The Customer is An Asset!

The dictionary describes an asset as a useful or valuable thing, person, or quality. The business dictionary goes ahead to further qualify this as “something valuable that an entity owns, benefits from, or has use of, in generating income. It proceeds to enumerate the definition in accounting terms as “something that an entity has acquired or purchased, and that has money value; and that assets shown on the business balance sheet, are usually classified according to the ease with which they can be converted into cash.”

With this definition, the customer then takes on the shape and form of quite a valuable asset that fits squarely into the description. Indeed: customers are useful and valuable, without whom the business ceases to exist, and the business vision for which it was created ceases to have a foothold; organizations most definitely benefit from and have such valuable ‘use of’ customers that form the foundation of their operations; and customers are income generating entities, from where the revenue to drive the business comes from including planned innovations, strategy activities and expansion initiatives.

Many things have been said about the customer including the age old catch phrases that - the customer is always right, the customer is king and in some places the customer should always come first. Whereas all these have served over time, and oftentimes have their validity debated in the context of the current customer experience environment. The original intention however, is what should be valued, where the originators intended for focus on the customer to given the deserved attention.

Where the world has moved now and the new emphasis on getting customer experience into the boardroom to ensure discussions on customer acquisition, satisfaction, retention and loyalty; is to describe the customer in the right way, using the right format, with the right terms that fit into the right placement in business discussion. And with that in mind – The Customer is An Asset!

With this mind frame, it is expected that there will be a positive attitude shift towards customers within the entire organization. Organizations rank assets very high in their priority lists. Assets are precious items that must be well taken care of, well guarded, well looked after and well protected. The same must be said and done of our customers. They must be center of our focus and handled in pretty much the same way that assets are. Company assets are entered into the company books of accounts and are listed as very important items when computing the value of the company. The same must be done of customers, up to and including computing the value of the customer base and assessing the company’s overall standing.

The moment customers are viewed as assets and accorded the same due respect, then the current challenging need to crank up the efforts to have customer experience as an important leadership agenda will ease. It will be automatic. Assets are beautiful things, valued things, precious things, treasured and appreciated things. And so the customer should be and must be. The call to action for every entrepreneur, every business person, every organization and brand is to rework the thinking and the script, to most definitely read “The Customer is An Asset”

The 3 Cardinal Rules of Customer Experience and LOVE

There are three cardinal rules around delivering exceptional customer experiences that have to do with LOVE… No matter the circumstance, industry sector, business environment, sector of the economy or professional inclination, the rules remain the same. Steadfast and unchanging:-

1.       Love yourself

Yes!  The legendary Dr. Wayne Dyer often used a powerful analogy about squeezing an orange. He’d squeeze an orange at the beginning of his presentation and invite his audience to comment on what they observed coming out. They would invariably shout out ‘orange juice’ with each squeeze, wondering why he would keep repeating the act. The lesson behind this demonstration was that no matter how much you squeezed an orange, only orange juice could come out.  The moral of this story is that we cannot give out what we do not have in the first place.

It is in this very same light that we cannot provide excellent customer experiences and extend love to our customers, if we do not love ourselves first. If we are not truly filled with love for ourselves and express this love inwardly and outwardly with the assurance of self-love, then extending love to others and more so to our customers, is an exercise in futility.

At those moments when customers ‘squeeze’ one to the wall, putting to the test one’s emotions, would love come out in the same way that the orange juice consistently comes out of the orange? The answer can only be yes, if one is full of love, to the extent that no matter how soft or hard the squeezing, it would invariably flow out.

Love yourself to love your customers…………

2.       Love your team

An excerpt from the inspirational poem by John Donne (1573-1631) reads:-

“No man is an island,

Entire of itself,

Every man is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main…..”

And indeed, psychologists world over repeatedly aver that man is a relational creature. Human beings thrive in warm and working relationships and perform at their best when surrounded by colleagues who respect and trust them. No greater teamwork exists, than in an environment where there is open communication, a candid feedback system, reward and recognition for winning behaviour, an encouraging ecosystem and cheer leaders across the hierarchy of leadership. What more elements can be plugged into the definition of love than these? Loving customers comes easy when the environment in which one operates, has a core foundation of team concern and care.

Love your team to love your customers……….

3.       Love your customers

As simple as that – just love your customers. Love them for what they are and what they are not, for without them your work, vocation, career purpose and opportunity to practice your calling is naught.

The trick to this - for it is quite the challenge to love that difficult, nasty, belligerent, cantankerous and offensive customer – is to think not of them but the situation. And to relabel the station as difficult or challenging and not the customer. This helps to divorce the ill feeling toward the person and re-direct it to the conflict that manifests.

Love your customer – just love them………

So there you have it, the three commandments for excellent customer experience. Now go out there and love yourself, your colleagues and ultimately your customers this year!

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.