Is Your Customer Experience Creating Loyalty?
Customers are scarce and getting scarcer. This sounds familiar, but now more than ever does it hold true. And now more than ever do we need to stay focused on the customer.
At IQPC's Customer Experience Summit yesterday in Chicago, audience members heard this message again and again. Another message was companies can't commit to delivering a good customer experience without investing in customer and employee engagement. Customer engagement is a part of the customer experience and a promising approach to understanding customers and prospects. If done right, it leads to customer loyalty.
But does satisfaction equal loyalty? Thomas Cates, president of The Brookside Group, yesterday said, "Were we satisfied in 1985 with our Toyota or dissatisfied with our 1985 Chevy?"
Yates is right and he inspired me to rate my experience traveling to Chicago.
JetBlue: I was already upset when I arrived at ticketing at JFK because it had taken 40 minutes to travel from the long-term parking lot to the new JetBlue terminal. The flight had already closed so the agent advised me to run. With 10 minutes to take-off, the gate agent was kind and let me on the plane. And the experience and service on the plane seemed the same as in years past. Hopefully that means JetBlue is still investing in service.
Go Airport Shuttle: When arriving at Chicago/O'hare, I went straight to ground transportation and found the shuttle service. No one occupied the ticketing desk so I picked up a phone and someone told me to go outside. The shuttle picked me up immediately but then drove me to another terminal to pay for my ticket at another desk. That was annoying not only to me, but the other passengers on the van who had to wait while I paid.
The Hyatt: I am a big fan of the Hyatt, but during this particular stay, nothing blew me away. There was no real outstanding service or amenities, and I had to inquire upon check-in about Internet service and the cost of the gym (the front desk associate didn't offer the information). This is disappointing because those in the hospitality industry have the greatest advantage to deliver top-notch service because they have a wealth of information on customers and they have the opportunity to deliver the service face to face.
Gino's East: This legendary establishment known for its deep-dish pizza fried in butter; not its service. But my dinner guest and I were treated to a very friendly wait staff that joked with us, smiled, and tended to out needs quickly. We had a great experience and will definitely recommend Gino's.
Yellow Cab Chicago: I had just seen a report on the news the night before that Chicago taxi passengers were reporting abuse by cabbies who got ticked off when their passengers paid by credit card. While riding in the taxi from Gino's, I realized that I did not have enough cash to pay for the ride. Uh-oh. "I'm paying with a credit card," I told him. "You don't have cash?" he asked. "Gulp, no." He took the card without a word, but didn't seem pleased.
Overall I had the best experience with Gino's and JetBlue. They earned my loyalty. Are you earning your customers' loyalty?
Related Entries
