 |
Customer Focused Innovation By Leslie Pagel Leslie Pagel, Walker's Vice President of Customer Experience, discusses new innovations for leveraging the customer perspective to drive business performance. |
 Follow me on twitter |
|
As you watch this video, it is hard to avoid thinking about times when the ladder has been kicked out from under your feet and you have been challenged to accomplish the impossible.
One of those times is happening now as customers gain more control over corporate brands, product development, and various other aspects of a company. The implications of this power shift are causing many organizations to kick the ladder and do things a new way and we, as customer strategists, are not exempt.
We might not have the answers or know how we are going to accomplish this challenge, but we must embrace the opportunity with or without a safety net. We know customer focus is better business and many of our customers are giving us a new channel to interact and learn from their experiences.
If we embrace this challenge great things will come.
As we look towards the New Year, let's kick out the ladder and go for it.
What do you think? You in?
Note: This post was originally published in Customer Connection on 12/16/2009.
One of those times is happening now as customers gain more control over corporate brands, product development, and various other aspects of a company. The implications of this power shift are causing many organizations to kick the ladder and do things a new way and we, as customer strategists, are not exempt.
We might not have the answers or know how we are going to accomplish this challenge, but we must embrace the opportunity with or without a safety net. We know customer focus is better business and many of our customers are giving us a new channel to interact and learn from their experiences.
If we embrace this challenge great things will come.
As we look towards the New Year, let's kick out the ladder and go for it.
What do you think? You in?
Note: This post was originally published in Customer Connection on 12/16/2009.
Over the past six months several Walker colleagues and I have been working on an experiment. The experiment focuses on using an alternative analytical approach to achieving insights from customer feedback. And, in order to apply a different analytical approach, we had to redesign the survey instrument.Three Goals
1 - Test something new on behalf of Walker clients and other customer strategists.
2 - Provide our clients with something they can use to improve their customer feedback program.
3 - Generate richer insights that will help Walker bring increased value to all of our client relationships.
Walker recently completed its annual relationship survey, which served as the testing ground for this new concept. And, while the jury is still out on whether or not our experiment accomplished its goals, I thought it might be helpful to document the concept and the design implications.
The Previous Design
In the past, our relationship assessment included a series of questions, where respondents were asked to evaluate our performance on a scale of Excellent-to-Poor. With the feedback we collected, we used multiple regression models to identify the areas that have significant impact on our customer's relationship with Walker. This information was used to prioritize initiatives at both the customer level and the corporate level.
The Experiment Design Concept
The survey design for this experiment includes a rather different approach. Instead of asking customers to evaluate Walker's performance, we asked them to evaluate particular aspects of the solution using the same Excellent-to-Poor scale (e.g., Communications with customers). We followed up with a series of questions where the respondents were asked to pick the characteristics that describe that area (e.g., frequency of communications, method they use to communicate, who sends the communication, etc.).
To be clear, these follow-up questions were not an evaluation of the area (as they have been in the past). Instead they were pick lists that included characteristics of that specific solution component.
Looking Forward
With this new approach, we plan to use an analytical technique that will profile various aspects of a customer feedback program. This approach will provide our clients and Walker a view of what makes up an excellent customer feedback solution.
Although we are still in the process of analyzing the results, the team has already learned quite a bit. For example, while this design doesn't include more questions, the types of questions require more thought and time to complete. Stay tuned for an upcoming blog about lessons learned from a long survey.
While the experiment is not perfect, I remain excited about the insights it will bring to our clients. I look forward to sharing more with you too.
Photo credit: The Lab Depot, Inc.
Note: This post was originally published in Customer Connection on 12/10/2009.
My friend and colleague Pat Gibbons recently introduced a framework for customer listening tools. His blog prompted some discussion, including the use of social media to test assumptions and conclusions.With the latest findings from the Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey, leveraging social media as a listening tool should be a requirement for many organizations. Ignoring these channels is too dangerous.
However, as we tap into this wealth of information to test our hypotheses and conclusions, we must seek to understand more about those who are participating online. Specifically, is the online discussion reflective of the views and opinions of our most valuable customers? How influential are the individuals who are participating?
While the use of social media has become mainstream, there is a difference between using social media to observe versus using social media to share. While the percent of individuals who use social media to share has increased, the majority of us use it to observe.
Not all customers are the same. And, as we extend the way we listen to include social media channels, we must remember to ask ourselves, does this online discussion reflect the views and opinions of the right customers?
Phote credit: Alison Bechdel
Note: This post was originally published in Customer Connection on 12/2/2009.
I recently wrote a blog asking if survey invitations have to be boring. It wasn't until after I posted the blog that I was reminded of the ongoing debate regarding form versus function and realized that "boring" isn't the right word.Based on the survey invitations I receive and ones I've prepared, the focus of the e-mail tends to be on the function of the message, but lacks attention to the form.
How many times have you received an invitation that is a couple paragraphs long and includes a blurb on why customer feedback is important and several details related to the survey? We all have because this is the function of a survey invitation.
But, do all survey invitations need to be alike? I don't think so and I think creating a better balance between the form and function can help.
For example, what if our invitations included customer comments, or stories from colleagues who use the feedback, or a cartoon that tells a story. Paying more attention to the form could reinforce the message and help set our survey invitations apart from others.
What do you think? Do you think we need a better balance between the form and function of our survey invitations?
Photo credit: Desktop Engineering
Note: This blog was originally posted in Customer Connection on 11/20/2009.
I say, absolutely not. In fact, I'm anxious to see some new ways of communicating survey invitations. Here is one example that we recently implemented at Walker.
Each year, Walker practices what we preach by conducting an annual customer relationship assessment on ourselves. This year, we are experimenting with a new survey design (more on this later) and we needed a new approach for inviting our customers to participate.
We started by sending this post card with the goal of communicating two things: 1) the program is something new and 2) the program is about how our customers see us and the solutions we deliver.
Approximately one week after the postcards landed in mail boxes, we used this video to invite customers to participate in the survey.
While we would like to believe that putting together a nice video will lead to greater response rates, the truth of the matter is, it probably won't. But, that doesn't mean coming up with creative ways to engage customers in the survey process isn't worth pursuing.
What new approaches have you used to communicate your survey invitations?
Note: This post was originally published in Customer Connection on 11/18/2009.
Each year, Walker practices what we preach by conducting an annual customer relationship assessment on ourselves. This year, we are experimenting with a new survey design (more on this later) and we needed a new approach for inviting our customers to participate.
We started by sending this post card with the goal of communicating two things: 1) the program is something new and 2) the program is about how our customers see us and the solutions we deliver.
Walker Focus Postcard
View more documents from Walker Information.
Approximately one week after the postcards landed in mail boxes, we used this video to invite customers to participate in the survey.
While we would like to believe that putting together a nice video will lead to greater response rates, the truth of the matter is, it probably won't. But, that doesn't mean coming up with creative ways to engage customers in the survey process isn't worth pursuing.
What new approaches have you used to communicate your survey invitations?
Note: This post was originally published in Customer Connection on 11/18/2009.
Over a year ago, Walker set out to create an online community that enables customer strategists to connect and network with each other. We developed the community based on feedback from our clients who told us that it is extremely valuable to connect and network with peers from other companies.
Up until the launch of Customer Connection, the primary vehicle Walker used to support this peer-to-peer learning was our Walker Forums, which are client only events that occur in-person, two times per year.
While our forums offer unmatched value (there is nothing like meeting in-person), we knew it was important to create a channel that would extend the conversation from our forums and reach a broader audience.
The past 12 months flew by and while there is always more that could be done, we've accomplished a lot during this time. Below are just a few of the accomplishments that bring a smile to my face:
- 116 members - thank you to each and every one of you!
- Too many blogs to count.
- Quality content through the featured videos.
- One successful move - in July, we moved software platforms with minimal disruption.
- Everything we've learned along the way - it has been a lot of fun.
Looking forward? - Well, that depends on you and what you'd like to accomplish. At this point, we've focused on leveraging this platform to distribute content, but there is nothing stopping us from doing more.
While there are probably countless ways we can use Customer Connection, two ideas that come to mind are:
- Co-creation: Many of us have similar challenges and our collective input will yield the best results. We could work together to create solutions that help us overcome one of our challenges.
- Meet to share our experiences: We could use other vehicles, like teleconferencing or web conferencing, to share best practices, brainstorm ideas to problems, get to know each other, etc.
What do you think? What would you like Customer Connection to focus on over the next 12 months?
Note: This blog was originally posted in Customer Connection on 11/06/2009.
I was recently asked for help in getting up-to-speed on social media. While I'm not an expert, I have spent some time researching the topic. So, I agreed to pull together a list of resources.
Here is what I came up with. While this list might be exhausting, it is by no means exhaustive.
If you are serious about learning more about social media, the best way is to start using the tools. But, before you get started, you should check your corporate policies and become knowledgeable of safe internet practices.
When you're ready, I recommend checking out all of the following (listed in no particular order). I'd encourage you to go beyond signing up and start using these tools to engage in discussions, whether they are personal or professional.
- Blogs (via RSS feeds)
- YouTube
- Delicious
There are several different research studies on the topic. The two that I've used the most are:
- Universal McCann – Power to the People is in its fourth year of measuring online trends globally.
- Forrester Social Technographics – another global research project that looks at online participation
A few of the many influential social media individuals (these would be good people to follow on Twitter or subscribe to their blogs):
- Chris Brogan – Focuses on helping companies leverage social media to build relationships and deliver value.
- Seth Godin – He is strictly marketing, but marketing is one of the early adopters of social media.
- David Armano – Expert in the field and writes for Harvard Business and Business Week on occasion.
- Scott Monty – Head of social media for Ford.
Some books (Amazon links included):
- Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation,...
- Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies
- Grown up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World
Your turn - What did I miss?
Note: This post was originally posted in Customer Connection on 11/5/2009.
The other night my husband and I sat at a bar for dinner when I overheard the following conversation between the bartender and another customer.Customer: Can you put on the IU (Indiana University) football game?
Bartender: No hun. We don't get the Big Ten Network.
Customer: That is too bad. I was hoping to watch the game while I ate dinner.
Bartender: You can go to our website and submit a request to add that channel. They do listen when customers submit feedback. They've implemented a lot of things that have really helped us out.
Customer: Oh. OK.
The customer had a cell phone with internet access, but did not take the next step to submit his feedback. Instead, he used his phone to check the score of the game.
While I don't know for sure, I doubt this customer ever submitted his feedback, which got me thinking. How many ideas get lost because sharing feedback is inconvenient for customers? Think about it. How many times have you thought, "I should send them a message to tell them what a great job they did," or "That was inconvenient. I should send them a letter?"
What if instead of asking the customer to take the initiative, the bartender took it? Here are two different scenarios that would work.
Scenario 1 - Making feedback immediate
Bartender - We don't get the Big Ten Network. I see that this is important to you. We have a way you can submit this request right now. Let me pull it up for you.
The Bartender proceeds to pull up an ideas forum and searches for "Big Ten." She doesn't see anything that is similar to her customer request. So, she creates a new idea and asks the customer if he would type in his name and his specific request.
Scenario 2 - Empowering the employee
Bartender - We don't get the Big Ten Network. I see that this is important to you. We have a way you can submit this request immediately to our corporate office. Would you like me to submit this request on your behalf?
With all of the discussion surrounding crowdsourcing, customer-focused innovation, and co-creation we must continue to challenge the vehicles that we have in place for listening to the customer voice.
In order to continue through this journey of being customer focused, we must ask ourselves if we have the right methods in place to capture customer ideas, complaints, appraisals, needs, etc. Do you?
Note: This blog was originally posted in Customer Connection on 10/28/2009.
Last week I was visiting with a client and the discussion of Nirvana for making business decisions came up. Over the course of two days we talked about the idea that Nirvana is having the holistic view of the customer in a centralized and available system.While we didn't specifically define holistic, we discussed having things like a summary of executive discussions, customer involvement on social networks, customer purchase history, and customer feedback from surveys.
While the sheer volume of data can seem overwhelming, imagine all of the things one could do with that type of system.
Here are a few ideas:
- You can conduct sophisticated customer segmentation analysis, enabling the delivery of a more tailored value proposition.
- The strategic account management function would have access to the customer insight globally. They would have the tools to think globally and respond locally.
- The product development function would have access to the broader customer and market needs equipping them with insights to create new customer value.
After we overcome the first hurdle of capturing the information, according to this New York Times article, the next challenge is to think big.
In reference to a machine that will quickly identify the DNA sequence through a strand of hair, the article states, "The big question is whether the person on the other side of that machine will have the wherewithal to do something interesting with an almost limitless supply of genetic information."
I have to believe that many customer strategists would agree that Nirvana is having this system and being able to think big about all of the ways it could be used. Do you?
Note: This post was originally published in Customer Connection on 10/15/2009.
Walker hosted another successful client forum a couple of weeks ago. Before it becomes a distant memory, I wanted to jot down a few things that stood out:
1 - The theme centered around a common business objective - Growth. Using a framework for growth we identified and discussed ways to integrate the customer perspective into the various growth initiatives.
All too often we can get wrapped up in the day-to-day tasks of running a voice of the customer or customer listening program and we lose sight of the overriding business objective. It is a nice reminder to step back and consider the strategic implications of our customer programs.
2 - The value of networking is significant. When a company connects people with common interests together great things happen. And, this is what happened a couple of weeks ago.
We had a great mix of people. Some have been in charge of their customer strategy program for many years and some are just starting in the role. It is great to have the fresh perspective that the newcomers bring and to hear the lessons learned from the pros.
3 - Using a variety of tools, we were able to extend the reach of the Walker Fall Forum to others. We did this in two ways. First, we had several individuals present at the forum from their home office using tools like Second Life and Cisco WebEx. Second, we used Ustream, a video broadcast platform, to extend the content of the Walker Fall Forum to other customer strategists who were not able to attend in-person.
I'm convinced that our corporate travel policies will not go back to the way they were a year ago. Because of this, it becomes critical that we, as customer strategists, experiment with all of the tools and techniques available to share content and connect our experiences with each other virtually. We learned a lot through our experiments at this years' Walker Fall Forum and will continue to explore other techniques moving forward.
All-in-all it was a successful event and we had a lot of fun. As we look toward 2010, I'm certain it will come with many new stories of how the customer perspective has been used to support growth initiatives and more mediums for telling those stories.
Note: This post was originally published in Customer Connection on 10/13/2009.
1 - The theme centered around a common business objective - Growth. Using a framework for growth we identified and discussed ways to integrate the customer perspective into the various growth initiatives.All too often we can get wrapped up in the day-to-day tasks of running a voice of the customer or customer listening program and we lose sight of the overriding business objective. It is a nice reminder to step back and consider the strategic implications of our customer programs.
2 - The value of networking is significant. When a company connects people with common interests together great things happen. And, this is what happened a couple of weeks ago.
We had a great mix of people. Some have been in charge of their customer strategy program for many years and some are just starting in the role. It is great to have the fresh perspective that the newcomers bring and to hear the lessons learned from the pros.
3 - Using a variety of tools, we were able to extend the reach of the Walker Fall Forum to others. We did this in two ways. First, we had several individuals present at the forum from their home office using tools like Second Life and Cisco WebEx. Second, we used Ustream, a video broadcast platform, to extend the content of the Walker Fall Forum to other customer strategists who were not able to attend in-person.
I'm convinced that our corporate travel policies will not go back to the way they were a year ago. Because of this, it becomes critical that we, as customer strategists, experiment with all of the tools and techniques available to share content and connect our experiences with each other virtually. We learned a lot through our experiments at this years' Walker Fall Forum and will continue to explore other techniques moving forward.
All-in-all it was a successful event and we had a lot of fun. As we look toward 2010, I'm certain it will come with many new stories of how the customer perspective has been used to support growth initiatives and more mediums for telling those stories.
Note: This post was originally published in Customer Connection on 10/13/2009.
There are two things happening next week that I'm really excited about. Walker is hosting several of our clients for our Walker Fall Forum. And, we are offering this event live via streaming video to clients who are unable to attend in-person.
As we prepare for this in-person and virtual event, it is clear that there are numerous tools for sharing content virtually. In fact, I'm hard pressed to come up with a reason why someone would need to meet in-person to simply share content. If you can think of one, please let us know.
The real challenge with conducting business virtually isn't content sharing. It is building relationships. How do you replicate the small talk that occurs while sitting next to someone at a conference or the more intimate conversation that takes place over dinner?
In an earlier blog titled, "Are travel restrictions impacting our relationships with customers?" I talk about how tools like Cisco Telepresence and Virtual Worlds help professionals connect with each other virtually. I suggest that the tools are available to build relationships virtually, but it is our challenge to use them effectively.
I truly believe this and stats like "1 out of 8 couples married in the U.S. last year met via social media," make it hard to refute.
But, after spending several weeks preparing for Walker's in-person and virtual event, I have some questions that I hope to explore:
1- Does it take longer to build relationships virtually? If so, what implications does this have on our customer, colleague, vendor, and partner relationships?
2- When putting on an event that is both in-person and virtual, is it possible to build relationships with the virtual audience too? If so, how?
As business activities continue to become more remote and travel restrictions stay in-tact, we owe it to our customers to try these new tools for not only sharing content, but also building strong and trustworthy relationships.
Note: This post was originally published in Customer Connection on 9/24/2009.
As we prepare for this in-person and virtual event, it is clear that there are numerous tools for sharing content virtually. In fact, I'm hard pressed to come up with a reason why someone would need to meet in-person to simply share content. If you can think of one, please let us know.
The real challenge with conducting business virtually isn't content sharing. It is building relationships. How do you replicate the small talk that occurs while sitting next to someone at a conference or the more intimate conversation that takes place over dinner?
In an earlier blog titled, "Are travel restrictions impacting our relationships with customers?" I talk about how tools like Cisco Telepresence and Virtual Worlds help professionals connect with each other virtually. I suggest that the tools are available to build relationships virtually, but it is our challenge to use them effectively.I truly believe this and stats like "1 out of 8 couples married in the U.S. last year met via social media," make it hard to refute.
But, after spending several weeks preparing for Walker's in-person and virtual event, I have some questions that I hope to explore:
1- Does it take longer to build relationships virtually? If so, what implications does this have on our customer, colleague, vendor, and partner relationships?
2- When putting on an event that is both in-person and virtual, is it possible to build relationships with the virtual audience too? If so, how?
As business activities continue to become more remote and travel restrictions stay in-tact, we owe it to our customers to try these new tools for not only sharing content, but also building strong and trustworthy relationships.
Note: This post was originally published in Customer Connection on 9/24/2009.
It seems like companies of all sizes have an annual or semi-annual customer event. But, in some cases the senior customer advocate doesn't have an active role in these events.
So, I've been wondering. Should customer advocates be an active participant in their own company's customer forum? Should they provide input into the event planning, present updates, and interact with customers throughout the event?
Below are four reasons why those in charge of customer listening, the customer experience, and customer insights should be involved in these key customer events.
1 - The chief customer experience officer should be visible and accessible to all critical customer segments. Your strategic customers should know that customer-focus is ingrained in the culture and has dedicated senior leadership.
2 - These events are valuable customer listening posts. Customers often share their challenges, needs, and best practices. Coupled with other customer listening posts, these are great inputs that can help guide future decisions.
3 - The customer perspective and insights are typically centralized and housed by those who are responsible for the customer experience. This information can be helpful in putting together a powerful event that targets specific customer needs.
4 - These events are a prime time to communicate how you are listening to the customer and using their voice to drive the organization forward. The customer experience officer should be a central figure in delivering this message.
If you are involved in your customer events, what have I missed?
Note: This post was originally published in Customer Connection on 9/16/2009.
It doesn't take much to convince business leaders that building customer loyalty is a logical customer retention strategy. Intuitively, it just makes sense.
In fact, customer retention is just one of many different reasons why a company would want to partner with a business consulting firm, like Walker, to develop strategies for building customer loyalty. But, one often overlooked reason is loyal customers will stick with you during tough times.
We have all worked for a company that has encountered significant change and times of change create uncertainty amongst employees and customers. Whether the change is a significant product upgrade, an overhaul of an order management or billing system, or the integration of a new call center, all have implications on the customer experience and customer loyalty.
Companies that have a strong and loyal customer base will come out ahead during times of change. The graph on the left is data for a company that is in the process of implementing a significant change that directly impacts the customer.
The horizontal axis represents the customer experience of the change, with responses ranging from "excellent" to "poor." The vertical axis represents the percent of customers who are "extremely" or "very likely" to search for alternative products. The two lines represent loyal customers and disloyal customers.
The key take-away - The difference between the slope of the two lines is extreme. Notice the dramatic slope for the disloyal group compared to the subtle slope for the loyal customers. When loyal customers encounter a bad experience they will stick with you. Whereas, disloyal customers will not tolerate a bad experience.
There are many benefits of having a loyal customer base. Which ones do you think get overlooked?
Note: This post was originally published in Customer Connection on 9/2/2009.
The one reason to engage in the Twitter conversation is because the network will help you find products, services, and information that is meaningful and relevant to you.
OK - so you are right. There is also a lot of junk that isn't relevant, but when you use Twitter effectively, the network can be a valuable resource.
Late last week, Erica Driver, principal at ThinkBalm, posted a simple question to her Twitter network. Earlier in the day I had a conversation on a similar topic, which prompted me to respond. My response generated two additional tweets.
The first tweet, from Jeff Lowe, is someone within my Twitter network (and BTW, surround monitors don't exist in case you are like me and wanted to check them out).
The second tweet, from Super_PC, came from someone is who not in my list of Twitter followers. Now, I'm not sure, but I suspect Super_PC has something set-up, similar to Comcast, to enable him/her to search through the tweets and pull out those that are most relevant.
At a minimum, every company should take advantage of this free resource to help them find conversations that are relevant. There are tools that can help. I use TweetDeck, but recommend checking out this blog from Chris Brogan for other great tools and tips.
The trick, however, is not finding the conversation. It is how you respond after you find it. I personally like the approach Super_PC took. It wasn't too aggressive (for example, it didn't even include a link to their web site) and the response was relevant, timely, and somewhat informative.
Another interesting part to the story, a Google search on triple monitors does not return Super PC on the first search page.
Now, I'm not sure if I should buy products from Super PC or one of their competitors, but I do know that I wouldn't know about Super PC had they not taken the opportunity to introduce themselves to me at the right time.
This is just one example of many. I've watched individuals expand their professional networks resulting in new business opportunities, new ideas, and new relationships that would not be without Twitter.
So, how can you use Twitter as a valuable resource for you personally and professionally?
Note: This post was originally published in Customer Connection on 8/19/2009.
In today's economic climate, where flat is considered the new growth, companies are taking aggressive steps to reduce the bottom line. One of the items being cut is travel related expenses. As a customer advocate it's natural to wonder if these travel restrictions are impacting our strategic customer relationships.If someone had asked me a couple years ago if we can build meaningful relationships virtually, my answer would have been something like, "Face-2-face interactions are key to establishing and building trust and trust is key to any meaningful relationship."
Fast forward to today and it's hard not to notice all of the communication advancements, with social media tools like Facebook becoming mainstream and mobility keeping people connected at all times.
This simple two-by-two matrix from Seth Godin plots various communication tools on dimensions of time and the quality of exchange.
Notice how Cisco Telepresence (a virtual meeting and collaboration tool) is hovering around the only two in-person methods (one-on-one coach and live seminar). Another virtual tool that is missing is virtual worlds, which I'd place in a similar location as Cisco Telepresence.
The advancement of communication and technology tools has enabled us to connect without a shake of the hand. But, are they effective in building trust? Well, that is up to us and how we choose to use them.
Note: This post was originally published in Customer Connection on 8/11/2009.
I recently attended a panel discussion where the panelists (who were all from the same company) shared the actions they were implementing based on customer feedback. At the end of the session, the moderator asked, "In two or three bullets, what does Nirvana look like for your customers?"
My two bullets:
1 - Customer Success - through the use of our products and services we're able to help our customers succeed.
2 - Exceptional Experience - our customers enjoy the experience when using our products and services.
What say you? What does Nirvana look like for your customers?
Picture credit - Vandan Desai
Note: This post was originally published in Customer Connection on 7/31/2009.
How would you answer this question?When it comes to differentiating through exceptional customer experience, who needs training?
My answer - Everyone, but let's not call it training. Let's call it practice.
I have a six year old daughter who is learning how to ride a bike. Actually, she has been learning how to ride a bike for a couple of years now. When she first started, we focused on the basics and building her confidence.
This year, since coordination doesn't run in our family, we spend a lot of time practicing.
When it comes to creating a customer-focused organization, companies must approach it like learning how to ride a bike. Here's why:
- Whether or not you are a natural, everyone needs the basics and needs practice.
- Some people need to practice more than others.
- Some people need to build their confidence, while others have no fear.
- With enough practice, it will become routine.
- While you might not ever forget how to ride a bike, if you don't get practice, you will lose some confidence.
Our work is never done. Our companies need to enable our colleagues will the basics and create an environment where providing an exceptional customer experience becomes routine.
Note: This post was originally published in Customer Connection on 7/29/2009.
One of the creative communication approaches that I'm seeing more of these days is the use of cartoons to communicate ideas and concepts.
One of Walker's first experiments with this approach was last year at a Walker Fall Forum. During one of the breakout sessions, Walker used a simple comic strip to communicate what the year 2013 might look like.
Take a look. I'm interested in your thoughts. Do you think this is an effective way to communicate with your customers? What do you think about Pam's Virtual Adventure?
Pams Virtual Adventure
Note: This post was originally published in Customer Connection on 7/22/2009.View more documents from Walker Information.
Last week I attended a United Way collaboration and best practice sharing event and was reminded that the customer is the voice that pushes an organization forward.
As I attended the various break out sessions, I heard familiar stories of communication approaches, education and awareness resources, and creative ways to run your United Way campaign. As I sat there, it struck me that the United Way didn't create these best practices. It was the customer (or in this case the campaign coordinators).
What the United Way did was listen to the campaign coordinators and shared their stories broadly to help others be more successful. Sharing customer stories is one approach that will help our customers be more successful.
Powered by Compendium Blogware