Not Everyone Has Access…
… all of the time!
I’m talking about being able to access the internet, whether through a 5G connection or Wi-Fi.
Has anyone else noticed how many organisations now development apps that rely on A 24/7 internet connection?
It’s great whilst it works but, as the “automation paradox” tells us, the more we rely on technology, the more we struggle when it fails.
Another problem is that some of the mobile banking apps that I’ve encountered require authentication through a phone call to the user’s mobile. When that user is travelling and using a different country’s SIM for service in that country, it’s highly unlikely that they’ll be available on the phone number linked to their “home SIM”. Unfortunately, some developers don’t seem to consider this a possibility…
There’s no doubt that the internet has significantly changed and improved our lives. We can access information, services, financial transactions all with the press of a button or the tap of an icon. What I find myself wondering, though, is whether the developers consider that there may be instances where internet won’t be available either because of blackouts, poor mobile service or other conditions.
It’s not going to stop developers developing apps that take advantage of the power of the internet. Hopefully, though, they’ve worked out that if anyone has a smart phone on which they can download the app, they will have internet access at least some of the time.
Where we as businesses rely on an “app” or internet connection to service our customers, should we be considering what happens when they can’t access our services? If so, what can we do in those (hopefully rare) cases?
I deliver change in markets ranging from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide 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.
Labels: Customer Care, Productivity, Selling, Strategy
“Decluttering”
Have you ever stopped to ask how much “clutter” we carry daily?
By this, I don’t mean mental clutter but rather the bits and pieces that we think are vital to our day-to-day existence.
The problem is, we may need different things at different times, in different place or for different purposes in our lives. For example, if I commute from home by train to my place of work, I might need different things for a train trip than for a 10-minute car journey.
Equally, going out shopping at the weekend again needs different stuff.
Personal experience tells me that I need to declutter at least once a year. This means taking a good hard look at everything in the messenger bag I take to work every day and asking myself, “is this still necessary for my daily needs, or am I just packing it for something that’s unlikely to happen?”
I’ve watched countless “EDC” videos on YouTube where different presenters show the different stuff they carry as part of their Everyday Carry (hence the initials “EDC”). I’ve no doubt that some of these are genuinely necessary, but if we all went down the proverbial “YouTube rabbit hole”, we’d end up spending huge amounts of money on stuff that we might never actually have a use for but is there “Just in case”.
So, back to basics: I need to constantly ask myself, “Does this have a place in my bag or pocket?” Remember: the more you think you need, the more space you need to carry it, the more weight you’re carrying and the larger the bag/pack you need.
At present, there are only two items I like to have in my pocket at any time and in any place (my iPhone and a Swiss Army knife, if you must know). These respond to 98% (if not 99%) of my day-to-day, minute to minute needs.
If I step out of the house, I’ll add my sunglasses, money clip with “minimal” cash, house and car keys. I have a “MagSafe” wallet attached to my iPhone in which I keep my debit, credit and identity cards, so that’s always with my iPhone.
That’s it. Whether I’m at home or stepping out quickly, 90% of my needs are covered. My life is simple because I live in an urbanised area where stores, restaurants and other conveniences are usually close to hand and I don’t need supplies of snacks or liquids to keep going.
If, however, I lived in an extremely rural setting and the nearest town was 5 miles away, from the items mentioned above, I might well need to take water, snacks, perhaps a lighter and even extra clothing to cope with changes in the weather when going out, particularly if I was going far from any other habitation. In this case, it makes sense to take more.
The point is, depending on the situation, what we really need is going to change. There’s no point in continuing to carry something if it’s no longer needed 90% of the time we’re out.
What could you get rid of to make your life simpler, lighter (and perhaps less expensive)?
I deliver change in markets ranging from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide 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.
Labels: Leisure, Productivity
Customer Experience 102
In an earlier article, I attempted to define the difference between “Customer Service” and “Customer Experience” (CX).
Many organisations face problems on different levels when it comes to improving customer experience. Among these are the typical attitudes of:
- “We’ve always done it this way...”
- “We’re no worse than the competition!”
- It’ll cost too much…”
None of the above holds water except maybe in organisations that are “monopoly providers” and therefore don’t need to worry as nobody has any choice but to deal with them. Even then, I personally have noticed an improvement in how I’m handled by certain institutions compared with, say, 10 to 20 years ago.
A second level on which organisations find it hard to deliver consistently excellent experiences is their own internal mechanisms. They generally design their processes and systems to suit themselves (and the law (see below). This inward-looking attitude fails to consider that those very processes and systems that the organisation’s staff are so diligently trained to use don’t apply to their customers who aren’t trained at all.
The third level on which the problems arise is that our world is becoming increasingly regulated. Businesses may have to deal with any number of laws regarding confidentiality, transfer of data, provision of certain kinds of service (financial or health for example), advertising standards, product description… the list is endless. If all regulations are obeyed and followed to the letter, no business is likely to be able to deliver excellent customer experience consistently. Yet some manage to do it…
Certain industries, however, almost consistently get a “bad rap”. Among these are financial services, credit cards and telecoms.
Bernoff, Manning and Bodine suggest that every organisation should have a CX programme headed by a Chief Customer Officer (CCO). The job of the latter is to advocate on behalf of customers rather than the business.
Even if we have such a person and program in place, we need to measure its effectiveness. We need feedback of consistent quality and timeliness to know where things need improvement. For this to be successful and result in “high marks”, we need to understand our customers, their needs and how they interact with our business at every possible touch point. There’s no point in having highly trained, highly skilled and excellent frontline staff if back-office workers lack interpersonal skills and empathy!
The benefits of a successful CX programme and happy customers are:
- Happy customers (first and foremost).
- Happy customers buy more.
- Happy customers tell other others about how well we look after them.
- Happy customers are more willing to forgive us when we get it wrong.
- Happy customers will leave us last during hard times and finally…
- Happy customers will return to us first when times improve.
The finance director or CEO who doesn’t see the value of a structured and focused CX program in an organisation that depends on customers buying that organisation’s products or services will be the cause of its ruin.
I deliver change in markets ranging from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide 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.
Labels: Customer Care, Leadership, Productivity, Selling, Teamwork
