Bill McAneny of Prelude Consulting reminds us that the customer experience is not just based on the end product but the all-round service that they receive. He gives some pointers as to how to assess and improve the overall experience....
When I last had my hair cut I asked Sean, my hairdresser: "Why do I come here?" He answered: "It's not just to get a haircut Bill, but to get a really good haircut!" But I told him: "No. It's to feel good about myself, to transform what I look like; to become Pierce Brosnan."
A good haircut is simply what I expect. Providing a lasting experience and an excellent service goes far beyond just a haircut. How I judge my haircut is by my total experience – from my initial entrance to my leaving the salon and beyond. Was I made to feel special, did I enjoy the experience, did the staff really know me, did they look after me and will I look forward to going back? Will I tell others how good the experience was and recommend that they also go there?
All these reactions are emotional responses, rather than the usual assessment of customer service. Whenever we ask customers how they judge the performance of their suppliers, "accuracy of order and prompt delivery" are the virtues they value the most . When we point out that the order is often inaccurate and very often late, they become quite sheepish and say: "OK, Bill, I like them!"
Like for like
Making sense of "I like them," is the key to understanding customer service at an emotional level. Customers often value the fact that they deal with the same person each time in a certain business transaction, or that the person at the other end shows a real interest in their business, or demonstrates care beyond the call of duty. It is these less tangible, difficult to assess issues upon which we will all be judged by our customers. It is these issues that determine whether customers return or recommend our services to others.
We live in an "experience economy", where customers judge us by their total business experience, rather than simply on the quality of product or service. The reason is simple: good-quality service and products are expected. If we want to make a difference, be remembered and raise the company's profile above that of the competition, then the focus needs to be on the diverse issues that surround the product or service and create the total experience.
When we go to a restaurant, however good the food is, we would not go back again if the service was poor, the waiters were rude, or the ambience unwelcoming. We judge the night out by how memorable the total experience was. It is expected that if we go to the cinema or the theatre, that we do not judge the performance simply on how comfortable the chairs were, but on the performance itself. In the same way organisations are judged by the total experience of doing business.
To create a more customer-focused business one should not be tempted to simply opt for "customer care" training. This can actually have the opposite effect, creating conditions, through scripts or common phrases, where people are pretending to care and customers can spot insincerity a mile off. It can also lead to cloning which again often works against the customer feeling well looked-after; customers prefer to be treated as individuals with staff and services tailored to their specific needs. In the 1970s and 1980s the search was for the "customer in every individual". What organisations need to be looking for now, is "the individual in every customer".
If we are trying to create a seamless service, then the people who truly know where the joins are – the customers – should be invited to help change the way things are done. This means physically bringing customers to the premises, or using their true experiences, (rather than the scale of answers on a hastily-put-together questionnaire, or getting consultants to do the work) to change the way we do business.
Businesses are made up of both processes and behaviours yet the behavioural issues are often ignored. So let the voice of the customer help change processes but also help in staff development to create a seamless service. Use customer assessments as part of monitoring staff performance, or even bring customers in on the appraisals of front-line staff so that the impact of staff behaviour is made clear.
Business is a people game, and a contact sport and frequency of contact is a major factor in retaining customers. It is difficult enough to win a customer and so once a customer is on the books we should spend the same amount of energy ensuring we keep them. There are so many advantages to customer retention or loyalty. Being close to customers will help keep the competition at bay and allow customers to act as advocates of the company: they will generate other customers by proactively telling people how good the business is. They begin to share the total experience.
Think again
So next time you decide it's time to send out a questionnaire or initiate some customer care training, maybe you should think again. I have never attended a friendship skills course, yet I have many friends. I don't send my friends questionnaires as I already know what they think of me because I have a relationship with them.
And remember, this relationship will be judged by the totality and richness of the experience, the softer issues, rather than the old fit-for-purpose chestnuts, even if these are the ones stated. The quality of our product or service is the beginning of the experience, not the end.
You know what it's like when you're in the changing cubicle at Marks & Spencer trying on a pair of trousers with the lighting and mirrors designed to paint a graphic picture and leave us in no uncertain terms what our bottoms look like. In the same way, asking customers what they think, holding up the mirror of perception, means they will tell us. This can be an extremely painful experience and so we need to be ready for this. It also creates an expectation that things will improve.
So don't ask the question unless you can take the answer and are prepared to do something about it. If not, better ignore the issue, or take the easy route and send out a questionnaire, or maybe even commission a consultant's report.
