Worst Case Scenario for Delivering New Customer Value

Here is a worst case scenario:

• A well known product, already experienced by the entire market.
• It’s had many re-introductions in different forms, packages, and industry verticals.
• Fully commoditized.
• The market may be emotionally attached to the original version so the new version may be potentially undesirable.

We must agree that under such a scenario new value-add, demand and certainly loyalty would be difficult to achieve.

However, if we are willing to look beyond our paradigms, and if we know our customers well enough to offer them something they never knew they wanted,
then, maybe we have a chance to lead.

Take a look:

What is special about this video?
Knowing your customer is the key to adding unforeseen value.

Rudy Vidal
Committed to XCL

nothing will change until something changes

One of the most common hurdles in trying to improve the customer experience, is that we view the customer’s situation through our own internal filters which are ladened with our own limitations, policies and generalization.  In effect, we can hear the customer but what we “know”, doesn’t let us listen.   

Those that touch the customer daily know more than anyone about what the customer considers important.  As surprising as it may be however, I find that those that touch our customers every day are not the ones designing the customer experience.  Those that decide are often somewhat removed and rely on their “past experience” to make the right decision.

Some time ago, I gave a contact center manager a challenge to transform the customer experience with the representative by only changing the rep’s greeting.  At first, the feeling was that the greeting could not change the experience.   The content of the experience was so much more important than the greeting that it could not be overshadowed.  Jut to be nice, she played along.  After considerable thinking and word-smithing, the new greeting was surprisingly similar to the original.  The reasons for the measured change were all logical and full of merit, backed by experience and knowledge in customer service.

Because I had done this exercise before and new the results, I pressed on.  However, if i did not have the benefit of my previous experience, I would have likely agreed with the logic and “let sleeping dogs lie”.  Instead, I provided an idea for the new greeting. “Hello, thank you for calling XYZ, my name is Rudy Vidal.  I am committed to resolving your issue today, please let me help you.”  This new greeting was received with raised eyebrows and determined to be “corny”.  I agreed it could be “corny” , but in whose eyes?

 To a contact center person who knows what happens day in and day out, who is aware of all the difficulties associated with actually resolving an issue, it may sound corny.  But to a customer who is having a bad day, who has just gotten escalated and has lost all hope of ever resolving her issue, this greeting could be comforting, perhaps even surprising.  It could disarm a person who is ready to take 2 full minutes to expound, at high volume,  why she is so upset.  At the very least it is unexpected.   We tried it in a small group of representatives. Customer Satisfaction increased by double digits, representative satisfaction did the same, first contact resolution went up.  

Sometimes, it is difficult to put ourselves in the customer’s shoes.  We see their situation, only through our own.  We try to walk in their shoes, but fail to off our own.

By the way, the most surprising aspect of that experiment, was the effect it had on the representatives.  They were more loyal to the customer, more engaged in the solution, more committed.  First call resolution went up, not because empowerment policies changed, but because the representatives changed.  What they said to the customer changed what they did.

Two suggestions:  

• Make sure to include people that directly touch customers in the creation of new solutions.
     Have them represent the customer without regard to internal limitations or
     common knowledge.

• Try new things, after all nothing will change until something changes.

 

Rudy Vidal
Committed to XCS 

The Voice of the Customer brings me Clarity.

As I write this post, I’m in the middle of a customer visiting caravan.  A six week-long stint of airport hopping and fast food that takes a lot of time and doesn’t help the efficiency of handling day to day issues.  However, at the end, the most productive and important six weeks I could ever spend. 

 

So far in the last few weeks I have been reminded of many of the issues that are truly important to my customers and as such, I feel empowered with clarity and energy to make things better.

 

I think much of our delay to action comes from a lack of clarity, at times, caused by high levels of complexity in our attempt to implement perfect, all encompassing solutions.

 

Because we have experience and know what our customers need, we feel that we can act on their behalf. 

Most of the time, this is true, but at times our efforts become mired in internal considerations, seemingly equally worthy of attention.  The result rarely exceeds the customer’s expectations.

 

The voice of the customer has a way of simplifying and focusing us on those things that really matter.

 

This may sound like common sense, but my experience is that we don’t listen to the customer enough.

 

Talk to some customers today, especially if the complexity of your solutions seem to be increasing.  You’ll gain clarity, a sense of empowerment and purpose.

 

Committed to XCS

 

 

Voice of the Customer

All,

First let me say thanks once again for your support and interest in the blog.  Since December the traffic and interest has gone through the roof, and your comments continue to inspire better and better discussions(which is the reason for the blog).

I have been thinking about including surveys on XCS topics in order to create even more interesting topics and a testing ground for some of the theories discussed. 

I’m not sure if this a good idea, but I thought I would let you decide. 

The surveys will be found on the “Surveys” tab on the masthead of the blog. 

My Commitment:

• Surveys will be short and to the point. (the title will include # of questions and the estimated time to complete)
• Surveys will always be driven by the topics and the issues being/to be discussed on the blog.
• Surveys and their content will never be sold to, or commissioned by a third party.
• Survey ideas from readers will be considered and accepted according to their merit.
• Survey results will be discussed on the blog.

Please keep in mind, that l will not explain or discuss the purpose of the surveys while the surveys are planned or in progress, so as not to skew the results.

The first survey can be found here.

Thanks again for your support.

Look forward to your involvement in the survey and to the discussion of results.

Thanks

Rudy Vidal

Committed to XCS !