Customers' Experiences Matter
Many businesses make a
point of talking up their “Customer Service” to impress potential
customers. What they tend to forget is
that they often need the “Service” because they’ve forgotten the importance of
“Customer Experience”.
My wife and I recently went to a bank to find out about
opening an account there. One of our
friends recommended a particular member of staff to us thought very highly of
her. We went with high expectations,
especially as this was for an account in the “Prestige” section (i.e. where one
could expect high quality service).
The lady was indeed friendly and helpful, and was able to
answer most of our questions until it came to my question: “How long would it
take to send Sterling Pounds from the UK to my account with you?”
I used to be a banker and worked in two of the world’s
leading banks for over 20 years. One of
my specialities was international payments, so I understand how the
international payment system works and how long it should take funds to reach an account.
The lady gave an answer which really didn’t sound right. When I asked if she was sure, she said that
she would check up and revert, so we left after giving her our contact details.
Two weeks later: nothing heard. I followed up. Finally, I received an email advising that
that bank’s Sterling Pound account was with X bank and we could check with them
(no point of contact given)...
Not a good start.
This person didn't know the answer to a basic question, had been unable (or
not bothered) to find it after two weeks, and then passed the problem back.
Luckily, I had a contact in the higher echelons of the same
bank and called him. His PA
answered. Within 20 minutes, she called
back with the information I needed. This
lady didn’t need to get involved, but she did.
The difference: someone prepared to take personal
responsibility to look after a customer versus someone who wasn’t. This was our first experience of “Prestige” service
at that bank, and it wasn’t good. It
would have needed a “Customer Service Rep” after the first bad experience.
A good customer experience of a product or service needs to do
three things:
1.
Meet the customer’s needs;
2.
Be easy to use
3.
Be enjoyable
In our case, we needed to know how long it would take funds
to reach our account; not met. The
service wasn’t easy to use: the problem was passed back to us to solve. Finally, the experience wasn’t enjoyable - we
had to chase an answer for two weeks.
This is (sadly) why “Customer Service” teams are needed to smooth
things out after customers clash with “policy”, “rules” or plain apathy. Customers interact with businesses on many
levels: face-to-face, telephone, email, internet and post. Those businesses that take the time to “map”
these interactions and understand what their customers’ “journeys are about”
are the ones that will provide an experience way superior to their competition.
Customers who are happy with their experience tend to buy
more, recommend more and forgive more than unhappy ones…
I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to offer solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Customer Care, Productivity, Selling, Strategy
posted by William Martin @ 14:47
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