Improving Customer Experience

Customer Experience Social Media Conversations

Lynn Hunsaker — Sat, 15 May 2010 18:41:39 GMT

Social media contains a wealth of information about the customer experience, and savvy managers are paying attention. the social Web is full of customer comments, and engaging customers in conversations enables opportunities for building brand reputation, customer service, competitor analysis, sales leads, employee engagement, and new product development. From this perspective customer experience is 'the new marketing'. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization at http://clearaction.biz/blog (6:44).

Customer Data Integration for a 360-Degree View of Customer Experience

Lynn Hunsaker — Sat, 15 May 2010 17:08:59 GMT

You’ve probably heard of the blind men who touched part of an elephant and were adamant about their interpretations. Businesses are in the same predicament without customer data integration for a panoramic viewpoint. Examples from Hewlett-Packard. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization at http://clearaction.biz/blog (7:17).

Energize Your Customer Experience Strategy

Lynn Hunsaker — Sat, 15 May 2010 16:13:53 GMT

For holistic customer experience management, the challenge is horizontal alignment to deliver intentional customer experiences. Keys to horizontal alignment, and what it takes to energize your customer experience strategy as a long-term journey enterprise-wide. Examples from Symantec. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization at http://clearaction.biz/blog (8:04).

Make Good Customer Experiences Easy

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 13 May 2010 18:50:41 GMT

Upgrading to a new model of any kind of product can be an exciting customer experience … but not if you as a supplier don’t set it up for success. All too often, upgrades cause too many surprises, wasted time and money, and frustration. It just doesn’t make any sense to spoil what could be a perfect opportunity to strengthen your fan base into brand evangelists. After all, buying an upgrade means customers are giving you a new revenue stream and market share. Show your appreciation for that with these keys. From the blog Improve Customer Experience at http://customer.ology.com (3:26).

Marketing Wins Strategic Clout by Driving Customer Experience Management

Lynn Hunsaker — Fri, 14 May 2010 00:35:17 GMT

Traditionally, Marketing takes the organization’s message to the customer base, but now equally important is Marketing’s potential to take the customer base’s message back to the organization. Marketing sets up the value proposition that the brand represents, but ultimately customers define what brand truly means to them. The way we actually deliver the value proposition is more relevant than what we tell customers. Examples from Aon Corporation. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization (4:00).

New Rules of the Game for Innovation

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 13 May 2010 23:44:36 GMT

A new understanding of innovation success factors is making traditional logic obsolete. Successful innovation has less to do with the best investment, technology, research and designers, according to Booz Allen Hamilton: “Unless their R&D efforts are driven by a thorough understanding of what their customers want, their performance may well fall short — at least compared to that of their more customer-driven competitors.” From the blog Customer Experience Optimization at http://clearaction.biz/blog (4:12).

Customer Experience Management Prevents Hassles

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 13 May 2010 23:03:43 GMT

One out of two companies (44%) acknowledge that high-profile negative customer experiences have at some time compromised their brand, yet only 29% have high ability to handle and resolve customer complaints. Many customer satisfaction managers emphasize the positive and de-emphasize the negative responses. A lack of processes and comfort levels for digesting and acting on constructive feedback can leave a company vulnerable to severe consequences. Differentiation opportunities for companies that decide to stand out from the crowd by implementing holistic, highly visible, and readily accessible measures of customer interaction quality in a concerted effort to prevent customer hassles. Examples from Virgin Mobile and Cisco Systems. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization at http://clearaction.biz/blog (5:36).

Recognize Employees for Improving Customer Experience

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 13 May 2010 22:10:30 GMT

Humans, as well as all living things, align their behaviors with the rewards in their environment. For example, only 42% of companies agree that they can do what is right for customers despite the pressure to make current-period financial numbers. Interestingly, the same number of companies are actually using customer metrics to evaluate organizational performance. Examples from Applied Materials and Coca Cola Enterprises. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization at http://clearaction.biz/blog (5:38).

Customer Satisfaction Bonus Traps

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 13 May 2010 21:43:25 GMT

Please give us a 'highly satisfied' rating!?! Why do sales and service representatives feel compelled to tell customers how to answer a survey? Does the company want to know what the customers really think, or is the company trying to build positive publicity by claiming superior ratings? The answer to the second question exposes the company’s culture and customer experience management motives — whether they are striving to be customer centric (eager to know and act on what customers really think), or happy to be self centric (eager for positive publicity). The answer to the first question reveals weaknesses in the company’s performance management strategy — either imbalanced scorecards or poor training of employees. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization at http://clearaction.biz/blog (3:51).

Employee Engagement for Superior Customer Experience Management

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 13 May 2010 21:28:24 GMT

The hardest thing for competitors to copy is the customer experience you create. And engaged employees are the most dynamic and influential force in creating superior customer experiences. While 80% of executives say they want to use customer experience management (CEM) as a form of differentiation in 2010, only 11% would call their CEM approach “very disciplined”. This mis-match of intentions and capabilities reveals a huge opportunity for sustainable differentiation – if your company is one of the few that is willing to adopt a disciplined approach. Employee engagement correlates with customer engagement. Examples from JetBlue, Applied Materials, EMC. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization at http://clearaction.biz/blog (7:10).

Customer Experience Research & Customer Outcomes

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 13 May 2010 21:20:25 GMT

A better way to conduct customer satisfaction surveys. If the customers’ jobs-to-be-done” concept is becoming embraced as essential for successful innovation, why is it largely ignored for monitoring of customer experience and satisfaction? Customers’ jobs-to-be-done (desired outcomes) are the customer’s viewpoint of functional and emotional needs to be fulfilled. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization at http://clearaction.biz/blog (3:38).

Customer-Focused Culture by Living With Your Customers

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 13 May 2010 21:02:18 GMT

You never know someone so well as when they live with you! What better way to transform your culture to truly customer-centric ways of thinking and doing, than to invite your customer to attend all your discussions? This has long been a practice at Amazon, since founder Jeff Bezos once started an executive meeting by announcing that an empty chair at the table represented “the customer”. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization at http://clearaction.biz/blog (3:00).

Improve Customer Experience by Borrowing Ideas

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 13 May 2010 19:46:13 GMT

Creativity is essential in our highly competitive business environment. As technology and options expand, customers’ expectations for higher value are always rising. Avoid the temptation to simply charge them for things that used to be free. And avoid the temptation to copy your competitors’ desperate moves. Look around with an open mind at what’s working well for other industries and disciplines. You may very well find lucrative paths to differentiate your customer experience in ways that delight customers. And you may also find some creative ways to add revenue streams that customers will gladly pay for, because of the additional value you’re providing. From the blog Improve Customer Experience at http://customer.ology.com (2:58).

Loyalty is Not Just for Customers

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 13 May 2010 18:43:04 GMT

Companies do a lot to encourage customer behavior that favors their brand. Yet, like most things in life, loyalty is a two-way street. Who are you loyal to? Features the book, Why Loyalty Matters. For the blog Improve Customer Experience at http://customer.ology.com (4:35).

What's Your Customer Experience Value Quotient?

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:56:58 GMT

If value is defined as benefits versus costs, what’s your company’s customer experience value ratio? Superior value is the objective of customers and marketers alike. And since customers hold the purse strings, marketers are compelled to view value as customers do. In the customer experience value ratio, the numerator includes product and service value, as well as image and personal value. We may often overlook or be unaware of some of the cost dimensions in the denominator: money … plus time, energy and psychic costs. In managing customer experience, the challenge is not only to maximize the numerator, but also to minimize the denominator. For the blog Customer Experience Optimization at http://clearaction.biz/blog (3:07).

Double-Check Assumptions & Motives, to Improve Customer Experience

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 13 May 2010 16:41:26 GMT

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 Improve Customer Experience, at http://customer.ology.com (3:50).

The Art of Listening, for Customer Experience Improvement

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 13 May 2010 15:49:17 GMT

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 Improve Customer Experience at http://customer.ology.com (3:26).

Internal Customer Satisfaction: Help Me Help You

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 13 May 2010 15:38:21 GMT

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 Improve Customer Experience, at http://customer.ology.com (2:47).

Inventing Great Customer Experiences: 10 Tips

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 13 May 2010 15:21:13 GMT

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 Improve Customer Experience, at http://customer.ology.com (5:00).

Culture of Trust for Customer Experience Management

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 13 May 2010 14:57:43 GMT

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 Best Practices: Living Your Brand Promise, at http://customerexperience.vox.com (2:02).

Empower Employees to Deliver Great Customer Experiences

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 13 May 2010 14:37:10 GMT

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 Best Practices: Living Your Brand Promise, at http://customerexperience.vox.com (4:42).

Customer Centricity Means Customer Centric

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 13 May 2010 14:03:20 GMT

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 Best Practices: Living Your Brand Promise, at http://customerexperience.vox.com (3:54).

Customer Care Culture by Hiring Right

Lynn Hunsaker — Wed, 05 May 2010 23:45:17 GMT

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 Best Practices: Living Your Brand Promise, at http://customerexperience.vox.com (3:54).

Customer Retention Begins With Trust

Lynn Hunsaker — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 09:50:36 GMT

Trust is the foundation for long-term productive customer relationships. Customer involvement is essential, yet prevention of customer hassles is even more important. See presentation slides at http://www.slideshare.net/clearaction, and blog at Customer Experience Optimization for related resources. (18:37)

Why Internal Branding is Central to Customer Experience Management

Lynn Hunsaker — Sat, 16 May 2009 12:11:52 GMT

Why is it that only 12% of customers judge specific leading suppliers as extremely customer-centric? Internal branding is a multi-faceted cultural journey guiding everyone company-wide in managing their personal impact on customer experience. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise http://clearaction.biz/blog. (4:09)

What IS Customer Experience?!

Lynn Hunsaker — Sat, 16 May 2009 11:58:20 GMT

You probably hear lots of “customer …” phrases that seem interchangeable. In reality, there are big differences in these terms, although they are related. Includes in-depth definition of CEM - customer experience management. From the blog Improve Customer Experience http://customer.ology.com. (4:51)

Customer Experience is Best Defined by Customers

Lynn Hunsaker — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:15:41 GMT

How to align customer programs with customers' definition of the customer experience. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (3:34) - Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Lynn Hunsaker — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 23:07:15 GMT

Customers know they can't judge a book by its cover. The essence of great customer experience is consistently delivering your brand promise. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (3:42) - Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

Customer Experience Insights by Stepping Into Your Customers' Shoes

Lynn Hunsaker — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:43:18 GMT

How to get a panoramic customer experience viewpoint. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (3:01) - Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

Customer Experience Management Balances Giving & Getting

Lynn Hunsaker — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:36:50 GMT

How to make sure your customers are getting as much as they're giving as participants in your customer experience programs. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (3:13) - Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

5 Keys to Employee Engagement for Customer Experience

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:04:19 GMT

If CEM execution is broken, examine the foundation rather than fill potholes. Gain company-wide cooperation for customer experience strategies. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (4:48) -- Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

Building a Customer-Centric Culture: Engaging Employees & Customers

Lynn Hunsaker — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:42:02 GMT

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)

Missing! Systems Thinking for Customer Experience Business Results

Lynn Hunsaker — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 23:00:16 GMT

All of the recent customer experience studies indicate that vital linkages are broken between survey results and business results, views of what customers want, brand promise and what's delivered. What's missing here is systems thinking! From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (3:30) - Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

Customer Experience: A Lucrative Opportunity for Marketers

Lynn Hunsaker — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:21:11 GMT

How to expand marketers' clout, and how to measure the only marketing metric that matters: growth of customer lifetime value. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (4:13) - Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

Everybody Has a Customer

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 02:48:25 GMT

"What everyone in a company does can be reduced to one of two functions: to serve the customer or serve someone who does." (Quote from Dr. W. Edwards Deming). From the blog Improve Customer Experience at http://customer.ology.com. (2:56)-- Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

Customer Service: 'Wow' Versus 'Ow'

Lynn Hunsaker — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:26:54 GMT

How to deliver 'wow' customer service by being 'w'illing to check for understanding -- on your part and on the customer's part. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (3:31)

4 Tips for Dealing With Difficult Customers

Lynn Hunsaker — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 23:11:17 GMT

Why do difficult situations occur with customers? Learn the 2 root causes and 4 proven steps to becoming skilled in handling difficult customer situations and having more fun in your job. From the blog Improve Customer Experience at http://customer.ology.com. (5:07) - Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

Customer Complaints: Love Those Lemons to Improve Customer Experience

Lynn Hunsaker — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:27:14 GMT

How to embrace customer complaints and low survey ratings as essential ingredients to improving customer experience. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (2:33) - Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

Do the Whole Job for Customer Experience Success

Lynn Hunsaker — Sat, 16 May 2009 12:06:33 GMT

Whether you’ve got external or internal customers, they expect you to ‘do the whole job’! Do the whole job and you’ll enjoy more secure customer relationships. You’ll benefit not only in the short-run, but also in the long-run as you build customer equity, lifetime value and reliable profit streams. From the blog Improve Customer Experience http://customer.ology.com. (3:40)

Customer Satisfaction Cliffhangers: Close the Loop!

Lynn Hunsaker — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:48:57 GMT

How to close the loop with customers to improve future response rates, and most importantly, improve customer experience. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (2:30) - Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

Proactive Customer Experience: Cisco's Anu Ranganath

Lynn Hunsaker — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:34:04 GMT

Interview with Anu Ranganath, Cisco Systems Global Customer Engagement Program Manager for Quality Initiatives. Definitions and examples of Customer Experience, Brand Promise, Customer Touchpoints and Loyalty Value. From www.blogtalkradio.com/customerexperience. Related information at Customer Experience Optimization blog. Sign-up for ClearAction newsletter. (12:59)

Improving Customer Experience by Overcoming Ethnocentric Customercentricity

Lynn Hunsaker — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:48:58 GMT

How to keep outside-in focus and customer-centric motives for customer experience improvement. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (4:07) - Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

Measure Customer Value the Customer's Way

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:23:26 GMT

Customers automatically use 50 or more metrics for any customer experience. We may be re-inventing the wheel as we strive to come up with customer metrics that spell success. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (3:14) - Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

Innovating the Superior Customer Experience

Lynn Hunsaker — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:34:30 GMT

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)

10 Tips for Customer Experience Innovation

Lynn Hunsaker — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:46:11 GMT

Any innovation needs to be a winner in customer experience, or it will be short-lived. Here are 10 essential steps to hitting the mark. See Customer Experience Radio Show, New Rules of the Game for Innovation, and Customer.ology.com. (13:54)

Customer Experience Measurement: Is Your Focus Lagging?

Lynn Hunsaker — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:57:32 GMT

How to focus your customer experience measurement on leading indicators of success. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (3:42) - Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

Customer Experience Metaphors Offer Wealth of Insights

Lynn Hunsaker — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:47:16 GMT

How to access the 80% of customer communication that is nonverbal, and the 95% of customer experience thought, emotion and learning that occur in the unconscious mind. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (3:12) - Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

Campaign Treadmill Versus Superior Customer Experience Management

Lynn Hunsaker — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:24:35 GMT

Keep your customers coming back for more -- organically! Reduce reliance on expensive marketing campaigns in favor of sustained momentum in differentiated customer experiences. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (4:13) - Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

Customer Experience Management Improves Brand Value

Lynn Hunsaker — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:44:10 GMT

How to build brand equity by managing the customer experience value chain. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (3:32) - Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

Customer Experience Improvement on a Tight Budget

Lynn Hunsaker — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:31:28 GMT

How to improve customer experience with minimal out-of-pocket investment. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (7:39)

CEM: High ROI by Leveraging Customer Data

Lynn Hunsaker — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:58:10 GMT

How to get higher return on investment from customer surveys and other customer data, and simultaneously improve customer experience. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (3:49)

Customer Survey Metrics: Are They Really Satisfied?

Lynn Hunsaker — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:03:30 GMT

How an online retailer improved customer experience, revenue and profit by analyzing bottom-box survey responses. From guest blogger Michele Goetz at the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (4:00) - Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

Customer Experience Metrics Tips: Part 2

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:18:18 GMT

2 essential tips for keeping any initiative on track: #3 Predictive, #4 Sustained. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (4:54) - Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

Customer Experience Metrics Tips: Part 1

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:08:17 GMT

2 essential tips for keeping any initiative on track: #1 Connected, #2 Actionable. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (3:55) - Sign-up for ClearAction Newsletter.

Performance Management Tools Increase ROI

Lynn Hunsaker — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:29:00 GMT

Announcing new handbook "Metrics You Can Manage For Success" which demonstrates how to ensure your metrics are linked to the big picture, actionable, predictive and sustainable. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (4:58)

Customer Experience Optimization Course Helps Firms Retain Customers in Slow Economy

Lynn Hunsaker — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:09:33 GMT

Announcing a 2-day course on how to optimize customer experience. From the blog Customer Experience Optimization: Delivering Your Brand Promise at http://clearaction.biz/blog. (5:24)

Training Sample: Customer Skills - Communicator Styles: Infoming & Directing

Lynn Hunsaker — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:14:22 GMT

Sample Training Podcast: Have you ever longed for a practical way to connect with someone who sees the world differently? Do you ever work with someone who misinterprets your intention or seems uncooperative? Inspire your sales and service representatives with real-time insights to improve productivity and efficiency through stronger customer relationships. Ask ClearAction how this can be customized for your company. (5:03)