Tag: Steve Towers

How Customer Service and Customer Experience Can Boost Your Business Results: The Ultimate Guide

a man standing in front of the bar counter
Photo by Thirdman on Pexels.com

Customer service and customer experience are often used interchangeably, but they differ.

Customer Service is providing support and assistance to your customers before, during, and after they purchase your products or services.

Customer Experience is the overall impression and perception that your customers have of your brand based on their interactions with you across all touchpoints and channels. Customer service is a part of the customer experience, but not the only one.

Why are customer service and customer experience important for your business?

Because they can make or break your relationship with your customers and, ultimately, your business results.

According to a report by PwC, 73% of consumers say that customer experience is a critical factor in their purchasing decisions, and 32% of consumers say they would stop doing business with a brand they loved after one bad experience.

On the other hand, 86% of consumers say they are willing to pay more for a great customer experience, and 65% of consumers say that a positive experience with a brand is more influential than great advertising.

So, how can you provide excellent customer service and customer experience to your customers, and reap the benefits of increased customer retention, loyalty, advocacy, and revenue? Here are some tips and best practices to help you:

1. Understand your customers’ needs, preferences, and emotions.

The first step to creating excellent customer service and experience is knowing who your customers are, what they want, how they feel, and what they expect from you. You can use various methods to gather customer insights, such as surveys, feedback forms, interviews, focus groups, social media, analytics, and customer journey mapping. Customer journey mapping is a powerful tool that helps you visualise and understand your customers’ journey from their first contact with your brand to their post-purchase behaviour and identify the pain points and opportunities along the way.

2. Design and deliver a seamless and personalised customer experience across all touchpoints and channels.

The next step is to use the customer insights you have gathered to design and deliver a customer experience that is consistent, convenient and customised for your customers across all touchpoints and channels, such as your website, mobile app, email, social media, phone, chat, in-store, etc. You can use various techniques to enhance your customer experience, such as user interface design, user experience design, content marketing, personalisation, omnichannel integration, etc.

3. Provide proactive and responsive customer service to your customers before, during, and after they purchase your products or services.

The third step is to provide customer service that is proactive and responsive, meaning that you anticipate and address your customers’ needs and issues before they arise, and respond to them quickly and effectively when they do. You can use various tools and platforms to improve your customer service, such as chatbots, live chat, self-service portals, knowledge bases, FAQs, social media, phone, email, etc.

4. Measure and improve your customer service and customer experience over time.

The final step is to measure and improve your customer service and customer experience over time by collecting and analysing customer feedback, satisfaction, loyalty, advocacy, and other metrics, such as Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), Customer Effort Score (CES), Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), etc. You can use various methods to collect and analyse customer data, such as surveys, feedback forms, reviews, ratings, testimonials, referrals, social media, analytics, etc. You can then use the data to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your customer service and customer experience and implement actions to improve them.

5. Customer service and customer experience are a marriage made in heaven

Because they aim to create a positive and lasting relationship with your customers and boost your business results. By following the tips and best practices above, you can provide excellent customer service and customer experience to your customers and enjoy the benefits of increased customer retention, loyalty, advocacy, and revenue. Customer service and customer experience are not optional but essential for your business’s success.

Start today and transform your customer service, customer experience, and business.

Join us at: https://bit.ly/GCCACXP

The BPGroup Accredited Customer Experience Masters® (ACXM) Program takes BPM & CEM Training to an entirely new level.

Become an Accredited Customer Experience Master (ACX Master®) through learning and experiencing the most practical, successful and proven toolkit for customer-centric change

Join us at: https://bit.ly/GCCACXP

For 2023…

> New Case Studies > 60+ takeaway techniques > 90+ help videos > Fully revised CEMMethod (version 14) > CX Rating (4E’s) integration > All material provided > Dedicated Professional User Group > Ongoing webinars

The Accredited Customer Experience Professional/Master difference

This premier series is designed for those seeking advanced professional skills in customer experience and process management, CX improvement, CX alignment, customer centricity, and innovation.
These are the Outside-In Customer Experience Management, BPM Methods, and Techniques that Deliver!

  • Uncover CX/Process Improvement opportunities in just hours
  • Identify Actions that will improve customer experience and associated processes by 15% to 40% within 20 days of deployment
  • Integrate and Evolve methods such as BPM, Lean, Six Sigma and Operational Excellence to Outside-In thinking and practice
  • Delight your Customers (making them your greatest advocates) through Successful Customer Outcomes and Customer Experience Management
  • Innovate to compete, set the market trend and even dominate your industry
  • Advance Net Promoter Score and Customer Satisfaction to the next level
  • Release significant costs, improve revenues and enhance service (win the Triple Crown) immediately

Hopefully, we will see you soon!
Register here: https://bit.ly/GCCACXP

Incredible opportunities for transformation with AI in Customer Experience

During our research into the application of ChatGPT into Customer Experiences, and as a prelude to the launch of the new qualification “Certified Journey Management Professional (CJMP),” we were amazed at how rapidly organizations are integrating AI capability into their core experiences.

I have included just three examples here of CX next practice, with references for those wishing to dive deep (hundreds of use cases),

And if you are interested in learning more about the three-day CJMP workshop, send us an email with the subject header CJMP, and we will get back to you.

  • ChatGPT can be deployed to create an automated customer service chatbot that offers speedy and precise solutions to frequently asked queries [1].

    This can prove immensely beneficial for businesses that receive many inquiries, improving their efficiency and rapidity.
  • ChatGPT’s natural language processing abilities can be utilized to examine customer feedback, deriving useful conclusions about frequent criticisms, recommendations, and developments [2]. Businesses can consider this data to make informed decisions and enhance the overall customer experience.
  • ChatGPT can offer individualized customer support through a conversational interface, which renders resolving matters or answering questions more convenient and faster [3].

These are merely a few of the potential applications of this technology.

It’s important to note that the specific industry and company will depend on the customer types, organization maturity, and business needs. However, the impact of ChatGPT on customer experiences is significant, with 67% of consumers worldwide now using chatbots for customer support [4]

References:
1. https://www.thankful.ai/chatgpt-for-customer-service

2. https://becominghuman.ai/unlocking-the-power-of-the-chatgpt-revolution-100-use-cases-to-try-before-you-are-fired-979e5986814c

3 & 4. https://www.revechat.com/blog/chatbots-use-cases

Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?

How You Can Become ‘Outside-In’… https://bit.ly/WhyOutsideIn

Start here and follow these simple steps:

Step #1 – Review the upskilling options to become an ACX Professional & ACX Master: https://bit.ly/GCCACXP

Step #2 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* | https://bit.ly/OI2021now

Step #3 – Get the Software:

Parallel | http://bit.ly/Parallel2021

Step #4 – Connect With The Community:

https://linktr.ee/SteveTowers

Step #5 – Keep Pace with Change:

Recent Keynote – The Hard Benefits of XM | https://cemnext.com/xmroi2023

Customer Experience qualification is now essential for career success

 ONLINE, LIVE, INTERACTIVE and Coming soon to a city near you 🙂 https://bit.ly/GCCACXP

Upgrading your skills and delivery for 2023 will determine your success.  Advance and Evolve beyond functional industrial age thinking to Outside-In customer-centric practices. Tried and tested this program has helped to create more than 140,000 professionals across 132 countries since its inception in 2006.

So if understanding and applying the techniques and methods deployed in Apple, Amazon, Zappos, Zara, Emirates and BMW compels you to adopt the ‘next practice’ approaches come and join us online next month or in a city near you through 2023.

Here’s someone who enjoyed the session:

The BPGroup Accredited Customer Experience Masters® (ACXM) Program takes BPM & CEM Training to an entirely new level.

Become an Accredited Customer Experience Master (ACX Master®) through learning and experiencing the most practical, successful and proven toolkit for customer-centric change

For 2023…

> New Case Studies > 60+ takeaway techniques > 90+ help videos > Fully revised CEMMethod (version 14) > CX Rating (4E’s) integration > All material provided > Dedicated Professional User Group > Ongoing webinars

The Accredited Customer Experience Professional/Master difference

This premier series is designed for those seeking advanced professional skills in customer experience and process management, CX improvement, CX alignment, customer centricity, and innovation.
These are the Outside-In Customer Experience Management, BPM Methods, and Techniques that Deliver!

  • Uncover CX/Process Improvement opportunities in just hours
  • Identify Actions that will improve customer experience and associated processes by 15% to 40% within 20 days of deployment
  • Integrate and Evolve methods such as BPM, Lean, Six Sigma and Operational Excellence to Outside-In thinking and practice
  • Delight your Customers (making them your greatest advocates) through Successful Customer Outcomes and Customer Experience Management
  • Innovate to compete, set the market trend and even dominate your industry
  • Advance Net Promoter Score and Customer Satisfaction to the next level
  • Release significant costs, improve revenues and enhance service (win the Triple Crown) immediately

Hopefully, we will see you soon!
Register here: https://bit.ly/GCCACXP

THESE ARE THE TOP 3 QUESTIONS CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE LEADERS ASK…

CONSISTENTLY IN THE TOP FIVE, THE ANSWERS MAY GIVE YOU THE INSIDE-TRACK

I am going to do a one-minute Q and A today. Do you know what the toughest questions Customer Experience Leaders Ask?

OK, Here we go.

Find out more: https://bit.ly/GCCACXP

Firstly,

QUESTION 1: Why do so many organizations struggle to become truly customer-centric?

ANSWER: They are using an out-of-date mindset. The thinking is borrowed from the industrial age when optimizing production and throughput was the thing. That way of thinking is about production management, efficiency, effectiveness, and waste elimination. Does that sound familiar? The mindset is not exactly customer focussed.

Next

QUESTION 2: What is (probably) the biggest hurdle to becoming Outside-In and customer-focused?

ANSWER: It is getting passed this industrial age mindset and all the things that come with it. For instance, it is our reward structure. It’s the approach to employee empowerment. Another one is rigid out of date linear processes and systems. I think you get the picture.

Alright, one more concern.

QUESTION 3: If listening to the customer is so important, then what is ‘best practice’ and the emerging next practice?

ANSWER: Often times many companies try to drive forward by only looking in the rear-view mirror. That is by listening to subjective perceptual historic feedback rather than paying attention to every interaction 100% of the time.

The GOOD news is…

In the ACX Masters program, we show you step-by-step how to handle these challenges so you don’t have to Fall into the Bear Pit.

You can get the full scoop and preview here at the BP Group site.

Cheers for now!

There are always more questions than answers 😉 However, in the ACX Masters program, we cover all the bases and provide a set of tools and approaches that enable you to WIN THE TRIPLE CROWN in every CX initiative
Join us soon!

Check it out here: The ACX Master – online, in the room, live and interactive

https://bit.ly/GCCACXP

REVIEW THE AGENDA
Continue reading “THESE ARE THE TOP 3 QUESTIONS CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE LEADERS ASK…”

WHAT IS THE MOST COMMON CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE PROBLEM CX PROFESSIONALS FACE?

SEEING THE WORLD AS IT IS CAN BE A CHALLENGE FOR SO MANY PEOPLE

The other day I was rewatching The Matrix – can you believe that was released in 1999?… but I digress.

One of the most interesting scenes is where Morpheus presents Neo with a choice of the red pill or the blue pill. What was Neo’s response to the offer? 

As described by Morpheus: “You take the blue pill…the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill…you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” Neo chooses the red pill and joins the rebellion.

What will your choice be – Red or Blue?

Yes, he chose to see the world as it really is, not as it appeared to be….

That’s a lot like the choice companies face now. Do they carry on living in the blissful ignorance of a collective hallucination from the industrial age, or do they see the world as it really is now.

Maybe I’m geeking out on this a bit…

But when you’re as immersed as I am into Outside-In and Customer Centricity you just start seeing these little lessons everywhere… even in popular films.

We do a lot more about moving beyond the hallucination during the ACX Masters 4 day program. 

Check it out here: The ACX Master – online, live and interactive

https://bit.ly/GCCACXP

REVIEW THE AGENDA

THIS 4-DAY course MAY CHANGE THE WAY YOU DO PROCESS FOREVER

WITH YOUR COACH STEVE TOWERS & BECOME A CPP MASTER

Four days to become a Certified Process Professional Master (CPPM) https://bit.ly/CPPM2022

#cppmaster #cpp #pmi #certifiedprocessprofessional #bpgroup

The Certified Process Professional Master (CPP Master) program.
REVIEW THE AGENDA
Continue reading “THIS 4-DAY course MAY CHANGE THE WAY YOU DO PROCESS FOREVER”

MULTICHOICE SENIOR EXECUTIVE BECOMES THE WORLD’S FIRST FULLY ACCREDITED OKR COACH

[PRESSRELEASE] DENVER, COLORADO – August 31st, 2022

BP Group, the leader and creator of the CEMMethod® in 2006, announced that Multichoice Group Executive Head of Customer Experience and Operations, Roland D. Naidoo, successfully completed all the requirements to qualify as an Accredited OKR Coach fully.

For the full Press Release, go here OR click the button below.

Roland D. Naidoo, OKR Coach
PRESS RELEASE

In addition to this CXObession blog, there is now a ‘shorty’ video source at CXManSteve (@cxmansteve) TikTok | Watch CXManSteve’s Newest TikTok Videos

Also reach out for further #CX and #XM resources here: ​https://linktr.ee/stevetowers

Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?

How You Can Become ‘Outside-In’… https://bit.ly/WhyOutsideIn

Start here and follow these simple steps:

Step #1 – Review the upskilling options to become an ACX Professional & ACX Master: https://bit.ly/GCCACXP

Step #2 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* | https://bit.ly/OI2021now

Step #3 – Get the Software:

Parallel | http://bit.ly/Parallel2021

Step #4 – Connect With The Community:

https://linktr.ee/SteveTowers

Step #5 – Keep Pace with Change:

Recent Keynote – The Hard Benefits of XM | https://cemnext.com/xmroi2023

How to embrace and apply the key fundamentals of Customer Experience and XM success

When Steve Jobs kicked off the Customer Experience (CX) movement in 1997 (video here), he crystallized the idea of understanding customer NEEDS before doing anything else.

In addition to this CXObession blog, there is now a ‘shorty’ video source at CXManSteve (@cxmansteve) TikTok | Watch CXManSteve’s Newest TikTok Videos

Also reach out for further #CX and #XM resources here: ​https://linktr.ee/stevetowers

At the same time, another CX genius, Jeff Bezos, was three years into creating the most profitable company on the planet and precisely understood the working backwards imperative.

A young fresh-faced Jeff Bezos


There is this Need (even though customers don’t know it yet), and I can create the desire and meet that Need now. The rest is history. Watch the 2-minute video here.

Jeff Bezos

Do you want to embrace advanced Customer-Centric thinking and become Outside-In?

How You Can Become ‘Outside-In’… https://bit.ly/WhyOutsideIn

Start here and follow these simple steps:

Step #1 – Review the upskilling options to become an ACX Professional & ACX Master: https://bit.ly/GCCACXP

Step #2 – Get The Book: Outside-In The Secret *FREE* | https://bit.ly/OI2021now

Step #3 – Get the Software:

Parallel | http://bit.ly/Parallel2021

Step #4 – Connect With The Community:

https://linktr.ee/SteveTowers

Step #5 – Keep Pace with Change:

Recent Keynote – The Hard Benefits of XM | https://cemnext.com/xmroi2023

The Complexity of Corporate Communication: How to get your message across!

The complexity of corporate communications

Corporate communication is a broad field that deals with the different public and internal facing aspects of a company. It involves various methods and approaches to share information about a company’s brand, products, services, employees, and so on with a broad internal and external audience.

Communication as a whole is complex as it involves many stakeholders and audiences. Moreover, effective communication requires strong connections between people at all levels of the organization.

To be able to communicate effectively within your organization and with the outside world, you need to understand what corporate communication is, its benefits, and how you can implement it in your organization.

That is why in this article we will discuss everything you need to know about corporate communication so you can get your message across!

What Is Corporate Communication?

When we talk about communication in business, we are primarily referring to two things – one is the process, and the other is the outcome of the process. The process consists of the steps involved in communication, for example – sending the message, the channel through which it is sent, the time frame, and so on.

The outcome of the process refers to the impact that the communication has had on the person who received it.

That is why communication is often described as a process through which we create an understanding between people who are not in the same place at the same time. In this sense, corporate communication is the process and activities through which organizations create a strong connection via employees with the outside world for the purpose of brand building, increasing reputation, and the acquisition and retention of customers.

Why is Effective Communication Important?

Communication is the process of exchanging information and ideas between two or more people. For this process to be effective, certain factors need to be in place. To start with, there should be an understanding between the sender and receiver of the message.

Communication is all about sharing information, and if the information is not understood, it won’t be useful to anyone. We have a saying that ‘a message without meaning is like a bird without wings’. It is because of this that communication is an important aspect of any business venture.

The right words, carefully selected and strategically placed with the correct tone, can be a very powerful tool. They can make for an excellent culture, your brand more recognizable, and encourage customers to buy your products and services.

Benefits of Effective corporate communication

Stronger relationships – The biggest benefit of effective communication is that it strengthens relationships. Whether you communicate with the members of your team, customers, or anyone in between, a strong connection will lead to better results.

Greater productivity – When people understand each other and have a clear idea of what their role is within the organization, productivity increases. This is especially true for organizations where employees have a say in shaping the communication process – for example, when they have the opportunity to voice feedback and suggestions, and when they have the power to participate in the decision-making process.

Better decision-making – When communication is effective, decision-making becomes much easier. This is because the information you share will be well-understood.

Better brand recognition – A strong connection with your audience will not only bring them closer to your brand, but it will also make them more loyal to it. Moreover, the brand of your business will become more recognizable as you take part in various communication activities.

Types of Corporate Communication

Internal communication – This is the communication that happens between employees. It can happen in a number of ways, including one-on-one meetings, group meetings, emails, and so on. Internal communication is important because it helps people work together more effectively and efficiently.

External communication – This is the communication that happens between your organization and the outside world. This could be in the form of marketing campaigns, public relations, social media posts, and more.

Customer communication – This is communication between your customers and your organization. It can happen in a number of ways, including through a company’s customer support or customer service department, through social media posts, and more.

Summing up

Communication is an essential part of any business venture, and it can make or break an organization. The success of your business relies not only on the quality of your products or services but also on how well you communicate that quality to your customers.

When you have strong relationships with your audience, when you can make better decisions, and when you can recognize your brand better – you have stronger communication.

To achieve this, it is important to implement effective goal-driven communication in your organization. This can be achieved by focusing on the type of communication you engage in and by making sure that your communications are all aligned to Successful Customer and Business Outcomes.

My Big STupid Outside-In Failure

I wasn’t always an expert in Customer Experience and Outside-In

In fact, when I became an Industrial Engineer I didn’t have the first clue about how to deliver Successful Customer Outcomes.

I’m going to share a personal story with you about one of my early failures…

It’s a little embarrassing to share, but I think it will inspire you.

It was a quest of five years looking for a standardized Home Loan process and system for a world-leading bank. My team and I visited 30+ countries, reviewed more than 40 IT suppliers, and talked with other top banks and mutual lenders. We sat down with the best business professors, authors and researchers and attended dozens of events on our quest…

And just as in Monty Python and the Holy Grail we returned home empty-handed. You can imagine the investment of time, energy, and budget to realize there isn’t such a thing as an Ideal Home Loan process and system (despite what the big consultancies and IT vendors had told us).

Our senior executive team in the bank was incredulous. In fact, deep down I doubted my own capabilities, I was exhausted and had failed with one of the biggest projects in the bank’s history. Or so I thought…

That is when the truth hit me square between the eyes. We were thinking of our business in the wrong way. My enlightenment was complete when Steve Jobs, in the same year 1997, said the now immortal words “You have got to start with the Customer Experience and work backwards to the Technology, not the other way around”

I had finally got it – we had to think Outside-In, put the customer at the center of everything, and realize using out-of-date business thinking has no place in the 21st century.

1997 – Apple World Developers Conference

Everything changed for me in May 1997.
Since then I have worked with the world’s leading companies learning and adopting Outside-In as a way of being. 
Trust me, if I can do this so can you.

In fact, you even have it better than me. You can bypass all the trouble I went through by simply learning from my mistakes.

I laid out a safe and sensible plan for you here: https://bit.ly/GCCACXP

The one you love…

What do you most admire in the ones you love? Remind yourself that is one of the many reasons you love them, whether it is a partner, child or stranger. Think about that and enjoy the feeling.

Steve Towers