customer concern or situation is not easy to resolve, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try. Motivated and customer-focused employees will find ways to make customers happy. Instead of spending time talking around the subject quickly present a plan of action to, let your customer know the steps will take to make them happy.

4. Never Say “Can’t”

One word that will always deflate a customer’s confidence in you and your company is the word “can’t.” Imagine a time when you’ve had a question or concern and instead of helping, the employee just said, “I can’t do that.” Frustrating, right? If you are ever in a situation where you are unsure if the task is doable, try saying “Let me see what I can do” or give a list of alternative options starting with “what I can do for you is…” You have a direct impact upon the success of your business and so make sure your customers know you care.

5. Consider Customer Service Consulting Firms

If your New Year’s Resolution is to put more focus on customer experience management , consider hiring a customer service consulting firm. At Service Excellence Group, we can provide the tools and research necessary to help your business succeed. Contact us for more information.

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.

A recent article titled Rebecca Cross: The ‘magical experience’ begins with your people provided a recap of helpful advice to ensure that your consumer relationships are ‘magical’. In this article, Cross reviews the best tips from customer service guru John Formica, also known as the “Ex-Disney Guy”, on customer experience enhancement. Let’s take a deeper look at a few of these recommendations.

1. Understand your customers’ wants and needs.

In order to develop a relationship with your consumers, you need to have a complete understanding of their wants and needs. Implementing customer feedback programs is a great way to offer consumers an outlet in which they can voice their opinions. If your consumers feel as though their ideas are being heard and applied to your everyday agenda, you will build their confidence in your company. Always remember that your consumers are the ones using your products and services and they know what they need from your business. Building this loyalty will drive customer experience enhancement and yield a more successful outcome.

2. First impressions and perceptions are critical.

The overall atmosphere of your business will ultimately impact the consumers’ first impression. From the time they set foot in your business, they begin to develop a perception of your brand. Are they greeted when they walk in the door? Where are the service counters? Is signage easy to read? Are products placed in a way that make sense to the consumer? These factors, and many more, play a pivotal role in determining if your customers will decide whether they will return. Consider utilizing customer experience management tools that can provide you with a deeper understanding of how your consumers perceive your brand from the beginning. It may be beneficial for you to hire a mystery shopping provider that is qualified in presenting relevant  information so you can  listen objectively and deliver actionable feedback for further customer experience enhancement.

3. Pay attention to details and think of yourself as on-stage.

When it comes to customer experience management, all of your employees should be on board. Each individual person plays a key role. Exhibiting a good attitude and applying the right technique are two important attributes that contribute to the customer’s perception. One of the main reasons that consumers do not remain loyal is because of the way they are treated by your team. To further improve the customers’ experience, consider the insight that a performance consulting and training company can deliver.

About The Author

Service Excellence Group, Inc. is a customer experience measurement and solutions provider with a focus on performance management, research and customer intelligence. Service Excellence Group has developed partnerships with clients in an open and collaborative way that is flexible to the changing environment. Thorough research and analysis of your business could lead to customer experience enhancement. If you are interested in services such as mystery shoppers, feedback programs or training to improve your customer experience management, we can help you achieve your goals.

If you haven’t heard, Ford is planning to launch a new MyFord Touch system on 2013 models of the Ford Escape, Flex and Taurus and an update will be available for current owners of the 2011 and 2012 models. Ford recently revamped their system and came up with a solution that is faster and easier to use than the prior technology. New features include maps, voice recognition, compatibility with other devices and ebook support. This new system is much cleaner and simpler than competitive solutions – all thanks to Ford’s emphasis on the consumer.

The Benefits of Customer Feedback Management Services

Ford is a great example of a company listening to the voice of the consumer to create a better product. By implementing customer satisfaction programs, Ford was able to pinpoint the faults of the old technology and foster those specific improvements. In this case, that led to the use of a larger and more readable font size, bigger icons and fewer menus. Much can be gained from listening to your consumers. Here are two great benefits to employing customer feedback systems.

Customer Insight

Learning what drives your consumer satisfaction and loyalty is one of the rewards to implementing customer feedback systems. Ultimately, it is the consumer who will be judging and using the products and services offered by your business, therefore listening to their opinions can help you gain insight into what they want now, and how you can help them in the future.

Business Success

Creating a better service experience for your consumers is part of what will cause them to return and recommend your brand to family and friends. You know how important your customers are to you and that’s why you are constantly striving to produce a better experience. Customer satisfaction programs can help you measure the perceptions of your consumer and maintain a lasting relationship.

Attaining overall customer satisfaction doesn’t happen overnight. It is an ongoing initiative that includes a thoughtful strategy that emphasizes the voice of consumers and an honest evaluation of their needs. Ford’s recent technological developments have shown us that listening to the unfiltered voice of the consumer can have a real impact on the products or services offered by a company and can influence a brand’s success.

About The Author

Service Excellence Group, Inc. is a customer experience measurement and solutions provider with a focus on performance management, research and customer intelligence. Service Excellence Group has developed partnerships with clients in an open and collaborative way that is flexible to the changing environment. Implementing a customer feedback program is a great start to creating a more successful business. Find out how customer satisfaction programs can help you create and maintain lasting relationships.

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

Prepare

A Performance Management Program begins with preparation.  It is a mutual process between management and staff and it outlines job descriptions and job expectations. Using pre-determined goals sets the stage for the year because each team member receives the same message and all parties work toward achieving the same goals.

Adequately preparing your Managers through targeted training will strengthen your performance management program.  As you are aware, managing the abilities of a variety of team members is not an easy task and requires a keen skill set. Training is essential to ensure managers feel prepared to effectively realize all the tasks related to performance management. Managers need to understand how to encourage, how to develop, provide instruction and deal with conflict.

Employees and managers should regularly monitor progress against goals, tackle any road blocks, re-assess goals, alter goals as the business climate changes direction, and re-evaluate training. Conversation and a heightened level of communication are critical. Performance preparation and ongoing feedback are important because they help to achieve continuous improvement.

Observe

To a great extent, managers must be observers and able to assess a situation, provide motivation and identify problems that interfere with performance thus performance must be continuously observed.

Ongoing monitoring of all behaviors as well as from all customer touch points provides the opportunity to check how well employees are meeting predetermined standards.  Mystery shops coupled with performance management technology and customer feedback programs will serve as an observation highway to identify strengths and shortcomings frequently as opposed to waiting until an annual review time.

Observing team behavior requires management to consistently measure performance and provide feedback to the team to ensure progression toward achieving goals.

Cultivate

As stated above, employee developmental needs are assessed, evaluated and addressed. Once behaviors are observed and understood, then the coaching rises to the next level.

Carrying out the processes of performance management provides an excellent opportunity to identify developmental needs. During planning and monitoring of work, deficiencies in performance become evident and can be addressed. Areas for improving good performance also stand out, and action can be taken to help successful employees improve even further.

Assess

Assessing a team member’s successes and shortcomings require attention to the big and little picture. It means reviewing the employees behaviors against the outlined best practices initially identified in the performance plan.

Performance can easily be monitored and assessed with the help of a Customer Experience Measurement Provider.  They are armed with the programs and the technology to measure employee compliance to trained best practices, provide opportunities for actual customers to voice their thoughts, use their technology to understand the information while creating an action plan to outline steps for improvement and track all of these actions in one place on their reporting platform.

An honest interaction based upon the actual facts about job-related behaviors promotes an objective discussion between the management team and the employee.  At the conclusion of the conversation, always summarize the key points and ask for acceptance of the conversation from the employee with a signed document whether they agree with the information or not.

Recognize

Appraising employee performance at an annual review is viewed as an ancient prehistoric process.  There is widespread recognition that frequent feedback enhances learning and provides the opening to make timely and necessary adjustments in order to meet outlined objectives and goals.

The attitude towards ongoing feedback is crucial and when coupled with recognition and awards performance will catapult.  If there is ongoing recognition and support as performance feedback is pumped into daily interactions there will be a significant increase in the visibility and attention to company goals.

Summary

Give thought and consideration as you design your performance management process. The performance management process must add worth to promote acceptance by the whole team.

In addition, the process should be efficient and simple.  When the whole process is automated, then built in reminders and scheduling tools will hold your team accountable to keep the process on track.

If you would like to find out more about Service Excellence Group’s automated performance management plans, please contact us at info@serviceexcellencegroup.com

New technology-based solutions can provide support of goals across your entire company, offer detailed reporting and analytics, and can decrease paperwork currently completed by hand by as much as 90%.

Individual analysis and a clear outline of performance will assist in identifying your team’s competencies and disparities. With this valuable information literally at your fingertips, companies can quickly target development plans.

When effectively put into action, employees, middle managers, executives and companies benefit from these types of customer experience management solutions.

Automating these painstaking manual processes tied to customer experience training by moving to web-based technology regardless of the size of your company streamlines the entire accountability piece of your training regimen as well as benefits each level within your organizational structure.

How can your company benefit from automating performance management and other similar customer experience management solutions? In its most basic form it will:

• Clarify expectations of each employee
• Provide an ongoing review process of performance
• Allow employees an opportunity to assess their own behaviors
• Build a strong foundation for career growth and future job placement

These “scammers” have posted multiple advertisements on an on-line job board affiliated with a reputable news station.  They are adept at making these advertisements seem real.  They have stolen the identity of Service Excellence Group, Inc.’s company website and are claiming to be employees of the company.

The scammers are currently using the following names:

• David Brian   Online Manager
• Larry Williams

Tips to Avoid Mystery Shopping Scams

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) provides guidance and tips to help individuals to avoid becoming victims of employment schemes associated with mystery/secret shopping: http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/e-scams

A few extra precautionary tips for your consideration:

• Be cautious of any job posting claiming to send you large sums of money for a mystery shopping assignment.  The average compensation for a standard mystery shopping assignment is $15.
• Avoid completing any forms contained in e-mail messages that ask for personal information.  A reputable mystery shopping firm will capture your contact information via a company platform.
• Always review the link in the e-mail to the link you are actually directed to and determine if they match and if they lead you to a legitimate website.  If the link does link you to a legitimate website, send the company an email to confirm the legitimacy of the opportunity.
• Be cautious of any mystery shopping opportunity that involves transferring funds via Western Union.
• Reputable mystery shopping companies will not charge an application fee.
• No legitimate mystery/secret shopper program will send payment in advance and ask the mystery shopper to send a portion of it back.
• Steer clear of any company asking you to accept payment in advance and advise you to send a portion of the payment to another mystery shopper.

There are reputable mystery shopping companies with legitimate mystery shopping opportunities for interested consumers.  For information on how to get started as a mystery shopper or to find legitimate mystery shopping opportunities, visit the Shopper Headquarters page on our web site or The Mystery Shopping Providers Association’s (MSPA) website.

A team of researchers from Cornell University have developed a means of detecting what they have labeled “deception opinion spam.” The New York Times consulted with the PhD student Myle Ott. Ott inferred that: “The whole system [of consumer reviews] falls apart if made-up reviews are given the same weight as honest ones.”

An assistant professor and co-author, Linchi Kwok, who is immersed in research regarding the hospitality industry, surmised that on-line customer reviews “have become an essential part of the sales pitch.” Kwok states ““Everyone’s trying to do something to make themselves look better,” he said. “Some of them, if they cannot generate authentic reviews, may hire somebody to do it.”

http://www.i-programmer.info/news/155-social-media/2922-amazon-customer-reviews-can-we-trust-them.html

In the Business Times section of the New York Times another article, “In a Race to Out-Rave, 5-Star Web Reviews Go for $5” questions continue to arise regarding the validity of customer opinion on the web.  Can the public trust on-line reviews?  Is there a way to determine if the reviews are posted by serial entrepreneurs looking to earn a few extra dollars from a company by posting positive customer experience comments on a business site?  Are the reviewers posting positive and frequent feedback to receive compensation of free giveaways or food or drinks?  Can the “tried and true” customers offering real perspective regarding products and services – positive or negative – be separated from a disgruntled patron that is looking for revenge or a competitive contender that is construing the public view?

Information regarding pricing, products, services, healthcare and more is now at a customers finger tips and customers are making buying decisions based upon these online evaluations.

Proceed with caution. Pay close attention to the “extremes.”  We recommend that every company engage in a variety of customer experience enhancement and measurement components to compare and contrast the feedback. On-line reviews present a relatively young means of communicating customer satisfaction and our world has yet to clarify the unanswered question of confirming the fine line between “fact and fallacy.”

Chime in on the conversation and leave your comments below.  What is your experience with online reviews?

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

Protein = “Create an Experience” – this is the bulk of your meal, the sustenance.  This is overall feeling  you want your customers to walk away with.

Grains = “Be Consistent” – this helps to add fuel to your protein, its staying power.  This is what you want the customer to come back to each time they engage with your company.

Fruits and Vegetables = “Engage in Conversation and Uncover Needs” – two very important pieces that take up half of your plate.  This is how you find out what your customer wants and allows you to take care of the last component.

Dairy = “Offer a Solution” – this adds the calcium, the strength.  Finding what the customer needs/wants and delivering on that will leave them satisfied.  This is what will have them coming back because you met their need.

How do you measure this meal?  Is it a full, gratified nutrient rich experience?  You measure it by asking questions, was it a good meal?  Did you enjoy the food?  Was it well-balanced?  These provide you with answers so the next time your team interacts with your customer they will be able to tweak the performance or presentation into a better one.

Gathering feedback from your customer satisfaction programs is the key to success.  Mystery Shopping, surveys, being “liked” on Facebook are all tools of measurement.  Provide your customers with the opportunity to tell you what foods to put on their plate and use those foods to create the perfect meal.

Let’s take mystery shopping as an example.   It’s a valuable tool because you are asking a mystery guest to taste test your service.   Did the associates provide each “portion of your company’s plate” effectively?   Where are the areas of opportunity?  Using these results as a training tool will allow you to know if “steak” is better than “chicken” for the protein portion of your meal or if the grains provided enough staying power.  This can offer you the knowledge you need to discover where the food has fallen off the plate.

Facebook is also beneficial.  Do your customers “like” you enough to visit Facebook and say so?  They are telling everyone at their dinner party they like you!  They want to dine with you and they like what’s on your plate.  The question is how do you keep them coming back for seconds?  You measure the service you are providing one cup at a time and deliver the results on a silver platter.  With the proper food presentation, you will be guaranteed they will come back for seconds.

Let us know your thoughts, hows the analogy?  Leave us a comment or if you are looking into Mystery shopping services contact us and let us explain our expertise in your industry.

Reliable and Advanced Information

With a search engine at your fingertips daily, you might wonder what a market research consultant can do for you, that you can’t do yourself. By hiring an agency, you will be saving yourself hours of searching, sometimes through irrelevant and outdated information, followed by double-checking sources to know what market information is useful, and what is worthless. Instead, cut your time in half by spending it on researching an agency that is reliable and a right fit for your business. Consultants are trained to assess your business with a fresh perspective and identify any areas for improvement. This will assure that you have the most strategic information that will benefit your unique company.

Identify Opportunities and Minimize Risks

The information achieved through the use of market research consultants will help your business with its next plan of action. Opportunities may arise in the form of financial growth, geographic growth and more that you may not have seen without the these new findings and could provide you with an advantage. However, the research may also show potential problems within the market, along with risks of carrying out a plan of action that you originally may have seen fit. This prevents you from making any fatal mistakes. Information about the present-day market would help your company immensely, but market research consultants can take it a step further by looking to the future to find any anticipated changes.

Measure Progress and Success

The market is always changing, thus making research an ongoing venture, not a one-time trial assures you the competitive edge. Market research consultants can help you stay one step ahead of the market and measure your progress along with your competitors. This allows you to continuously update your short-term goals and assure that you are staying on track to meet your long-term objectives. This will consistently give you chances for updating your individual market strategy to complement that of the whole.

1. Cost-efficient CRM tool – CRM (Customer Relationship Management) data is important, but at times can be a slow, expensive process. The use of a mystery shopper can be implemented both quickly and inexpensively.
2. Immediate ROI – Once you invest in a mystery shopper, the results can be used almost immediately. The flaws within your business are quickly and effectively identified and the training in unsuccessful areas can begin.
3. Benchmarking – It is likely that the customer service representatives at your business are performing to standard, if they aren’t, your business may be suffering.  A mystery shopping service can help to identify the smallest opportunistic details to help your team’s performance take that leap from good, to great.
4. Meet Goals and Raise Expectation – There are a set of objectives and expectations that every business intends to meet, whether written down formally, or kept in mind. A mystery shopping service can add a layer of transparency to allow you to witness first hand if your staff is, in fact, exceeding customer service expectations.
5. Increase Revenue – It costs substantially more money to draw in new customers than it does to maintain existing ones. Keeping more current customers satisfied could mean a steady or increase in sales, as opposed to a drop. When a customer is dissatisfied, they are less likely to complain to the business, and will in turn complain to others, and then never return for more business. This leaves you unaware that a customer was dissatisfied, and at a loss for why revenue is not increasing. A mystery shopping service can help identify strengths and weaknesses of your customer service.
6. Complete Overview -  Mystery shoppers fill a gap that are typical of customer feedback surveys because mystery shops measure compliance to trained best practices. They are able to focus on the complete experience as a customer and make first hand observations allowing for meaningful and useful business suggestions.
7. Impartiality – In hiring a mystery shopping service, you receive an unbiased opinion of your customer service performance and a fresh outlook of your business.
8. Tangible Results – The research gathered by mystery shopper companies will provide you with audio and video recordings hat you can listen to and/or observe first hand. Possessing results that you can actually hear and see will help to mend detailed flaws in your customer service plan.
9. Fast-growing Necessity – Mystery shopper companies have been used in most industries including retail, movie theaters, restaurants and hotels, manufacturers, and more. Recently, they have even been discussed as a tool to discover areas of improvement for the health care system.
10. Successful – According to surveys provided by American Express and featured on the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) mystery shopping programs actually work. Great customer service is crucial to the success of any business.

Have questions?  Would you like to discuss the details on how the mystery shopping services work at Service Excellence?  Contact us or leave a comment and we will get in touch.

So how do we keep them coming back? How do you decide to put on your running shoes every day? Let’s explore the basics of how you have chosen the running shoes. The 5 basic things to consider in a shoe are the sole, the laces, comfort, brand and style.

Sole – This provides the durability of the shoe. Can you wear them outdoors or inside only? Can you wear them day after day and get the same results? How long will they last? Compare the sole to customer service and think about the durability or the “Sole” you provide when assisting a customer. Are you being attentive to their needs? Do you ignore distractions? Will they come back to you day after day and receive the same result?

Laces – These are what hold it all together. You don’t want to have your shoes fall off in the middle of your run, do you? Empathizing with your customer will help you pull it all together. You are creating an understanding of what they need, thus being able to provide them the ideal laces for their jogging path.

Comfort – How do they feel on your feet? You are establishing a rapport with your shoes, you like how they feel and treat you. It is important to establish a relationship with your customers, make sure they are comfortable with you in meeting their needs.

Brand – This helps to provide recognition. Are your shoes a credible brand? Do you and others know what to expect when you hear their name? Customers need to be able to recognize your brand with good service. The service you are providing represents the brand and what it stands for.

Style – This is the attitude of your shoe. Would you wear them out in public? Are they attractive? How is your attitude when you help your customers? Are you putting your best foot forward? Do you check your “baggage” at the door? Everyone has good and bad days, but it’s important your customers can never tell which one you are having. Coming across in “style” will allow them to put on the shoes for more than just running.

So what does this mean? Will you run around the track and know how to treat each customer like a good pair of shoes? It’s not that simple, but these basic parts of your shoes can put you on the path to successful customer service. No matter what form the service is being delivered if you are durable, empathize with your customer, establish a relationship, are credible and offer a positive attitude they will keep coming back.

If you are in need of a service to provide customer satisfaction measurement details regarding your business, products or services please don’t hesitate to call us, fill out our contact form and ask what we can do for you. Also, feel free to comment and leave a question below, we would love your feedback.

Think about some of the most popular brands in the world: Apple, Starbucks, Ritz-Carlton, Coca-Cola, Nike, Disney. What to do all of these brands have in common? They know what pleases their customers and they consistently seek to not only provide what their customers want, but to give their customers goods and services that they can get excited about. And, the delivery of these goods and services is with the focus on the client, not the company.

So, how do you know if you are delighting your customers? You will never know if you don’t ask. Gathering customer feedback is not a difficult process when you use the right tools. One tool that is very effective in gauging how your customers feel is the use of client satisfaction surveys.

These user satisfaction surveys can be delivered in a variety of ways, but Interactive Computer Response (ICR) Programs offer you a quick and cost effective means of finding out how your customers feel. ICR Programs are delivered online, and can be customized with your company colors, logo, and incentives. Your patrons can easily access your ICR user satisfaction surveys on their smartphones, so opinions about your business are registered instantly.

Then, once your customers complete the satisfaction surveys, you can straightforwardly review the data and apply the results to your customer retention strategy. The competition never sleeps, and neither should your customer feedback methodology. An effective customer retention strategy provides an ongoing pipeline of customer feedback data How are you ensuring you delight your customers? We’d love to know in the comments.

It is tough to think of a business type that doesn’t exist by its attention to customer service.

Offering extraordinary customer service requires modifying behaviors.  Modifying behaviors requires coaching, persistence, accountability, feedback and practice.

The findings of The American Express® Global Customer Service Barometer presents evidence, benefits and the reasons why your company should implement a mystery shopping program.

American Express Survey Reinforces Value of Mystery Shopping

Posted on: Thursday, 12 May 2011, 00:00 CDT

The results of a survey by American Express released on May 3 quantify the business benefits of mystery shopping and reveal the effect of customer service on the bottom line. The study shows that a large majority of Americans are willing to spend appreciably more with companies that provide excellent customer service, a finding that suggests investments in customer service can have significant financial returns. Mystery shopping companies are enthusiastic about the study because it reinforces their assertion that measuring and managing the customer experience through mystery shopping has a positive ROI.

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) May 11, 2011

The results of a survey released on May 3 by American Express clearly bode well for companies that conduct mystery shopping programs and act on them. The American Express® Global Customer Service Barometer quantifies the business benefits of good service and the penalties for poor service, providing more evidence in support of the value of implementing mystery shopping programs.

Good service is not just something Americans expect; it is something they are willing to pay for. American Express says seventy percent (70%) indicate they are willing to spend up to 13% more with companies they believe provide excellent customer service, the survey showed.

According to the American Express study, Americans are placing more and more importance on the value of good customer service while, at the same time, they believe the quality of service is slipping. Moreover, says Jim Bush, Executive Vice President of American Express World Service, “Getting service right is more than just a nice to do; it’s a must do. American consumers are willing to spend more with companies that provide outstanding service, and they will also tell, on average, twice as many people about bad service than they will about good service. Ultimately, great service can drive sales and customer loyalty.”

A key finding from the American Express study reveals that 78% of customers have opted to cancel a transaction or did not complete an intended purchase because of a poor customer experience. Conversely, three in five Americans would try a new brand or company for a better services experience.

Members of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) are enthusiastic about the release of the American Express study because it demonstrates the requirement that businesses pay close attention to the level of service they deliver to their customers if they are to be successful. “We see the study as providing further support for the value of mystery shopping,” says MSPA President Lynn Saladini of ath Power Consulting Corporation. “Mystery shopping enables businesses to measure the extent to which they are delivering on their brand promises through the customer experience and to identify and correct deficiencies. Using the statistics from the study, you can calculate that two otherwise identical businesses would have very different revenue pictures if one had excellent customer service and one did not. If the one lacking in excellent service was a $10 million dollar business, its identical competitor could have revenues of $10.93 million. That $930,000 revenue differential is a compelling argument for using mystery shopping to improve customer service.”

About Mystery Shopping and the MSPA

Mystery shopping is a process in which pre-recruited and qualified consumers measure the extent to which a customer’s interactions with a business mirror the experiences the business intends. The purposes of this customer experience measurement include evaluating customer service and the degree to which a company’s brand promises are being executed in the customer environment.

With more than 300 member companies worldwide, the MSPA has a diverse membership, including marketing research and merchandising companies, private investigation firms, training organizations, and other companies that specialize in providing mystery shopping services. Its goals are to establish professional standards and ethics for the industry, educate providers, clients and shoppers to improve quality of service, improve the image of the industry and promote the membership to other industry associations and prospective clients.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/2046029/american_express_survey_reinforces_value_of_mystery_shopping/

Are you ready to see how you might be able to improve customers service through mystery shopping programs? See how SEG can help you leverage mystery shopping to improve your total customer experience.

Does the Mystery Shopping Company Present a Successful Track Record?

Seek a provider that has experience and relationships with multiple organization types. Service Excellence Group has almost 18 years of experience working within a variety of industries which allows us to learn and share business acumen.  Stifling our partnerships by limiting our reach to only one industry would prohibit our internal growth and our knowledge of cutting edge practices.

During your search for a reputable mystery shopping company seek knowledge of the executive team’s commitment and involvement in day-to-day operations.    Knowing that the A-Team or Owner is keeping their finger on the pulse of your program should build your confidence in their commitment to your satisfaction.

Will the Mystery Shopping Company Offer You a Return on Your Investment?

Recently we were tasked with the completion of an RFP.  We were asked how our company can offer a return on this prospective client’s investment.  Measuring compliance to trained best practices allows us to provide a client with a birds-eye view of their training success.  This particular client was highly focused on units sold per transaction as suggestive selling provides incremental revenue.  Our client requires mystery shoppers to incur a purchase during each visit and upon the consumer making their selection an Associate is required to present a minimum of two additional items. The continued attention to observe this trained best practice will catapult the sales efforts.

Companies that offer savvy reporting platforms that provide reports displaying how a behavior impacts an overall shop score as well as the customer’s perception will be valuable to your growth.  Analyzing the intelligence gleaned from mystery shopping experiences also supports the understanding of the value the program has to a client’s bottom line.

Is the Mystery Shopping Company Assessing Shopper Performance?

A reputable Mystery Shopping company will have a measurement system in place to evaluate shopper performance.  Each client provides parameters for mystery shopping companies as they select contractors to evaluate their team’s performance.  It is in the interest of the client for mystery shopping companies to measure each contractor’s ability to observe, record, and follow the client’s specific requests for project execution.  If the mystery shopping company ranks shoppers on specific attributes the selection process is targeted, realistic, and provides actionable items for improvement.

But are you being as effective of a communicator with your customers as you should be?

When it comes to first-class communication with customers, listening is perhaps the best thing you can do. And the best listeners are the ones who give their customers room to talk. That’s why targeted customer satisfaction programs, backed by solid customer satisfaction market research, are one of the best ways to increase communication with your customers.

When it comes to customer satisfaction programs, it’s best to think of them as conversations. Here are the top 5 items to think about when giving your customers room to use their voice.

Targeting

It’s always best to know who you’re in conversation with or at least who you want to be in conversation with. This is where good customer satisfaction market research can come in handy.  Avoid opening the forum to everyone and anyone. Before you do anything else, be sure to know who your customers are.

Medium

This goes right along with targeting. Once you know who your customers are you can begin thinking about how best to communicate with them. Are your customers internet users? If so, an online survey may be the optimal choice. Are they more traditional? Perhaps a good old phone call with appropriate questioning strategies will get them talking. For customers with smart phones, printing receipts with QR codes that link to a survey might be the ticket.

It all depends on who your customers are and how well you know them. Often times a face-to-face conversation or focus group discussion will yield great results.

Manners

It may seem obvious, but just like in any everyday conversation, tone of voice and respect are vitally important. Again, it all goes back to knowing your customers. Ask too many questions, and they will be turned off. Ask questions that are too complex, and they won’t know what to say. Call the wrong person at home, and you may just lose a customer.

It’s a delicate situation, so proceed with care. Make it clear that your intention is to get to know your customer better, not to annoy or sell them anything.

Answers Over Questions

Less obvious than tone and manners, but equally as important, is the type of questions you ask.

Journalists, talk show hosts, and good conversationalists know this one already—it’s not always best to ask the question that’s at the front of your mind. Good questions are formulated ahead of time. They expect and attempt to avoid easy answers.

If it helps, think about your questions as prompts. When writing them, ask yourself, What are all of the possible answers this question will receive? How can I edit this to get more useful answers?

Follow-Through

By now you’re already thinking about your customer satisfaction program like a conversation, so it should be no surprise that the final item to focus on is response.

A good communicator gives their partner ample time to speak, then offers an acknowledgment or response. The same goes for customer satisfaction programs.

Your response can be as simple as a written thank you or it can be as grand as a prize drawing or raffle. Whatever the response is, make sure you have one, and make sure it is a genuine gesture of thanks and not an “incentive.” Today’s savvy customers can tell and feel the difference.

In a lot of ways, finding a good market research consultant can be like shopping for a good pair of jeans—on the surface they may all look very similar, but finding the perfect fit takes a little scrutiny, a little familiarity with yourself, and sometimes a little magic.

Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Get Specific

There are a lot of ways to go about doing market research analysis and a lot of folks who will be willing to do it for you. One way to quickly narrow your search is by exploring consultants with industry-specific experience and strategies. If you’re a consignment-clothing store, look for a firm that has worked with either clothing or consignment stores before. If you are in food service, find someone who specializes in restaurants.

In addition to this, make sure to mention your industry up-front when you call. That way, you can streamline your efforts.

Do Your Research

While searching for the right consultant can be stressful and time-consuming, it’s important not to sign up with the first person you contact. Take your time. Shop around. Remember: you’re the customer here; the Consultant should be determining if they are also the “right fit” for your business.

When engaging with the prospective market research consultant. ask questions. Ask to see their portfolio, ask for the contact information of their past and current clients, ask them to prepare a presentation for you.

Also, with internet connections getting faster by the day and smart phone technology in more and more pockets across the world, it’s easy to forget that most of a brick-and-mortar store’s sales still come from local patrons. Keep this in mind when looking for a market research consultant.  Find someone who has the diligence to learn about your area, your competition, and your business.

Buddy Up

The difference between a good fit and a perfect fit is in the intangibles.  Sometimes it can seem like magic, but I’ve never been one to ignore a hunch. If you’ve done all of your research, asked all of the right questions, and you still can’t decide, trust your gut. Pick the team or person who you can see yourself getting along with best.

In these types of situations, a good relationship goes a long way. And don’t fret. It can take a little bit more time, but the effort will be worth it. After all, it’s the future of your dream and passion.

The other day I was trying to pinpoint the reason why secret shopper companies have developed so much throughout the years. And it’s true: if there’s one thing we know in this industry it’s that so many things about our process works. Is it the sudden attention to detail we see from companies we work with? Is it our own methods? Our responsiveness to an ever-changing market landscape? Is it that customers can really tell a difference between their shopping experience before and after we’ve put all of our programs in place?

In fact, people ask me this quite often: Why does it work? What’s the real benefit?

I give them all the standard answers: research, development, expertise, but I know there’s more. Don’t get me wrong; all of the above reasons are true. That’s why we say them so much. Still, there’s something else. When a company turns over a new leaf, you can just tell.

So, what is it? If it doesn’t come from the outside, where does it come from?

I can say that, as someone who has worked with a variety of companies in  multiple industries, our program components  deliver the necessary information to move a company from existence to sustained success.   While pondering this notion, I was hit with a very concise thought: the elements of change already exist—within each company.

That has to be it. Mystery shopping companies aren’t experts at changing companies in any fundamental way. That’s not what we’re here to do. We have to assume that a company that searches for and consults with a mystery shopping company has good instincts and because of those instincts they are seeking opportunities to drive their business acumen to the next level.

That’s where the real benefit comes in. Mystery shopping companies maximize a company’s inborn potential and ability. I work with executives and managers all the time who are great people—who have hired great people and built and maintained their brand’s high-quality image. What these companies need is not a groundbreaking new way of going about their business. They need someone to step in, offer a fresh set of eyes, expertise, statistical relevance, and help them maximize their most important asset—themselves.

I’ve been searching for a great way to describe the importance and benefit of what it is mystery shopping companies do. My first thought was to say that it’s like a tune-up for a car, but that’s not exactly right. For your average automobile, a tune-up is just ordinary maintenance, and the fast-paced world of retail is anything but ordinary these days. Industries are cutthroat. Small tweaks to success strategies matter—they make the difference.

So I want you to think of your business as not just a compact sedan, but a Formula 1 racer, and your mystery shopping company is your pit crew. You already have the talent, strength, and skills to cross the line first. It’s your mystery shopping company—with its expertise, technology, and care—that will optimize your ability to get there.

The idea of having a department that solely functions to show the “customer care factor” is a good one.  It does say to customers that your intent is to care about the people that do business with you.  It’s just that as our company evolved, the concept of every team member acting as a Customer Relations Representative has served us well and is possibly the key to our long term customer partnerships.

As you rally your team to develop additional customer retention ideas, consider the following:

• Ensure that any new client association launches in an organized manner.  Educate clients regarding how your partnership will begin and what they can expect as the relationship goes forward.
• If each team member is held accountable for their customer’s satisfaction then empower them to provide solutions to customer issues.  It is common knowledge that if an employee can quickly manage a customer complaint those customers are often more loyal than a customer that has never experienced dissatisfaction.
• Ensure that your entire staff understands what customers want and make certain that they give it to them.  Customer Retention Programs can offer a research component via a Customer Feedback Survey that assists businesses in understanding what their customers want and then provides the recommendations on how to take action.  If you include initiatives like a Customer Feedback Survey to let your customers know that their voice is heard, ensure that you respond to their feedback with visible actions.   Just listening to their “voice” is not good enough.  Customers want you to respond to their feedback by acting on their recommendations.

What qualities do you think an ideal Customer Relations Representative should have?

• An engaging level of communication about your goals and objectives
• The best practices that have meant the most to your bottom-line
• A base-line understanding of current customer perceptions
• Insight into how your team best rally’s around a company mission.

The partnership should begin with an investigative phase to learn about the elements in the total experience that customer’s value. Once understood, your provider should identify, through perhaps a benchmark study, those underlying actions that can be coached, managed, and measured. Demonstrating how each of these elements work together to create business opportunities.

Developing a retail customer service training program and educating your team on these best practices is only valuable when you measure their compliance to trained best practices.

Here are 3 simple keys to remember when launching a customer service training for retail locations:

1. Experts

Knowledge. Experience. Innovation. Expertise is one of the most important factors in customer service, and that’s because it can’t be faked. Expertise (whether it’s knowledge, experience, or the ability to be innovative) accrues over time. That’s as true as it is important. As managers, we need to remember that training must be continuous. If your team members aren’t experts already, make them experts over time.  There is no quick fix or start and stop option…delivering upon trained behaviors must be an ongoing belief.

2. People First

But until your employees are the experts you know they can be, there are some other messages you can deliver as you provide great customer service training for your retail business. Customers want to feel special and that they are the most important person to you at that moment and forever.    Promote an ambiance where  customers are treated as individuals. Too many customer experiences are soured by a robotic employee “dealing” with “another customer.” Putting an end to this type of interaction starts during training, and it starts at the top. Treat your employees as individuals and invite them to do the same with customers. Empower them to make decisions and exceptions on behalf of the company. Then, when they realize their moment-to-moment decisions can affect real company outcomes, they’ll be less likely to feel like just another cog in the wheel, and in turn they will enjoy treating customers as people first.

3. Follow-Through

The most teachable (and perhaps most traceable) attribute is follow-through. When employees are in the habit of following-through with customers, the results are positive.  Whether it’s a phone call or a simple “Did that answer your question?” following – through is an easy way to ensure any problems a customer may be having are addressed. It gives the customer an opportunity to vocalize their feelings, and the more a customer communicates, the more likely they are to have an awesome personal experience (see above). Moreover, following-through works for both new and experienced employees.  Think of it as a safeguard—if any of your customer service best practices were overlooked, following-through can quickly change a sub-standard customer experience into a memorable and good one.

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.

Let’s be clear: great customer service is a fantastic thing. Any brand, organization or store that doesn’t place the customer on a throne is doomed to fail. That will always be true. What I’m suggesting is—to use the same metaphor from above—it’s time to focus on more than just the “bread and the butter.”

So you might be asking, what is the customer experience, and what are some customer experience management solutions?

For starters, let’s change our perspective.

Here’s a truth that may hurt a little bit to hear: customers don’t think about customer service as much as you do. Notice how your most memorable customer service experiences are often limited to extreme circumstances—either really great ones or mind-numbingly awful ones. In the larger scheme of things, these make for a rather small amount of customer service interactions that are actually memorable.

So what fills in the rest of a customer’s opinion towards a brand or company? Their total experience.

To truly cater to their customers’ complete set of needs, front line service teams must think like the customer and about the customer. The first, most basic step towards customer experience enhancement is for service teams to stop asking themselves questions like, “How are we doing today?” and start asking, “What kind of experience did our customers have today?”

This is a small distinction, but it’s important, and you may notice that its implications span beyond the real person-to-person customer service interaction. The complete customer experience incorporates everything. It begins before the customer calls your business or walks in the building, and ends long after they leave (if ever—a truly great customer experience can go on for decades and even span generations).

Finding the right customer experience management solution begins with the simple realization we made above. An effective manager or team leader will not only take a step back to review their complete strategy, they will put themselves in their customers’ shoes via a quality mystery shopper. They will take stock of their brand relative to its sector at large, audit their store (employees, signage, merchandising, and beyond) for areas of improvement, and—perhaps most importantly—survey their customers before, during, and after their purchases in order to obtain valuable feedback.

Any and all of these things are sure to improve any company’s interaction with its customer base. While they may collectively seem overwhelming at first, the most important thing to remember is a change in perspective. Think less about your employees’ actions and more about your customers’ “re-actions.”

Ready to find out how to improve your customers’ total experience? See how SEG can help you collect and report the data.

Obtaining new customers is a costly process, so retaining current customers is even more important. Customer service is at the heart of keeping customers satisfied. To really position a business or organization for long-term success, monitoring and training your employees to improve a customer’s experience is crucial.

Not convinced?

Then, read the three reasons below why customer experience training is critical, and ask yourself, “Are these goals for my business?”

1. To Win on the Competitive Battleground: Think about the competitive war your team faces on the web, within a global marketplace, and from our economic woes.  The days of relying upon a new product launch or a “buy one/get one free” promotion are history.  The difference lies not in what you do for the customer, but rather in how you make them feel.
2. To Excel in Conflict Resolution:  Customer perception drives your bottom line so when they don’t get what you promised them and expectations are unmet, the ability to deal with the challenge builds customer loyalty.
3. To Anticipate Customer Expectations:  Mainstream companies focus their training on the technical aspects of an employee’s responsibilities with very little if any emphasis on the customer’s expectations of the total experience.  It is the experiential actions that make the customer say “AWESOME!” Experiential actions are the reason why customers return, refer family and friends, and become brand advocates.

If you consider these three elements goals in your own retail or service organization, then you should learn more about providing your staff professional customer experience training. At Service Excellence Group, we can help you develop the training program that addresses your customer experience needs. Just contact us to get started today.

What are some other reasons you think that complete customer experience management and training is crucial to an organization’s success?

• 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.”

How do you develop successful and satisfied employees?  Easy answer.  With feedback.  Similar to the cliché, “When momma’s happy, everyone’s happy”, when your employees are happy, your customers will be happy. And that will begin the loyalty and retention process both from reduced staff turnover to long term client relationships.

Some companies are focused upon hearing about the perceptions of their customers, but are they just as focused on learning about their employee’s perceptions? Client satisfaction surveys and customer satisfaction programs should also be internal, so you can make sure you’re not just delighting your customers, but also the very people that provide them that service. Business owners and managers that truly understand a holistic approach to customer satisfaction will make sure their employees are happy too.

Companies that understand their employees grow their businesses, earn the right to tout employee satisfaction results.

So, how do you implement a customer satisfaction program for your own employees? It starts with an evaluation of where you are now.

Evaluate How YOU are Delivering Delight to Your Employees

• How would you rate your ability to guarantee happiness for your employees?
• How do your employees rate your abilities and actions?
• Does your staff rave about their association with your company and you?
• How do your employee policies and procedures compare with competitive companies?
• Do your company’s actions stack up to the pledges they make to your employees?
• Does your company earn award winning status every day?

Take Action to Earn Praises From Your Team

Try to identify one part of your employee’s experience that you can guarantee gives them a feeling of delight.

• Increase employee loyalty and commitment by creating advocates when you improve internal satisfaction
• Reduce employee defections by coordinating immediate action to save at-risk relationships
• Prioritize investments that speak to the strongest drivers of employee loyalty
• Steer clear of the leading sources of dissatisfaction
• Create an employee centric organization by taking action on employee feedback and demonstrate the impact of their suggestions.

Have you given thought to surveying your employees to determine their satisfaction with their job and with your company?  You can start with the questions and tips above, or you can also contact us to put an internal customer satisfaction survey in place for you.

Don’t overlook your employees’ satisfaction, or your customer service will suffer.

How do you delight your employees?

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.

J.D. Power and Associates, just released their 2011 U.S. Wireless Customer Care Performance Study^SM—Volume 1. In this evaluation in customer service and satisfaction of wireless communication customers, J.D. Power and Associates found that customers are more satisfied when their service issues are handled by a real person rather than an automated phone service. The study measures satisfaction when guests communicate issues via a telephone call with a customer service representative, in face-to-face experiences in a retail store, through an automated response system and using the web.

According to the study, and to the basics of providing a successful and memorable customer experience, individuals that speak directly to a person will rate higher in customer satisfaction and presented an Index Score of 774.

The study also presents findings regarding those companies that encourage their customers to communicate with them on the Web.  The results in this category presented an Index Score of 684 a difference of 90 points. The study supports that these organizations run the risk of an increase in customer fall-out with customers veering toward the competition by as much as four-times as high as those that allow customers to speak to people.

The morale of this post?  Customers do love talking to people.

Have you done a recent evaluation of customer service on your company? Find out ways to effectively listen to your customers’ feedback.

So, to that end, here are 5 real mystery shopping FAQ to help you better understand this popular customer experience program:

Q: Do mystery shopping programs work?

A: This question gets right to the heart of the matter, and it is, in fact, a common question. Mystery shopping programs cost money, and with businesses trimming expenses in recent years, such expenses need justification.

The straight answer is, YES; mystery shopping programs work, if you  have the right one.

Many of today’s mystery shopping companies address customer experience in a more complete way. Do your homework.  Seek mystery shopping providers that look at all customer touchpoints and deliver the information in an actionable way.

Q: How do I identify good mystery shopping companies?

A:  This is another frequently asked question.  Again, as above, the trick is to find one that does more than just mystery shop (it’s the 21^st Century after all); hence, look for accreditation, an excellent reputation, and complete services.

Ensure your mystery shopping provider is certified by the MSPA and an active member of the Association and then weigh in with their clients, past and present. To do this, just ask. Any reputable firm will be happy to provide you with references.

Q: Who are mystery shoppers?

A: No mystery shopping FAQ would be complete without this question. Mystery shoppers are independent contractors from various walks of life, demographics, and backgrounds.

This independence ensures that your results will be untainted and objective. Because your mystery shoppers have their own business reputation and credibility at stake, they are more focused on delivering the most accurate and honest results, whether positive or developmental.

Q: What can I expect from a mystery shopping company?

A:  Integrity, flexibility, creativity, and experience. There’s a reason certain companies in this industry have been branding themselves as “full service.” Assuming you’ve partnered with a notable mystery shopping company, you should expect them to analyze your goals and address your needs with applicable program components.

Remember, these businesses and their staffs are experts. They have scientific, mathematic, and sociologic theories standing behind their knowledge. Use them. And remember, they’re experts at customer service—let them show you as they lead by example.

Q: How will a mystery shopping company really benefit my company?

A: You name it, the sky’s the limit. It’s cliché, but it’s true.

The results you’ll reap from a  talented mystery shopping company will span as far as you can imagine. Because they will focus on the complete customer experience, your mystery shopping results will be almost infinitely applicable within your own business. Whatever your concerns may be, bring them up to your mystery shopping consultant. A high-quality one will treat them with the urgency and concern they deserve.

Want to listen to calls recorded on actual mystery shopping trips? Visit our Mystery Shopping Services page to hear recorded mystery shopping visits.

Good idea.

With the help of technology and innovation, customer service consulting firms have come a long way since their humble beginnings. Here are some things to consider when choosing the firm that’s best for you, and how to go about vetting a consulting firm you may be interested in:

1. Accreditation: This one’s easy to overlook, but very important. Find out whether the customer intelligence and research provider you’re looking into is part of industry associations, such as the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) or a similar network.

2. Services: Know what you’re getting. Are they a mystery-shopping-only provider? Many firms offer a full menu of services, including customer feedback surveys, state-of-the-art software, brand research and on-site consultation. It’s all well and good to have one customer’s reaction to their interaction with your team member and their service experience or to have data and metrics printed out for you, but how do you make sense of it? How do you hold your team accountable to make the respective changes? The best providers will do this for you. Ask yourself: how will this firm address my company’s complete needs?

3. Reputation: This goes beyond just asking your contacts and friends (although there is something to be said for word-of-mouth referrals). Find a local business that has a similar setup to yours, while not being a direct competitor, and ask them. Put it right out there. Ask: “Would you consult with this customer service consulting firm again?” Other resources for recommendations include local business, Chamber of Commerce and retail associations.

4. View Their Website: Not everything may be gleaned from the web, but often the best firms have made it a point to have an online presence as impressive as their product. You can ask yourself: How does this particular firm represent itself online? Does it show care and passion for the services they provide? Do they provide samples of their work? How is their customer service?

5. View Their Portfolio: Good firms will be proud of their work and will be happy to share it with you. Often it will be on the website itself. If it’s not, call or visit them and ask.

6. Get On The Phone: Call the consulting firm itself and chat. Do their values and passions align with your brand’s philosophies? Have they worked in your specific sector before? The more questions you present to them, the better. Remember, they are working for you. Tell them up front: “I’m interested in delivering the best customer experience possible,” and gauge their reaction, ask for references and follow up with them.

The best part about searching for a customer service consulting firm is that the people you will be engaging with will be experts in customer service. This should be evident throughout your entire experience with the potential firm. If it’s not, move on to the next one. Keep searching until you feel absolutely comfortable with your complete experience. Do this, and the chances of your overall satisfaction will greatly improve.

Times have changed, the market has changed, but the American shopper is back. And while they may now be armed with a debit card rather than their American Express, what we do know is that they’re spending—and they’re spending in your stores.

That’s right: the American consumer has not turned its back on old Brick and Mortar. This is fantastic news if you’re a retailer, but what comes next? Are you really prepared to turn this new foot traffic into repeat business?

With all the media focus on online shopping in the last ten years, it’s easy to forget that most consumers still prefer a tangible, in-person shopping experience.

As reported by the Chicago Sun Times, 2010’s “Super Saturday” (the last Saturday before Christmas) sales rose 15.1 percent from the previous year, up to $7.58 billion nationwide, and many large chains are using their new social media presence to drive foot traffic back into their stores. All of this has led many stores to devote resources to improving their shopper’s in-store experience, and many are doing so by employing the services of various mystery shopper companies.

This is perfect timing, for in the current up-trending retail climate, the opportunity has never been better to re-evaluate and improve customer service through feedback. Mystery shopping firms are the fast-track way for turning higher in-store foot traffic into higher levels of customer loyalty and repeat business. And if you haven’t seen what these mystery shopper companies can do nowadays, know this: feedback from mystery shopping is more advanced and far-reaching than it ever has been.

When mystery shopping began, it was a single shopper giving a grade, coupled perhaps with a written report. Today, that’s only part of it. With a combination of technology and good old-fashioned groundwork, mystery shopping feedback now addresses a company’s complex system of strengths and needs in its entirety. The shoppers are still around (and their processes have improved over the years), but now they’re backed by customer feedback surveys, audits, brand research, consultative meetings and more. When working with certain firms, you can even personalize the services you think will best benefit your brand.

So how does this all relate to your specific store?

The truth is that while the American shopper is feeling a renewed sense of empowerment and confidence, the world’s economic woes have not completely healed. We all know that retail is often the first sector to take a hit in such austere times, so the need for retailers to maximize any positive trend is paramount.

Shoppers are spending more, but they’re spending in a more focused way. To capitalize, your customer experience must be the best. By entering stores in dramatically increased numbers as they have been, customers around the nation are demonstrating that the in-store experience matters to them—that they want to touch, smell and talk about the things they are interested in buying.

The new, smarter American shopper will gravitate towards the brick and mortar experience that benefits them the most. In a time when the retail market is finally loosening, it only makes sense that one of your first investments should be into improving your team’s customer service delivery.

A recent article, “Customer Experience in 2011: the Penalties and the Payoffs” states:

Best-in-class customer experience organizations have 75% greater customer retention and 65% better customer satisfaction than the average company. And companies that pay attention to customer experience get more customers, too, with over 300 percent more leads in their sales pipeline that result in closed business.

Up-to-date customer experience measurement practices are focused on building revenue through customer retention and loyalty, thus company-wide implementation is on the rise with businesses placing their priorities on their customer service efforts.

One example of a battle for customer share is highlighted in a recent article from Time in partnership with CNN, called “On HOLD at eBay: Customer Service Lines Go Dead”. The article clearly identifies customer frustration with eBay for the lack of customer contact lines for low volume buyers and sellers. eBay has gone “virtual” in customer care and AuctionOnline.com is going to battle for their lost customer share.

AuctionOnline.com sees this as an opportunity to build customer confidence and capitalize on eBay’s customer experience issues and is touting their 24-7 phone customer care lines and scaled down auction fees for their members. Although eBay has made a statement that they will improve the voice-to-voice capability by end of year, they may have already lost the customer loyalty battle.

One of the best ways to win the battle is to take heed to the voice of your customers; capture, read and listen to their feedback. Companies that illustrate they have listened to and followed customer advice by demonstrating improvements, prove to customers that their opinions matter.

How are you monitoring your customers’ experience to keep your share in 2011?

Let’s keep it simple.  There is really only one rule.  Customers DEFINE your service culture.  It really is that straightforward. It makes sense, right? Since it does, why do so many business owners and businesses deliver the experience as “they” believe it should be?  Why do they fail to measure the experience from their customers’ perspective?

I have spoken with executives, frontline associates, and a myriad of business owners that say similar things, “We have a good feel for our customers.”  “We provide a “red carpet” experience to every customer.” “We don’t receive many complaints.”  “I think I know what our customers are experiencing in our stores.”

Customers (a.k.a. WE) want service when and how it’s convenient for them. They anticipate consistency in the service experience across all channels – in-store, online, catalog, and via mobile application. Companies may be meeting the customer’s expectations by providing purchasing opportunities in these diverse ways; however, the customer experiences vary because these touch points function independently of one another rather than as a cohesive culture.  Take preventive measures to ensure a well-rounded customer experience.

A recent article clearly supports this concept. It touts the importance of not only gathering ongoing feedback from customers at all channels, but supports the philosophy of sharing information between distribution areas so that all operate as “one” for the good of the whole experience and the whole organization.

1 to 1 Magazine recently stated in an article called The Multichannel Service “Multichannel service, however, is not serving customers across multiple siloed channels.  Effective multichannel service requires an organization’s different channels to work in tandem.”

The examples presented in this article take the “guesswork” and the “assumptions” out of the equation and allow businesses to gather statistically valid information to optimize what customers want, need and expect from each point of distribution and leveraging that information to build upon the experience in each channel and throughout the organization as a whole.  The article sited a specific sporting goods company that sold product in stores, on line at multiple web sites, as well as Amazon and Sears.  Initially the company operated these areas as separate entities so there was a lack of knowledge related to product accessibility thus “on-line browsers” that preferred to be “in-store purchasers” felt frustration and dissatisfaction at the lack of consistency between the two and the lack of in-store inventory.  The company recently engaged the services of a provider that syncs inventory levels in real-time from all product avenues which allows the company to proactively manage the customer’s product availability expectations.

Measuring total customer experiences from all touch points rather than “assuming customer satisfaction” and sharing this information company-wide allows you to implement and execute upon strategies for future success.

You would be able to control multiple locations operated by self-motivated team players that would feel passionate about the company and would look for ways to improve upon the customer’s experience without your having to beg them.

Everyone would take ownership and feel responsible for his or her actions.  They would take control of the business as though it were their own as they align their performance around the company’s goals.  A sense of cohesiveness and synergy would abound.  Whichever way you turned you would be in the company of award winning service providers.

This is not a dream or a speculative concept. To stay ahead in today’s brutal business climate, developing such an organization is essential.

According to PR Newsire and United Business Media, American Airlines awarded employees at Dayton International Airport and employees at 4 other airports (Colorado Springs, CO, Dallas/Fort Worth, Liberia, Costa Rica and San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico) with their Customer Cup Award.  The airline created this concept to build team relations and competition between various airports and personnel; all while improving processes that will delight customers.

Customer experience management solutions like the American Airlines Customer Cup are vital.  You can create a climate of award winning customer service performers whether your company is big or small.  Your ability to cultivate this culture is not dependent upon the size of your organization.  It is a result of the readiness of your Executive Team and your Team Members to transform the way they think and adopt a fresh approach to their jobs.

Exceptional customer service experiences are no less important in today’s marketplace than at any other time.  In fact, the need for customer experience enhancement is at an all-time high.  Why?  Consumers have more choices, lower brand and product loyalty, and less discretionary income.

I ask again.  If customer care is so vital to a business’ success, then why aren’t more organizations doing it well?  Because it takes time, a plan, a never ending commitment, continuous training to the same message, continuous reinforcement, and measurement methods.  Actually, developing a customer experience measurement program is quite like developing a workout program.  It doesn’t happen with one visit to the gym.  It’s a long term improvement plan.

The RightNow Customer Experience Report also confirms that customer service is still the number one reason consumers recommend a business which is why it is ultimately important for your team to:

• Identify primary points of customer contact throughout your entire organization
• Ask your customers how you can provide an enhanced experience for them
• Evaluate your team to ensure their service intuition and skill set is record breaking
• Ensure that your technology and customer web experience is cutting edge
• Create a well defined training program with tools in place to measure success

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes.  Substitute yourself for the last customer you served.  Would you have been impressed with the service?  Would you have felt that the experience had punch?  Would you pay 25% more for your products and services?

Do you know what your customers are seeing and thinking?  If not, you’re hurting your business and your bottom line.

At a recent stay in a well known hotel brand outside of Cleveland, I was shocked by the overall upkeep and care of the property.

After a much delayed flight, my colleague and I entered the up-to-date looking lobby area and had the “Oh thank goodness feeling this is going to be a pleasant place.”  We were greeted by the Front Desk Attendant with a smile and greeting.  After mentioning that due to a delayed flight we would welcome a snack and asked if there was anywhere in the hotel we could find one, the response received was that they did have some cookies available….a few hours ago…but could look forward to a full hot breakfast in the morning.

Our arrival was processed in the system and we were given our room keys.  I asked for directions to the elevator (rather than being told), left the lobby area and as we headed to the elevator it felt like we had entered a time warp.

Upon entering our guest rooms we were taken aback by the candy wrappers on the floor, the stains and spots on the bedding, the condition of the carpet, dust ring on the floor around the perimeter of the entire room and the quality and age of the mattresses.

With much fear I entered the bathroom to find a 3 toned ceiling – 2 different paint colors and mildew.  Although the vanity had a lovely granite top, the grime behind the faucet and around the edges of the top were a far cry from the impression I received when reading about this property on the web.  Dirt and filth was the common theme presented on both sides of the bathroom door, the tile floor, and right down to the toilet paper holder.

Too late and too tired to search for other accommodations we spent an “I will never stay at this place again” night.

A hot breakfast seemed like a perfect way to start a very long day, so we headed down to the restaurant.  Hyper focused on all areas of the property presentation, we couldn’t help but notice the dirt that was accumulating on the floor around the ice dispenser or the dust that was stacked on the handles of the doors leading down the hall to the “restaurant.”

“Restaurant?”  My first glance left me feeling puzzled by the card style tables and chairs. In actuality, this was not a restaurant at all.  It was a room with tables and had a counter with toasters, chafing dishes, coffee carafes, and a mixed continental style breakfast along with powdered scrambled eggs and sausage. In all of my years of travel, I have never seen a member of a hotel management team walk between hotel guests that were standing in line trying to “figure out the process” and place a patty of sausage on a Styrofoam plate and pick it up and eat it with her fingers.  Shocked, I snapped a picture of what was supposed to be a decorative bottle of sliced lemons and fruit that had decayed and made a quick exit.

The on-line advertisement of this hotel stated that it was a boutique property with a “home away from home” feel catering to the modern day business traveler.  Clearly lacking the “We are slaves to the details” that every overnight hotel guest expects and deserves…I made a mad dash to complete their Customer Satisfaction Survey.

Companies should also place an emphasis on Brand Research so they are armed with the knowledge to differentiate their brand in the customers’ mind.

When conducting Brand Research the end results should answer the following questions:

• Was your brand the first recommended or selected?  If not, why.
• If not, what was the first brand recommended?  Why?
• Why would or wouldn’t the customer recommend your brand over your competition?
• How can you best express your brand across all customer touch points?
• How can you differentiate your brand from your competition?

Firms – like SEG – offering this research dedicate themselves to building, strengthening and expanding client brands.

Since companies utilize the results of Brand Research to differentiate themselves from the competition consideration should be placed upon when a company engages in this method.

The most advantageous times are:

1. When market conditions change
2. As companies mature
3. When companies merge to operate as one
4. As companies expand their product and/or service base
5. As new companies are developed

In today’s rapidly changing business landscape knowledge of your customers understanding of your brand positions your company at top of your industry and miles ahead of your competition.

Think about the service experiences you receive that make you want to “sing the praises” of a company.  How often does that happen?  As often as you receive ill-mannered or apathetic service?

Today’s customers are savvy.  They expect and demand more. Extraordinary customer service is a requirement for success in today’s business environment.  The award winning companies know this and they eat, sleep and breathe this as their culture. It is their daily mantra.

These companies look for ways to get their customers to boast about them.

1. They view their customer’s experience through their eyes. Perception is reality.  Either black or white. Positive or negative.
2. They create customer champions by delivering more than what is expected and more than the competition delivers. Mediocrity does not glean customer loyalty.  For example, if a customer is required to wait in your location as you provide a service, fresh coffee, real cream and current magazines could be the degree of difference that customers will talk about.
3. They partner every customer interaction with a personal touch.  When I visit Il Bel Lago in St. Louis the owners greet me at the door by name, they remember what we spoke about the last time I dined at their restaurant, they keep in mind what menu items I prefer, and they make every celebrated occasion at their restaurant memorable.
4. They understand the B.A.S.I.C.S. (Because All Sales Include Customer Service).   Companies that stand out are slaves to the details and they are absolutely obsessed with how it feels to receive “red carpet treatment” which makes them fanatical about providing it to every customer every time.
5. They hire the best people.  They know that attitude takes precedence over skill set.  Attitude is an innate trait – technical skills can be taught.  Once on board…customer service training must be top of mind.  Too often companies allow untrained employees to engage with customers. The “sink or swim” approach leads to unsatisfied patrons.  The key is to train, measure your team’s performance using mystery shops and customer satisfaction surveys to gauge their knowledge and retention.  Coach the team using the customer intelligence received and then continue monitoring, measuring and coaching.  World class companies never stop investing in their team’s success and place as much emphasis on hiring and training their employees/internal customers as they do in charming new customers.

Creating a customer following that boasts about your business doesn’t happen by chance.    It takes persistence and uncompromising dedication.

Customers can be divided into 3 categories – “Promoters,” “Fence Riders,” and “Disbelievers.”

The “Promoters” are those customers that are loyal to your brand and spread the gospel to their friends to believe the same about your business. “Promoters” are the customers that preach about the excellence of your team, products, services and more. They are an extension of your advertising and support company growth. These are the customers that place you head and shoulders above the competition. Do you know why they believe in you? When you do…you can then begin to put additional customer retention strategies in place.

The “Fence Riders” are those customers that may or may not give your business a second chance and may be enticed by your competition. Your mission should be to evaluate the reasons why these consumers are “on the fence” and convert them to “jump off” on the “Promoter” side.

The “Disbelievers” are just that…they have lost faith in your team, business, and ability to meet and exceed their needs. These Consumers are promoting negative word of mouth about your organization. What are their customer satisfaction issues? If you fix the issues will this Consumer category cross over to the “Promoter” side or do you need to attract more of your “Promoter” customers?

One of the most effective ways to begin understanding your customers’ experiences is to put the appropriate customer retention and customer satisfaction research tools in place.

Stay tuned to find out more about these research tools…

What survey instruments and program tools are you using? How are your survey instruments designed? Are you gathering feedback from all customers? From all departments? For all products? Across all channels of distribution? From every customer touch point? At every stage of the customer lifecycle?

When we talk about “listening to customers,” we believe there are two parts to the formula. What does true listening mandate and are you absolutely sure you know your customers?

Effective customer experience measurement programs demand that selected survey tools are well-balanced with uniformity in the executed methodology, terms used, rating scales, and classifications. This ensures that the intelligence collected will be heard and will be useful not only at the field level, but also across multiple departments. Clearly, the plan of action must be reliable and the suitable numbers of responses collected of a respective sample size to allow you to draw compelling conclusions.

Recently acquired customers, existing customers, and disgruntled customers deciding whether they should continue to do business with you or choose another place to do business will all have different perceptions and experiences. It is paramount for you to capture their insights in order to build your customer base, retain your “promoters,” take the necessary steps to prevent losing customers, and even learn what it would take to win back the “disbelievers.”

We understand that you cater to Business-to-business Consumers as well as to the End User. Capturing customer feedback from all touch points is vital. Customers should be asked their opinions on everything, from product packaging to product quality to customer service support to ease of doing business with you to value received to how they felt they were treated during the sale and after the sale. What did they like and why? What did they dislike and why? What product enhancements and process improvements would set you apart from your competition? Understanding the good, the bad and the ugly positions your team for growth.

When you are armed with customer feedback you can:

• Use the customer intelligence for strategically planning your annual goals and objectives
• Pinpoint the key drivers of customer loyalty and customer satisfaction and link them to areas of opportunity and behavioral change to drive your bottom line
• Draw upon your knowledge of all customer demographics, purchasing behaviors, and expectations to segment your customers and deliver the desired experience again and again
  If you’ve done all of the above, you can be sure you will hear the true voice of the customer.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can call upon your customers to learn more about how it feels to do business with you contact Service Excellence Group now!

To deliver this world class performance and delight customers, businesses need to engage in ongoing dialog with them. Communication with customers needs to flow both ways – to your customers and from your customers. Resourceful service champions are eager to tune in to customers and do so through various tools:

• Mystery Shopper Programs assess employee compliance to trained best practices
• Customer Feedback Programs encourage customers to offer ideas, comments and suggestions about their service expectations and service requirements
• Intercept Surveys present an ideal methodology to identify the customers’ perceptions of and satisfaction with your teams’ performance along with any improvements and changes they may find appealing regarding your products, store layout and design, product packaging, etc.

When combined, these processes help to reward and recognize outstanding performers and pinpoint areas of opportunity all while knowing that customers appreciate being asked and listened to and return their appreciation through loyalty to your brand.

For businesses to survive and prosper, creating competitive advantage through customer loyalty is the strategic differential. Customer churn is costly and uncertain because the cost to gain a new customer is substantial thus continuing to delight your current customers is really the optimal plan for success. Delighting customers turns a “some-times” buyer into a lifetime relationship and this is psychologically and financially rewarding. Delighting customers by creating world class service in a worthwhile investment in your team’s success.