Wow Customer Experience - What's That????!!!!!

In a brainstorm meeting yesterday, we were trying to define what constitutes a “Wow” customer experience. The five of us – four customer experience strategists and one brand guru had such interesting viewpoints that I feel compelled to share. We asked ourselves so many different questions including:-

• Is it when that hotel has all your booking details and remembers your preferences including choice of room and preferred drink?
• Is it when that restaurant welcomes you and has the food just right and the service is both respectfully aloof but warmly attentive at the same time?
• Is it when your bank calls you for no particular reason but to appreciate you for your custom over the years?
• Is it the government office that you visit and you are mighty surprised at the pleasant service and efficient operations that have you in and out in half the time you expected?
• Is it your mobile service provider who not only responds to your enquiry fully but goes on to advise you on how you can make your experience more cost effective for your good?
• Is it the supermarket attendant who personally walks you to the shelf and shows you where the product you are asking for is and offers to carry your shopping basket to the till?
• Is it when the matatu conductor waits until you get to the door of the vehicle, greets you, asks you where you want to sit and then holds your luggage as you get in and ensures your comfort?
• Is it when you write an email to that yoghurt manufacturer and make a suggestion and not only do they respond to thank you, but implement it and provide you samples in gratitude?
• Is it when you visit the garage and not only does your mechanic finish repairing the car on time as promised, but also throws in a thorough car wash ensuring your car is sparkling?
• Is it when the shop keeper near your house goes the extra mile to pack your eggs in a newspaper first before putting them in the paper bag to ensure your walk home is comfortable?  

We had quite a number of examples of what we felt were “Wow” customer experiences and given their diversity, we sought to see if there was a common thread running through them. We sort of agreed on a few things that seemed to be consistent. What was coming through was that these experiences: had the effect of making the customer feel special; had an element of surprise and delight built in; demonstrated that thought and care had gone into the actions; had the customer feeling like a VIP irrespective of the value of their transaction; and provided an opportunity for the provider to expressly give meaningful attention to the customer’s needs.

If these are the things that elicit enjoyable and treasured customer experience, then it is worth noting that they are not costly initiatives in the least. Some don’t involve any monetary implication at all, and yet have an emotive effect that would have customers very endeared to the brand and have them most definitely regularize their custom.

Isn’t it time therefore that we bust that myth that seems to imply that to implement customer focused activities big budgets are required? Clearly the evidence on the ground indicates quite the opposite! So yes go out there and “Wow” your customers – they deserve it.

“Bad Service” From Your Customer? Ditch Them!!!!

Good customer service dictates that we should love our customers and bend over backwards for them whilst going the extra mile. This is the mantra we should all live by because the customer is the business and business is the customer and that’s just the way it is. BUT…………

We must acknowledge that there are customers who are a royal pain! I’m not talking about challenging customers who complain and get us out of our comfort zones to be more creative and solution oriented. No. Not those ones. Not the ones who ‘make noise’ with a view to having their grievances resolved so that they may return. No. Not those ones either. I’m talking about problem customers. The ones, who completely drain you, drain the business, drain the staff and drain everything valuable to the organization – time, resources and money.

First, let it be clear that you must identify these customers and second, after identification, you must DITCH them immediately! Divorce them! Let go of them and run without ever looking back!

Strange customer service advice right?

However radical, this is just the way things need to be done in order to keep sanity alive and the enterprise going. There’s a common saying that you cannot please everyone. That is just the way the world works. Whilst maintaining an excellent customer service ethic in dealing with customers, it is important to not allow these exceptional few to derail you. And in general they are an exception rather than the norm. There will always be that customer who behaves in a manner that would have the team cringe at the thought of them and dread any interaction with them.

Let’s be clear here…. these are the types who:

•                    Constantly manifest abusive tendencies to you and your staff, where the abuse may be verbal or physical. No matter what the problem is, there is really no need for a customer to be constantly abusive. There are instances where it may be an overreaction to something, and often genuine customers have been known to come back and apologize for their over-reaction. But a customer who is constantly abusive? No. No. No. Ditch Them!

•                    Constantly issue threats to you and your staff, where these threats take the shape of violent threats, threats to your physical wellbeing, threats to go to the competition, threats to take the complaint to social media and other public places, and threats to have your business closed down. No. No. No. Ditch Them!

•                    Constantly make unreasonable demands on you and your staff. These types constantly try to take advantage of your business for their gain. This could take the shape of wanting unreasonable refunds, wanting free services rendered, wanting more than they paid for and wanting to constantly be waited upon over and above the scope of the business transaction. No. No. No. Ditch Them!

•                    Constantly flout your payment terms. These customers completely ignore the payment terms on your contracts and invoices, demand huge unreasonable discounts not inclusive in your agreements and that are injurious to the business, have you run into debt trying to service the impact of their non-payment. No. No. No. Ditch Them!

Problem customers are extremely toxic and as with all things toxic, the great author Israelmore Ayivor tells us to “Save your skin from the corrosive acids from the mouths of toxic people.” These customers usurp the precious time you and your team need to focus on taking care of and delighting other customers. There is no return on investment for babysitting problem customers of this nature.

Granted it is not easy, but it is in every business’ best interests to bite the bullet and in the most professional manner possible, part ways in the most professional manner possible. Please remember that the golden rule of handling all customers with courtesy, dignity and respect still applies here. With utmost professionalism, cut off the customer and let them go gently. In all the research I’ve done on this topic this fantastic blog by Nicholas Reese has by far the best description of scripts available that can be customized to use to let go of your problem customer.

So yes……..do it today today today! Take action. Protect yourself and your team. You owe them that much.  Protect your business from the financial and emotional trauma of problem customers. You owe the business that much. And most importantly STOP thinking about, worrying about and strategizing how to handle that customer. Just DITCH Them! Because “Letting toxic people go is not an act of cruelty, it’s an act of self-care.” – Author Unknown

Customer Service and The Business Hierarchy of Needs

I recently sat through a technical sales training session by sales excellence expert Sam Kariuki who was coaching Energy Engineers to effectively communicate and ‘sell’ their world changing passions. He referred to page 66 of his book on entrepreneurship The Guy Who Fired His Boss - where the business hierarchy of needs is outlined. As Sam went on to expound on the critical need to understand where in the hierarchy a business is, to effectively match the communication, I kept thinking about the role of customer service excellence within this hierarchy and where and when to apply it.

So let’s unpack the hierarchy and make note of exactly where customer service plays a role and to what extent the space in which an organization is playing within this hierarchy, influences service delivery.

When examining the issues affecting organizations, and what must occupy their boardroom thoughts as they transition through the triangle, providing superior customer service stands out as a solution to all pressing problems.

When faced with financial survival needs – there is no better, more cost effective and more impactful tool ever created than word of mouth marketing. Viral word of mouth is a direct result of excellent customer service experiences that turn customers into brand ambassadors. The solution for enterprises at this stage of life is to apply delightful customer experiences always.

Businesses, plagued with productivity issues, requiring to increase efficiency and optimize on the resources available, stand an optimistic chance of delivering on their objectives by upping their internal customer service game. An enthused workforce that knows that the leadership of the organization cares and is rooting for their success, are the very source of brilliant ideas on how to cut costs and increase efficiency. The solution for enterprises at this stage of life is to completely delight the internal customer and wait for positive results.

In their advisory to customers, Sales Force © mentions that “The most successful businesses have one thing in common - great customer service. Unlike differentiators of quality, innovation or price, great customer service is a differentiator that can't be bought; it's a competitive advantage that can only be earned.” Enterprises worldwide need not look any further than at this description of what delivering excellent customer service can do for a business and how impactful it is on the bottom line. The solution for organizations fighting for competitiveness in the business hierarchy of needs is to purposefully create delightful customer experiences.

Self-actualization for corporates aligns directly with brand equity that is loosely defined as the commercial value derived from consumer perception of a brand name rather than from the product or service itself. The question then begs – what creates powerful brand names? Human beings are emotional creatures and the ‘feel good’ factor is what drives up brand value. Brands that create emotive connections with customers get recognized for it and have reputation to protect and live up to. To fight to keep in brand leadership position requires maintenance of delighted customers through the brand life cycle.

So there you have it! At no point in an organization’s life cycle is customer service execution more or less important than the other. It pays to focus on the customer and to have the entire business aligned to customer centricity. The question of how to sustain customer delight, and how to ensure products and services are geared towards eliciting a feel good outcome for customers, should never be far from any entrepreneur’s lips. Whether just starting out or already at conglomerate level, the prescribed medicine is the same - Customer Delight To Be Dished Out To Customers In Huge Doses.

What's in A Toilet?

                                         Business that’s what!

We recently traveled to Voi by road as a corporate group for a teambuilding/ workshop/retreat session. The distance to the actual venue we stayed at, would be in total about 400km. The road trip was great! It served as a bonding session, and there was lots of excitement to see the changes along Mombasa Road that is bringing the metropolis that is Nairobi and Mombasa together, vide infrastructural and business development initiatives along the highway. The progress in the construction of the standard gauge railway also provided fodder for many a conversation in the bus.

What struck me the most though, was the heated debate there was about where to stop for lunch. Although there were many proposals, two main groups emerged with one group proposing we stop at Makindu and the other Mtito Andei . The debate went on and on with points exchanged about the cost of food, the quality of food, the variety of food, the safety of the food( complete with stories narrated of food poisoning incidents etc) and the quantity of food served with a view to getting value for the money spent. The food allowance per person was on a limited budget so the need to get good food at a good price was top priority. There was consensus that we stop at a popular roadside joint just after Makindu but before Mtitu Andei. A mid way point.

And then a lady colleague spoke up from the back of the bus and asked the million dollar question – “Are the toilets clean?” She wanted to know if the lunch venue that the team had settled on had decent,  clean toilets that we would all be comfortable to use. And then there was dead silence…………………

 The next conversations that were had were almost of the prosecutorial variety trying to reign in a suspect. The ladies in the bus especially wanted to know and understand – if the toilets had running water, if they were anywhere near the food sitting area, if they were eastern or western style toilets, if there was a hand wash area, if they were sufficient in number or if people had to queue up, if there was separation of facilities for gents and ladies and lastly if there was lighting in the toilet facilities.

The short of this long story is to let you know, that all 44 people aboard the bus, despite all the conversations, points, motions and counter arguments earlier held, were in consensus that we MUST go to a place with decent toilets. And that is how we ended up having lunch at a place in Makindu known as Quality Café. The food wasn’t anything to write home about, the service was passable and the cost manageable. But that the toilets were alright and that the team was able to take a decent bathroom break was what carried the day.

It has been said before and rightly so, that the condition of the toilet in any public facility whether a shopping mall, restaurant, bank, church, or any other service provider, determines the customer –centricity of the institution. An institution cares about its customers to the extent that it provides decent washroom facilities and puts in place a system to maintain cleanliness.

So the question goes out to decision makers out here, whether toilet facilities are part of the considerations discussed when looking at customer comfort as a business development source. Toilets are a significant customer touch point and need to make their way into boardroom discussions.

So I ask again, What’s in a Toilet? Business – that’s What!

Getting and Staying On Top!

                                                                   

Having celebrated the Service Excellence Awards 2015 this week (http://se-awards.com/) organised by The Institute of Customer Service in Kenya to recognize and celebrate exemplary customer service, many insights emerged...

The SE Awards are purely an expression of service delight conveyed directly by customers about their service providers. The awards are based on the Net Promoter Score that solely incorporates the voice of the customer and their willingness to act as brand ambassador for the corporate of choice, vide their inspiration to make recommendations to their family, colleagues and friends.

This year’s awards had some surprising results in the banking, insurance, petrol station and supermarket categories that saw traditional service power houses unseated by their competitors, much to their surprise and disappointment. This then begs the question – what would cause an organization that traditionally provides excellent customer service and has in place customer centric initiatives to be outvoted in a customer service survey?

The one and only answer to this question is CUSTOMER LOYALTY.  The net promoter score question is a clear measure of customer loyalty.  In their excellent book Customer Loyalty Guaranteed, Chip Bell and John Patterson pronounce firmly that “Loyal customers act as a volunteer sales force, championing brands to others at work, at home, in social circles and even around the glove via recommendations on blogs and online sites.” The net promoter score question therefore is indeed a customer loyalty question. It prompts respondents to declare their willingness to ‘sell’ the brand.

That being the case, the immediate call to action for brands is to examine if they are pushing customer satisfaction or customer loyalty.  With the customer being the central focus of business, and with enhanced customer engagement directly contributing to increased revenues, the subject of customer loyalty needs to take center stage in every boardroom and should be the bane of every CEO’s existence should it not be measuring up.

It is not enough to have satisfied customers, it is not enough to provide exemplary customer service and it is not enough to have customer contact activities. Brands that are driven to create customer loyalty must create emotional connections with customers, must ensure customers feel really really listened to, and must strive to be dedicatedly consistent at it.

Customers remain loyal when they know their feedback, views and ideas are welcome, received and considered; that they are important and are a part of the brand’s family; and that they are seen as individuals and not masses. There must be a specific drive to continuously consult with the customer, actively seek feedback and create new products, services and solutions based on this feedback.

As Philemon Kiprop from the country’s leading Mobile Operator commented in his acceptance speech while receiving the winning Service Excellence Award on behalf of Safaricom Ltd “Whenever we have meetings, we leave an empty seat in our meeting rooms. This is the customer’s seat. The customer is an ever present presence in our meetings and we ask ourselves with every proposal, decision or invention – WWCD – What Would the Customer Do?” It is therefore not surprising that the customer loyalty for this brand through thick and thin remains at an all-time high.

Ask yourselves in your customer strategy meeting with your teams today – are we promoting customer service or customer loyalty? And let that be the beacon shining light into your customer focused activities going forward.

The Customer Is NOT Always Right

There’s a very common assertion in business that “The Customer Is Always Right”. It has been hammered time and time again and is deeply ingrained in the minds of staff world over, that without fail in any corporate speaking forum when we pipe up and say “The Customer Is Always………………” RIGHT!!! is what we get right back at us. Unanimously and in choir format.

So let’s get our facts right and dig deeper and ask – really, truly, is the customer always RIGHT? Always?!

NO WAY!!!! Customers are very often in the wrong. There are very many different factors that occasion them being wrong: they forget what they have been told about products or services; they do not follow instructions as advised; they misread and misunderstand things and end up confused; they make assumptions and sometimes go off tangent; and quite a number in the search for freebies, discounts, complimentary items or concessions, decide to create a fuss for nothing. So yes, many many times, the customer is WRONG.

However, with the mentality that customers are always right, we find that many staff are completely cowed into submission, lack assertiveness, back down in complete resignation and are unable to maintain their stand when confronted by customer conflict situations where the customer is actually wrong. And many, in a bid to pacify the agitated customer and calm the situation end up apologizing and deferring to the complaining customer.

And yes, whilst apologizing is indeed a much preached solution to effectively deal with angry and agitated customers, with the A in the acronym LEARN – Listen | Empathise | Apologise | Resolve | Now referring specifically to making an apology, it is important to note that blanket apologizing even when the customer is the sole cause of the problem, may lead to liability issues.  When a customer complains, and the respondent is quick to say “I am sorry” or ‘I apologise”, it acts as soothing balm to the customer yes, but fuels those that have vengeful and libelous inclinations.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word apologize as “express regret for something that one has done wrong” with emphasis on the words regret and wrong. So If the customer is wrong or on the wrong and one apologizes, how then is it in order to express regret for doing or causing ‘nothing’?

Sorry is indeed a magic word and has served over the centuries to bring forth peace, calm, harmony and unity, and to quell the fires of wrath. It is however very important to note that to calm a situation, one should be careful to apologize for the customer’s feelings and for the situation in general (“I am so sorry you are so upset” or “I am really sorry things do not seem to be going as per your expectations” etc) and not for the actual complaint, unless without reasonable doubt the organization or individual are at fault. In which case a full blown out apology is in order and in fact expected.

So having established that the customer is not always right – what next? Well, knowledge is power, and knowing for a fact that customers are very often on the wrong, empowers staff to acknowledge to themselves that the customer is indeed wrong, and then proceed to creatively think of how to resolve the matter at hand with a win-win outcome. Focusing on finding an amicable solution and seeing how to assist the customer despite the situation, instead of being hung up on who is right and who is wrong, will result in a favourable outcome every time. And of course the magic rule of customer service, to treat each customer with Courtesy, Dignity and Respect will produce a winning result. Always!

Is Tipping or Not Tipping a Tipping Point?

                                                                  

And no……………….. I am not talking about Malcolm Gladwell’s award winning book The Tipping Point that talks about the tipping point, being that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire, that has dramatically changed the way people worldwide think about business development and idea publishing.

I am talking about a different tipping point…………..

Last night we went out to dinner at Peppers Restaurant in Westlands Nairobi with a group of guests from China. One of my clients was hosting their publishing partners who had come visiting them as a major customer.  We were a group of eleven people in total.  After an excellent dinner which was an interesting combination of Indian, Chinese and African, that the guests were delighted with, my colleague Jane paid the bill using the assigned float that she had carried.

When the waiter returned her change and she was counting it to ensure it was correct given that she would need to account for the company resources against the receipts issued, the waiter said to her pointing at the billing wallet where bills and change are placed “Na hi mfuko yangu? Hauweki kitu ndani ya hii mfuko yangu?” “And this pouch of mine? Are you not putting anything in this pouch of mine?” And when Jane looked at him rather confused for she hadn’t quite understood what he was saying, he repeated in an angry voice “ Yaani, hautaweka kitu hapa! Umewacha mfuko yangu hivo bila!” “You mean you are not going to put anything in here, you have left my pouch empty!” and then stormed off in a huff.

Now here’s the million dollar question – is tipping mandatory? Is tipping or not tipping a tipping point?

The angry reaction of this waiter completely erased the good service and the delightful meal that we’d had. The rest of the conversation as we wound up was about how surly he was and whether staff at a restaurant have the right to demand a tip when it is not forthcoming, as well as the conditions under which tips should or shouldn’t be issued.

I am not too sure about the dos and don’ts of tipping  best practice and this incident has had me go online to check if this answer exists, with varying feedback as outlined here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/18/tipping-guide-around-the-world_n_5489427.html

And as with most other types of research – I couldn’t find any statistics for Africa L

However – what I am dead sure about is about service excellence. So let’s explore that……

What good customer service dictate?

It dictates that customers must be treated with courtesy, dignity and respect. And there’s no two ways about it. No matter what the situation, no matter how aggrieved one may feel, no matter if the customer is right or wrong, the non-negotiable of customer service is to maintain sanity and handle  customers with aplomb.

Was Jane handled with level headedness and composure? I leave you to answer that question, and to ponder over the next reaction you may have when your customer has done something you ‘deem’ as unacceptable. Over to you……………………………..