Improving Customer Experience

When a customer asks you a question, do you double-check your assumptions about their intended outcome? So often we take customer inquiries at face value, or simply assume we know what is meant. No matter what your job, you have customers, and clarifying your customers’ intended outcome is smart business. For the blog Customer Experience Optimization:, at http://customer.ology.com (3:50).

Curiosity is the key to great listening skills that improve customer experience. When you’re truly curious about your customer’s opinions, expectations and requests, you’ll find the customer to be more pleasant, interesting and fulfilling to you as well. 5 tips for customer-focused listening skills. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: at http://customer.ology.com (3:26).

Everything that external customers receive is the result of business processes. a business process involves a value chain of internal suppliers and internal customers. Help your internal suppliers help you deliver better customer experiences. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization:, at http://customer.ology.com (2:47).

Every person in an organization is needed for customer experience innovation. That’s because customer expectations and competitive offerings are always on the rise. Here are 10 tips ANY organization can benefit from. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization:, at http://customer.ology.com (5:00).

The absolute most important aspect of customer retention is culture. Culture is the way things are thought about, talked about, and done. If TRUST is the basis for any long-term relationship, then a culture of trust is essential to customer retention. Two great examples are Kimpton – a boutique hotel chain, and Cisco Systems. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Living Your Brand Promise, at http://customerexperience.vox.com (2:02).

Customer experience is the result of combined efforts from a vast array of people, from top management to front-line employees, to channel partners. When management creates and reinforces techniques to inspire outside-in thinking and behaviors, employees are likely to "live" the brand promise -- this is called internal branding. Examples from Publix Supermarkets, Cabela's, EMC, Dell, Altera. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Living Your Brand Promise, at http://customerexperience.vox.com (4:42).

Organizations that are centered around their customers know that it's not a part-time role. To truly be customer-centric, everyone company-wide needs to have a deep understanding of the customer's world. And beyond this sharp awareness, everyone needs to be constant in their personal alignment with the customer's world, exemplified by their decision-making and behaviors. Here are some great examples of companies whose customers agree are doing a superior job at being customer-centric: Amazon.com, USAA. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Living Your Brand Promise, at http://customerexperience.vox.com (3:54).

When customer experience requirements guide the hiring process, a company is practicing outside-in thinking. In fact, most companies that are consistently listed as top customer service providers have very deliberate methods for choosing the right people who will properly represent the company's brand promise. Examples from Southwest Airlines, Nordstrom, Ritz-Carlton. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Living Your Brand Promise, at http://customerexperience.vox.com (3:54).

See also Customer Experience Management webcast version. True customer focus is elusive, as internal realities often overshadow customer considerations in day-to-day decisions and behaviors. To get beyond lip-service, a major shift in company culture is necessary. Learn how to channel leadership and employee engagement to intersect with expectations and long-term well-being of customers. See blog at Customer Experience Optimization. (25:18)

See also Customer Experience Innovation webcast version. Customers in the information age are savvy, discerning and demanding of solutions that address their full spectrum of needs. A key to cracking the code for superior market positioning is innovation of the customer experience. Beat your competition in ways that are hard for them to copy. See blog at Customer Experience Optimization: (24:09)