Month: October 2014

Customer Experience through a looking glass

Ten points for who said ‘a 20-year business cycle in which the most successful enterprises will reinvent themselves to systematically understand and serve increasingly powerful customers.’ (answers on a postcard please)

It has to be a Research company who may just want to add to the current customer experience hype with a review of what worked in the past. However we are living in a new age of customer liberation. Nothing like this has been witnessed before (well perhaps the Gutenberg press has a parallel impact – see here) and so drawing comparisons with a couple of decades ago really misses the point? Or am I completely wrong and we should just focus on Lean, Six Sigma and industrialization to help us understand customers better?

My take from a recent Process Excellence conference (PEX) on how we all need to shift our perspective Outside-In.

When you say End to End what do YOU mean?

Nearly four years ago this question roused us all from our slumbers and continues to trouble many. Over on Linked In you can browse the various (and sometimes quite alarming) perspectives from noted to thinkers and leaders. Feel free to chip in and we will shortly summarise the key points for all to share 🙂

Review the story so far and join the debate at: http://lnkd.in/bvMTRXs

It is Needs not wants, stupid.

The critical step in improving customer understanding is to stop asking questions. Instead listen to the customer’s opinions, perceptions and expectations.

 

Enter a Disney theme park and you will be greeted by courteous cast members (road sweeps, characters, security personnel) who politely listen, understand and act on the questions customers ask.
Using a structured approach cast members guide a dialogue to elicit customers needs, identify actions and develop a plan in less than 30 seconds. In fact, they can articulate customers needs even when customers themselves don’t know them.

So let’s get scientific about the customer experience and scrap those dumb surveys that are subjective, self-selecting and geared to understanding wants.

Join us and upskill to Customer Experience and Process Excellence in a city near you soon… Johannesburg, London, Dubai, Denver, Washington DC, Sydney

Just some of the qualified and accredited Coaches helping their organizations transform to Customer-Centric and Outside-In success.You can review their credentials here.