Think Customers: The 1to1 Blog

Not surprisingly, these executives are seeking differentiation for their organizations through customer experience. Also, not surprisingly, there is a raft of complications, Thompson said. He cited such issues as varying metrics, cynical employees, the rise in the power of the customer, and a lingering view of IT as a part of the problem in service delivery. Oh, and the biggest challenge: Most employees don’t care about customer experience because they don’t get paid to. Those who do care measure it differently, Thompson said. For example, a company that wants to boost customer loyalty might compensate it staff on such metrics as churn/retention rates and referrals.

So how can executives inject a customer experience focus into their organization? Thompson cited seven types of customer experience projects to pursue.

1. Listen, think, do.
Simply, this translates to “act on feedback,” and tell both staff and customers what action you took. An easy place to start is to follow up on complaints. Thompson also suggested standardizing on one enterprisewide feedback tool. Follow up should be immediate; someone on staff should be accountable for that follow up.

2. Rethink process.
Redesign inside-out focused processes to create processes that are designed from the outside in and are based on customers’ moments of truth at key interaction points. Don’t try to swallow the pig, here. Focus on two or three processes at a time.

3. Act as one.
Focus on consistency across channels—and with channel partners.

4. Be open and exclusive.
This may sound impossible, but it can work. Be open with customers and staff by providing access (e.g, offer self-service options and status alerts on open issues or complaints) and building trust (e.g., be transparent and open-minded). At the same time, be exclusive though “inclusive participation,” especially with high-value customers. For example, encourage them to cocreate products and services with you; engage them in online communities.

5. Personalize and simplify.
Yes, these two seeming opposites can work together as well. Personalize products, services, and offers, yet keep it simple. The best organizations do both, Thompson said. Think: the Nike + program. It’s personalized yet easy to use as an individual and to participate in online.

6. Alter attitudes.
OK, this one could be tough. Thompson suggested using governance and recruitment to encourage positive employee behaviors (I’ll add a suggestion here of ensuring that your compensation matches your strategy). Southwest Airlines, for example, hires people who smile—something you just can’t train people to do sincerely (or sometimes at all…).

7. Plan and design the customer experience.
What experience do you want customers to have? Map it the design, values, and brand promise. Thompson cited as an example the well-known Disney theme parks’ parking lot experience, which ensures that people go home happy because they can easily find their cars in its vast parking lot at the end of their visit.

If your organization is really serious about creating a competition-busting customer experience, Thompson suggests appointing a vice president of customer experience. A few companies that have them already: Alaska Air, Bank of America, Dell, Philips Electronics, and Time Warner Cable.