If there is one way to create a better customer experience, it’s this: Advocate.

The term advocate is used a lot when referring to kids in the court system, patients in hospitals, and others who can’t necessarily stand up for themselves. Caretakers are encouraged to advocate for their loved ones – ask questions, probe deeper, be sure you understand the necessary steps to treatment.

But who is advocating for your customers? In 2011, we had some unreal examples of when companies did the opposite of advocating. They became antagonists to the very customers they are supposed to serve. It’s easy to think of these big brands as nameless, faceless corporations. But anyone who has worked within the walls of such an organization understands these companies are made up of people, just like anywhere else. So how does stuff like this happen?

1. Netflix, once a darling of their customers, decided to recreate their business model without warning or consideration of the impact of these changes on their customers. Once loyal customers quickly became detractors – posting and shouting about the poor decisions to anyone who would listen. Netflix quickly had to back off the changes and apologize.

2. Bank of America, not necessarily known as a “warm, fuzzy” company to begin with, solidified their position as the poster-child big, bad company by introducing a fee for customers to use their very own debit cards to access their very own money. Quickly, customers not only took to social media but also to the streets to protest. BOA, like Netflix, had to back off this change and attempt to apologize. It seems a little too late – customers are leaving big banks in droves to avoid the feeling of schmuckery that comes with being a customer.

3. And, most recently, Verizon Wireless felt the sting of bad decisions when they, too, had to back off from a new customer fee they proposed.

What happens inside those walls? I can only imagine the conversations – something along the line of this:

CEO:  ”We need more money! Money, money, money….grumble…”

Chief Fee Officer: “How about another fee? We can just RENAME the service we’re already providing, tack on a fee, and then watch the money roll in!”

CEO: “Yes! Call in those marketers. Come up with a snazzy name just in case someone actually reads the statement!”

Then the marketers lock themselves in a room, create a fantastically-inaccurate title like “Customer Choice Selection Investment,” then carry on with their lives.

I don’t think people who work in these companies are really awful or simple-minded AT ALL. I believe they are smart people who are asked to do simple-minded things.

And they are never asked to advocate for the customer. They are never asked to step back, think of what actions like this would REALLY do to the customer relationship, or the consequences of those actions. It is never part of the job description.

If someone in the room would ask those questions, we’d live in a better world.

Shame on them. Shame on the financial types who never “work the numbers” for what scores of canceled subscriptions, bad PR, and completely negative word-of-mouth could do to the company. Shame on the marketers who never stand up and say “this is BS.” Shame on the C-level for assuming customers aren’t paying attention.

Customers, FINALLY, have a voice. And we’re not afraid to use it. It’s time to advocate inside your company’s walls FIRST. Don’t end up on the list of bad moves.

Photo Credits: tray via Creative Commons

 

I snapped this picture at the nearby Sports Authority. Isn’t there a better way? How about an arrow for where the entrance is? How about a “Thanks for shopping with us.” Instead, these signs seem to yell at the customer. NOT AN ENTRANCE. Would you say it that way to your mom? Try again.

 

In the spirit of this holiday, however, I started thinking about my clients. Of course I’m grateful because they pay my invoices and allow me the opportunity to work for myself. However, thinking about the true depth of my gratitude created an awareness of all the amazing things they bring me – not just this month but every month.

My clients allow me to explore industries and environments I otherwise wouldn’t. I’m perpetually curious, so this is a great thing. This year alone, I’ve tapped into cloud computing, beauty retail, education, flooring and community banking. It’s exciting to learn about various industries, and I wouldn’t be as educated a consumer without the work I do for my clients.

My work allows me to meet awesome, inspiring people. Thanks to social media, conferences, and introductions, I have met really incredible friends, partners and connectors.

Evaluations I do on a nearly daily basis prove to teach me things I don’t necessarily want to keep learning – like patience and starting from scratch when things don’t go as planned.

These same evaluations also provide many “a ha” moments which make it all worthwhile.

I’m so fortunate. Thank you to my clients, colleagues, friends, foes and competitors for all you do for me.

Customers provide so much – not just a paycheck. Have you considered what you should really thank them for?

Artwork Credit: bennthewolfe & woodleywonderworks

 

1. Fix something you know is broken. There are such things as easy fixes. You know what some of them are – broken links, bad information, too much time waiting. Fix them.
2. Change a message. If you send invoices, do they just ask for payment? Add a thank you (especially this month). When you send confirmation for payment, say thank you again. (What? You don’t send confirmation? There’s another thing to fix!)
3. Look at your “front door” with new eyes. Walk through your front door, call your sales line, check out the sign when customers walk into your dental practice. Ask yourself if it really shows your customers you respect and welcome them. If not, do what you can TODAY to make it friendly and inviting.
4. Check out the photos on your web site. Do they represent your company and your customers? Many times they are boring stock photos of mostly 40-something white people. Consider who your customers are and do your best to represent them.
5. Give a little extra. I recently heard a story about a dry cleaner who takes off 10 – 20% randomly for his best repeat customers. He gets to know their stories, and says things like, “Oh, you have a kid in college!” and then marks down the bill right there. It’s enough to spur real loyalty.
6. Greet your customers by name…for real. How many emails start with “Dear Jeanne C. Walters, As a loyal customer…” Excuse me, but this is not how we talk to each other in real life. Take a page from the drycleaner mentioned above and get to know your customer.
7. Invite your customer to tell you how it really is. Instead of just pushing out surveys or relying on a Facebook poll, look for the responses that are most meaningful and then call that customer up and ask them to share with your executive committee, your board or your call center staff what they shared. Then do something about it.

Photo credit: r3v || cls  and Andrew Stawarz via Creative Commons license

 

At the inaugural Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA) event for customer experience practitioners, a few messages rose to the top. There were several days of very interactive and powerful sessions of case studies, examples and “family talk” of what our struggles really are. Customer experience, as a field or discipline, is new in the grand scheme of things. While every company understands the need for a CFO, most of them do not understand the need for a CCO (Chief Customer Officer). This group of professionals is working on changing that, and here are the challenges I heard:

1. The C-Level Doesn’t Get It.

Some executive teams understand the idea of why superior customer experience is necessary for success, but many don’t understand how to implement or “walk the walk.” In fact, an overarching (and repeating) lament was “How do I get them to GET IT?” The answers ranged from tie customer experience success with business metrics to tell compelling stories to help them humanize the business. No matter how you say it, it seems to be an ongoing, uphill battle right now. Keep the faith! There are those executives who are becoming passionate about it and supporting CX within their organizations.

2. Employee Engagement is Critical.

Some of the best case studies showcased how key employees were brought into the customer experience journey. A well-received example was how Fidelity Investments took 40 peer- and manager-nominated Customer Advocates to the Disney Institute to really get everyone on the same page on their goals around customer experience. I also appreciated how Diane Simmons, Vice President of Customer Experience at Fidelity, referred to this group as “the first class” of advocates. Educating, graduating and deputizing customer advocates is a key part of really inserting customer experience into the very culture of any organization.

3. Customer Experience as a Department is Both Too Big and Too Small.

Few organizations have one customer experience executive, let alone a whole team. Those with bigger teams run the risk of getting assigned, well, everything. Everything touches the customer, right? So the leader of the CX team must be prepared to define roles and responsibilities in ways that mean saying yes and no. It’s easy to earn the reputation of the “department of no” if you are defending your small team’s resources from requests like “rewrite this customer letter” and “follow up” with each and every customer request. At the same time, limited resources are a common occurrence. Proactive, thoughtful communication about what exactly the Customer Experience group does (or should do) is critical.

4. Listen, Respond, Repeat.

There is no greater skill to any customer experience professional than the ability to listen. Listening means gathering consistent feedback from customers, employees, the marketplace, prospects, etc. Listening also means really responding to feedback in actionable ways, then communicating about how that feedback is used. Nothing kills a feedback program more than bad feedback with no actions to resolve the issues. It’s up to the customer experience change agents to really listen and then SHOUT about how to address the issues. It’s up to us to keep talking about it, too, until it becomes part of the fabric of the organization. If you think you have said it enough, then say it 100 more times.

There were many great ideas shared by customer experience pros from all over the globe. It was exciting to be a part of, and we’re just getting started! You can join the conversation by joining the CXPA.

I, like CXPA Co-Founders Bruce Temkin and Jeanne Bliss, am excited about where the industry is going. The dedication and enthusiasm were palpable in this group. Few people get to say “I was there” at the start of something like this. I’m proud to say I was among them.

Photo Credit: InspiredDesMoines via Creative Commons license

 

Boston Clock Tower

Hello, world!

I’ve been sort of checked out from the blog thanks to travel, work, travel, work and now some travel (for work.)

This week, I’m in Boston attending the first ever Customer Experience Professional Association‘s Members Insight Exchange. It’s pretty exciting since this organization just started this year and already has close to 1000 members. It’s also exciting to talk to so many professionals like me who are totally jazzed about all things customer related.

Today was a preview of sorts for the committees. I attended the networking committee meeting and it was no surprise who was there – extroverts! And while we’re all CXPA members, we all have different skills and perspectives on the customer experience discipline.

But there are trends to what we thought we needed. Here are a few ideas worth repeating:

1. True professionals admit they don’t know it all. Everyone is here to learn.

2. Customer experience is prickly, broad and expansive. It is difficult to define, hard to capture and lacking a true start or end. Accept that as part of it.

3. Design strategy and innovation are becoming bigger and bigger topics within the Customer Experience conversation. Design strategy is not limited to one area – service design, web design, process design, product design – it’s all in there!

I’m sure I’ll be learning a lot these next few days. Follow along on twitter or through the #cxpa hashtag.

 

Um, what?

So, to sate the few appetites of those who read this blog regularly and the other passersby who discovered it today, I decided to provide a reading list of sorts of the greatest hits. Ok, not really, but here are a few items from the archives I thought you might enjoy about customer experience.

Happy reading.

What Is Customer Experience and Why Do I Care?

This is one of my personal favorites, because it involves me flashing a badge: Customer Experience Investigator

If you ever talk with me in person, I’m sure I’ll use the phrase “holistic customer experience” at some point. I’m sure it’s annoying, but it sums up a big part of my philosophy. Holistic Customer Experience

User Experience Issues

Reviewing the archives, I realized I complain a lot about user experience. I’ll try to get better at writing about good ones. But, for now, here are some posts about the bad and ugly side of online experience.

Usability v. User Experience

Mistakes

Communications as Customer Strategy

Apparently, I’m Andy Rooney. I complain a lot. What is it about communications? Why are they handled so poorly?

Communications is Customer Experience

Communication is important internally, too. No, really, it is.

General Ways to Improve

Yay! Happy ideas! You can improve and create great experiences.

Ways to improve the experience today!

Have a great week. Thanks for reading, commenting, sharing and basically liking me and what I do here. It’s very appreciated.

Photo credits: travestyalpha and Kenzoka via Creative Commons license

 

But there’s one channel that gets a lot of attention: online. It’s not unusual for me to work on projects that are almost exclusively about user experience. Companies provide goods, services, communities, feedback and more via the Interwebz. And yet, even when this is the main (or exclusive) channel to connect with customers, they ignore what is really happening.

Here is a partial list of the offenses I’ve encountered recently:

• If you’d like users to BUY from your site, then please make it easy to do so. The shopping cart shouldn’t be hidden, buried, or otherwise hard to get to. (This is often true when you are trying to get BACK to the cart. It’s vanished!)
• Users will have questions about your products, your company, or your return policy for shipments to Guam. Some questions cannot be predicted, so make it easy for customers to find a way to contact someone directly.
• Your blog or your white papers should not lead users to a foreign land of new windows with various URL’s.
• If your form is smart enough to ask for my zip code first, then it should be smart enough to figure out my state. Ditto for asking for my time zone listed as “Chicago” and then requesting my country.
• I like cool doodads as much as the next gal, but using them for cool’s sake is just silly. It’s easier to type in the year of birth rather than scroll through a drop down of the last century. It’s nicer to refine a number with a keypad than a slider. Think of the USE first, then the design.
• If it’s a mobile site, then test it on different mobile devices. Figure out what happens when the user is punching a code on a tiny screen while bouncing around on a train.

 

“Why do these things keep happening to me!?”

“I work so hard. I deserve more than this.”

“I know I’m great. I’ve lost my last few clients because THEY’RE crazy!”

“I’m so sick of trusting people and being a good person and getting hurt.”

There are a lot of people who live in a state of perpetual victimship. The world is a big, bad place sometimes. Bad stuff happens for no reason at all. The difference is how we handle it. It’s ok to be bummed out, but it won’t get better by living in that state.

Unfortunately, these people don’t see themselves the way the rest of the world does. They get feedback from enablers who tell them, “You’re right. You ALWAYS do the right thing. It’s those other people.” They only listen to those who agree with them. They truly believe they work harder, deliver better, or even feel more than others.

Simply put, they’re delusional.

We all work hard. Yes, some work harder than others. Some who don’t work very hard get to roll around in piles of cash they earned from either dubious or lazy methods. Some really, really hard workers have to keep working really, really hard just to get by in the world. Some of the worst in their professions get the most accolades. Some of the best are ignored. It’s life. It’s hard. It’s not fair.

So what? What does that have to do with you or this blog or any of it?

These people who are victims – let’s call them the cursed – bring that curse with them. They rain on parades and ruin others’ moments. They look for opportunities to complain and kvetch. They bring misery and mayhem and most of all – DRAMA – into every situation they can.

Like it or not, the cursed are probably working for you. They bring that gift of the cursed attitude to the break room, the staff meeting, and the company outing. Worst of all they probably bring it to your customers.

The cursed really can’t help it. They can’t see it. They truly believe they are fighting a good fight against the world and losing. They are battling because they believe those outside forces are really out to get them.

The cursed bring a curse which is a poison to a workplace, a company, or an experience. Don’t let them. Find the cursed, and ask them to bring their curse elsewhere.

 Photo credit: Rev. Xanatos Satanicos Bombasticos via Creative Commons license

 

But how should you do it? I’ve offered some ideas about questions to ask, what to do with feedback and more. Most executives and business owners say the same thing, however:

“I don’t have the time.”

I get it. Time is precious and none of us seem to have enough of it. How about a few “set it and forget it” ideas? Ok, you can’t really forget, but you can consider it a start.

1. Set the right alerts.

Use Google alerts and Yahoo to find out what’s top of mind for your customers. If you are a B2B organization, set up alerts for your customers, their clients, and key employees. Competitors are another good category to track.

If you serve consumers, then track what’s important to them, not just your product name.

2. Search where your customers are.

Google Blog Search is a great resource for finding out where and how your customers are discussing topics important to them. So many blogs out there, and yet very rarely do brands or business owners actually participate in the conversations happening. Many times we turn to peers online for advice or ideas about specific products. Make sure you are paying attention!

3. Use Twitter as a direct line.

Setting up key search terms on Twitter can really help you hear what your customers are discussing. But here’s the secret: Don’t just search for your brand names. Search for WHY customers would use a product like yours.

4. Respond to complaints and suggestions from your customers with “Tell me more.”

When customers take the time to tell you directly, it’s important to listen up. Asking for more information will get to the root of the problem – not just what broke the proverbial straw on that camel’s back. “Tell me more” invites dialogue and thought.

See? It’s not that hard. But it’s not easy, either. It does take time, but if you commit to your end of the conversation, you’ll get more than enough from the other side.

Photo Credit: Melvin Gaal via Creative Commons license