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Engaging the Enterprise By Patrick Gibbons Pat Gibbons, Senior Vice President of Marketing, will focus on ways organizations can get people engaged to make better use of customer insights to improve business performance. |
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The Johari Window is a fairly well known cognitive psychological tool to understanding relationships. It basically contends there are things that you know about yourself and things you don’t. As well, there are things others know about you and things they don’t know about you. When you combine these into a simple matrix, there are some practical observations. 
No matter how hard we try, we will never know everything. We will never completely know their perspective. That’s why we ask them. We invite their insights. That's why we develop customer listening programs. We encourage their insights so we can better understand their needs. If we can capture it and deliver it to the right people, our organizations will be more customer focused and perform better in the marketplace.
Do some of your people think they have it all figured out? Maybe you could provide a new "window" or view of their customers to open them up to building a better business through the use of customer insights.
Patrick Gibbons
Principal/SVP
- Arena – There are things about you that everybody knows – your hair color, your eyes, your height, weight, etc.
- Blind spot – There are things that others know about you, but you may not see, such as annoying habits or shortcomings.
- Façade – There are things you know that others don’t – your habits, your secrets.
- Unknown – There are even things you don’t know about yourself and others don’t know – subconscious things that make you do the things you do.
No matter how hard we try, we will never know everything. We will never completely know their perspective. That’s why we ask them. We invite their insights. That's why we develop customer listening programs. We encourage their insights so we can better understand their needs. If we can capture it and deliver it to the right people, our organizations will be more customer focused and perform better in the marketplace.
Do some of your people think they have it all figured out? Maybe you could provide a new "window" or view of their customers to open them up to building a better business through the use of customer insights.
Patrick Gibbons
Principal/SVP
Funny thing - I can't recall mentioning passion in my previous writing.
And yet, when it comes to getting people in your company engaged around customer insights, I can't think of a more profound ingredient.
Last night was 'meet the teacher' night at my children's high school. Several of the teachers spoke about how they loved their jobs. One talked about her conversion to teaching from the corporate world and how she never looked back. This was not some rehearsed speech suggested by the administration. It was genuine. It was passion.
Do we have passion? Do customer advocates display passion for customers and for the performance gains that can be achieved by their company? The good news is that the work we do is really passion-worthy. A win-win. Customers benefit from better service, solutions, experiences, and relationships while the company benefits from improved processes and results.
At Walker, we have the privilege of working with a lot of cool companies and impressive people. The most impressive are the customer advocates and customer strategists that exude passion. They are doing more than running a voice of the customer program. They are passionate about their customers and how their insights can drive business success. Their passion is transformed into an effective business strategy. And, their passion is contagious -- other sense it and it shows in how they put customer insights to use to drive decisions.
A little passion goes a long way.
Patrick Gibbons
Principal/SVP
P.S. Found one - This blog had plenty of passion in it -- 360 high school girls each donating six inches of hair for a worthy cause - that's passion!
And yet, when it comes to getting people in your company engaged around customer insights, I can't think of a more profound ingredient.
Last night was 'meet the teacher' night at my children's high school. Several of the teachers spoke about how they loved their jobs. One talked about her conversion to teaching from the corporate world and how she never looked back. This was not some rehearsed speech suggested by the administration. It was genuine. It was passion.
Do we have passion? Do customer advocates display passion for customers and for the performance gains that can be achieved by their company? The good news is that the work we do is really passion-worthy. A win-win. Customers benefit from better service, solutions, experiences, and relationships while the company benefits from improved processes and results.
At Walker, we have the privilege of working with a lot of cool companies and impressive people. The most impressive are the customer advocates and customer strategists that exude passion. They are doing more than running a voice of the customer program. They are passionate about their customers and how their insights can drive business success. Their passion is transformed into an effective business strategy. And, their passion is contagious -- other sense it and it shows in how they put customer insights to use to drive decisions.
A little passion goes a long way.
Patrick Gibbons
Principal/SVP
P.S. Found one - This blog had plenty of passion in it -- 360 high school girls each donating six inches of hair for a worthy cause - that's passion!
Choosing right customer metrics, using them effectively and getting people engaged around them. That was the topic of my most recent blog.
I got to thinking about the importance of having all three ingredients in a voice-of-the-customer strategy and considered what happens when just one of the three is missing. This chart is what emerged:
In each of the first three scenarios, only one of the ingredients is missing, but it makes a big difference in a how an organization puts customer insights to use. The outcomes are clearly not ideal.
However, when all the ingredients are in place, there is focus on the right strategies, decisions, and initiatives. The organization is improving the right customer experiences that drive business performance.
Patrick Gibbons
Principal/SVP
I got to thinking about the importance of having all three ingredients in a voice-of-the-customer strategy and considered what happens when just one of the three is missing. This chart is what emerged:
In each of the first three scenarios, only one of the ingredients is missing, but it makes a big difference in a how an organization puts customer insights to use. The outcomes are clearly not ideal.
However, when all the ingredients are in place, there is focus on the right strategies, decisions, and initiatives. The organization is improving the right customer experiences that drive business performance.
Patrick Gibbons
Principal/SVP
Is Net Promoter engaging? What about other metrics? What motivates an organization to make more customer focused decisions?
Net Promoter is a simple metric. People like that. However, while NPS can be engaging, it often doesn't tie to business metrics and typically isn't very actionable. Loyalty metrics are more robust and relevant. But you know what? They are even useless if the users of customer information aren't engaged.
2. Use the metric effectively. Too often the metric alone is a shallow rally cry. Naturally, for it to be engaging you have to understand what is driving it and what actions will make it move.
3. Get people engaged. Armed with the right metric and an understanding of what drives it, customer advocates can really engage the users of customer information. The Hierarchy of Engagement is an appropriate framework for the use of a rallying metric – if people are aware of it, understand it, and believe in it, they will take action.
The debate about Net Promoter, loyalty, and other metrics is relevant, but sometimes I think we get caught up in analyzing the metric as opposed to the way we can get people engaged to use customer information in the most productive ways to improve business performance.
Patrick Gibbons
Principal/SVP
Net Promoter is a simple metric. People like that. However, while NPS can be engaging, it often doesn't tie to business metrics and typically isn't very actionable. Loyalty metrics are more robust and relevant. But you know what? They are even useless if the users of customer information aren't engaged.
Putting the debate aside, here are three thoughts when considering customer metrics:
1. Find the right customer metric. That will depend on your industry and your business. We have a number of clients for which we calculate metrics for loyalty, Net Promoter, commitment, and much more. We do this to determine the most relevant customer information that ties to business performance.
1. Find the right customer metric. That will depend on your industry and your business. We have a number of clients for which we calculate metrics for loyalty, Net Promoter, commitment, and much more. We do this to determine the most relevant customer information that ties to business performance.
2. Use the metric effectively. Too often the metric alone is a shallow rally cry. Naturally, for it to be engaging you have to understand what is driving it and what actions will make it move.
3. Get people engaged. Armed with the right metric and an understanding of what drives it, customer advocates can really engage the users of customer information. The Hierarchy of Engagement is an appropriate framework for the use of a rallying metric – if people are aware of it, understand it, and believe in it, they will take action.
The debate about Net Promoter, loyalty, and other metrics is relevant, but sometimes I think we get caught up in analyzing the metric as opposed to the way we can get people engaged to use customer information in the most productive ways to improve business performance.
Patrick Gibbons
Principal/SVP
Have you heard of Beautiful Lengths? It's a program that encourages people to grow, cut, and donate their hair to make wigs for women who have lost their hair from cancer treatments. Mind you, donating is not as simple as it sounds. You must grow pony tails of at least eight inches!
Last Friday a terrific story unfolded for this organization.
At Seton High School in Cincinnati, Ohio approximately 360 girls donated at least 8 inches of hair. This was the largest simultaneous hair cut in history for the Beautiful Lengths program.
Just about two-thirds of the girls in the school participated in the program! How did they get that type of involvement? Many of them had to plan for months to grow their hair out so they could get it cut on May 21st. They planned, stayed committed, and generated great results. I like stories where groups of people get motivated behind a cause. I think a certain energy captivates people and it becomes contagious.
In the same vein, I really admire committed customer advocates and strategists who do everything they can to create this type of energy in their organization so that customers are at the center of their strategies, their decisions, and their actions. Without a doubt, the results - in the form of business performance - will follow.
I'm not sure how long these links will be live, but click here and here for more about the event.
Patrick Gibbons
Principal/SVP
Photo - Cincinnati.com
More importantly -- do your people regularly give them?
I've been in marketing for a while, but I had never come across this term -- lagniappe. So I was curious. Apparently 'lagniappe' (pronounced 'lan yap') is a creole word that means "the gift." It refers to a small unexpected gift given by a storeowner to customers at the time of purchase. Turns out, there is a guy trying to accumulate 1,000 lagniappes for an ebook. You can go to his website and contribute to his story about how these gifts really enhance customer experiences and build customer loyalty.
He cites examples that you may be familiar with, such as the warm cookies given to customers at Doubletree Hotels or the free peanuts at Five Guys restaurants.
I'm intrigued by these stories and totally agree -- these can make a huge difference in a customer relationship. In our company we offer forums and other services at no charge. It's not why our clients come to us, but I know they enjoy them and definitely find them very useful.
The obvious question is, "What's yours?" What is your company doing that is a little extra gift? However, the not so obvious questions I wonder are, "Do your people feel they can offer these gifts? Do they see it as their job to do extra things that enhance customer experiences? Or do they just follow the manual?"
I'm guessing the companies that are most focused on their customers are issuing marketing lagniappes routinely in a broad variety of ways. And, I am also guessing they are outperforming their competition.
Patrick Gibbons
SVP/Principal
I've been in marketing for a while, but I had never come across this term -- lagniappe. So I was curious. Apparently 'lagniappe' (pronounced 'lan yap') is a creole word that means "the gift." It refers to a small unexpected gift given by a storeowner to customers at the time of purchase. Turns out, there is a guy trying to accumulate 1,000 lagniappes for an ebook. You can go to his website and contribute to his story about how these gifts really enhance customer experiences and build customer loyalty.
He cites examples that you may be familiar with, such as the warm cookies given to customers at Doubletree Hotels or the free peanuts at Five Guys restaurants.
I'm intrigued by these stories and totally agree -- these can make a huge difference in a customer relationship. In our company we offer forums and other services at no charge. It's not why our clients come to us, but I know they enjoy them and definitely find them very useful.
The obvious question is, "What's yours?" What is your company doing that is a little extra gift? However, the not so obvious questions I wonder are, "Do your people feel they can offer these gifts? Do they see it as their job to do extra things that enhance customer experiences? Or do they just follow the manual?"
I'm guessing the companies that are most focused on their customers are issuing marketing lagniappes routinely in a broad variety of ways. And, I am also guessing they are outperforming their competition.
Patrick Gibbons
SVP/Principal
The purchasing director piled gloves on the boardroom table and suddenly people couldn’t wait to solve the problem.
I’m paraphrasing from a story in Dan and Chip Heath’s book, Switch. My colleague Kitty Radcliff recently mentioned in her blog that this is our feature book club reading. It’s loaded with ideas and stories and I found that it related particularly well to how customer advocates and strategists can get people engaged to encourage a more successful, customer focused culture.
Here’s a quick version of my favorite story from the book and how it relates to those of us trying to get more out of our voice of the customer programs.
A purchasing director discovered a wide variation in the price of gloves purchased in his manufacturing organization. While he knew he could save the company money, he knew some would resist. The easy way to address the issue was to put a spreadsheet together listing all the prices in a rational manner assuming that rational human beings would make rational decisions about better ways to manage resources.
He knew that people aren’t rational.
Instead of inviting this opportunity to poke holes in the information he assembled, he gathered samples of all the different types of gloves in the facility and attached price tags to them. He spread them across a boardroom table and simply invited people to take a look. Naturally people were surprised. In fact, they quickly decided this was a problem and something had to be done about it.
He connected at an emotional level which got them engaged and prompted action.
Now, consider how customer advocates deliver customer insights to the users of customer information. How do they react? If they are rational, they might see a need and take action. However, they may also be skeptical about the information, pick it apart, disagree with it, or simply dismiss it.
However, when we connect at an emotional level, people tend to spring it to action. One complaint, poor customer experience, or a stinging comment on a survey can carry more weight than a pile of stats.
We tend to try so hard to present rational conclusions. Maybe we should try just as hard to make an emotional connection.
Patrick Gibbons
Senior Vice President
P.S. Two notes – you can read the full story about gloves on page 12-15 of the book Switch. Also, about a year ago, one of my blogs contained an excellent story (by the same authors) of a presentation with a high impact emotional connection.
I bet your favorite professor was engaging.
Every once in a while, I stop to consider why engagement is so important -- no, essential -- to the success of a customer strategy program. It actually prompted me to think of my favorite college professors. What was it about them that made their classes so valuable? Two things:
That’s why I think engagement is so important. Just like it is with my favorite professors, it’s an essential ingredient in your customer strategy program.
Every once in a while, I stop to consider why engagement is so important -- no, essential -- to the success of a customer strategy program. It actually prompted me to think of my favorite college professors. What was it about them that made their classes so valuable? Two things:
- Information – My best professors were intelligent and knowledgeable about their topic. They shared great information that I could really use.
- Engagement – My favorite professors were engaging. They were passionate about their topic and it showed. Somehow they connected at an emotional level that helped me understand and appreciate the topic.
- Information, without engagement. It’s just boring with no emotional connection.
- Engagement without information. That’s shallow. Not enough substance.
That’s why I think engagement is so important. Just like it is with my favorite professors, it’s an essential ingredient in your customer strategy program.
Let’s say you have two divisions of a business with relatively similar customer bases. Both divisions have well developed customer listening strategies and customer retention programs. They gather good customer insights and deliver them to all the right people. And yet, one program prompts action and gets results while the other program languishes. Why? What’s the missing ingredient?
Let’s look to history for a lesson.
You know the tale of Paul Revere – he rode on horseback through colonial communities warning them of a morning attack by the British. With this early warning, the surprise attack was thwarted and the British army was soundly defeated by the colonial militia. All this set the stage for the American Revolution.
Apparently, it wasn’t quite so simple. In fact there were actually two riders who took different paths to warn the communities of the ensuing arrival of the British Army. Paul Revere was joined by William Dawes. What is very interesting about this fact is those who were on Paul Revere’s path heard the announcement, heeded the warning, and took action. Oddly, William Dawes was not so successful in getting his point across. Citizens in the regions in which Dawes traveled did not participate in the battle in near the numbers as those that heard the message of Paul Revere.
So why did this occur? The same urgent message was delivered to two similar groups. In the book, The Tipping Point, author Malcolm Gladwell believes it came down to differences in the two men. For whatever reason Paul Revere was known as a credible source and he was able to deliver the message in a manner that convinced people to join forces. In sharp contrast William Dawes didn’t carry the same respect and didn’t deliver the message in convincing fashion.
In our work as customer advocates and strategists we may not be warning people of an ensuing war, but we are trying to rally the troops to make sure they hear our message, understand it, and take action on it. The story of Paul Revere holds a lesson for us – how we get people engaged is often as important as the information we provide.
I heard the saying once that many of the great things in this world were accomplished by aspiration or desperation.
That phrase has always stuck with me.
To me, desperation translates to requirements, deadlines and things that put your job on the line. While this pushes many people to do great things, it is typically not a very pleasant process. Aspiration on the other hand is the stuff of dreams and vision and ambition. It is often an exhilarating process because you are creating something that is uniquely yours - something better.
Too often, our lives are so busy that we operate primarily in "desperate" mode. It is true of leaders in business. If you think about it, it is actually easier to run an organization from your perspective rather than the customer's perspective. No worries about customer loyalty or retaining customers, just hit deadlines and make decisions that seem to be the most financially sound.
But you won't get very far. Listening to our customers will make decisions better. Using customer insights across the business will make each department better. A customer centric organization is more successful and better positioned for long-term success.
Customer advocates and strategists can help their organizations step outside the desperate fast pace of business to understand the customer's perspective. They can make sure colleagues receive and use the voice of the customer to make help them make better decisions.
In today's fast paced environment it takes more than leadership and hard work to be a customer centric company. It takes a little aspiration.
That phrase has always stuck with me.
To me, desperation translates to requirements, deadlines and things that put your job on the line. While this pushes many people to do great things, it is typically not a very pleasant process. Aspiration on the other hand is the stuff of dreams and vision and ambition. It is often an exhilarating process because you are creating something that is uniquely yours - something better.
Too often, our lives are so busy that we operate primarily in "desperate" mode. It is true of leaders in business. If you think about it, it is actually easier to run an organization from your perspective rather than the customer's perspective. No worries about customer loyalty or retaining customers, just hit deadlines and make decisions that seem to be the most financially sound.
But you won't get very far. Listening to our customers will make decisions better. Using customer insights across the business will make each department better. A customer centric organization is more successful and better positioned for long-term success.
Customer advocates and strategists can help their organizations step outside the desperate fast pace of business to understand the customer's perspective. They can make sure colleagues receive and use the voice of the customer to make help them make better decisions.
In today's fast paced environment it takes more than leadership and hard work to be a customer centric company. It takes a little aspiration.
Sometimes we are lulled into believing that things are just made a certain way and can't really be changed.
Are you good at art? Most people will say "no." In fact they may say they are awful, or don't have an artistic bone in their body. In other words, they believe that artistic talent is something you are born with -- you either have it or you don't.
It's not true. While some have a natural inclination for such skills, artistic talent can be developed. There is a classic drawing book titled Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. The author Betty Edwards shares loads of examples of ordinary people that learned to draw using her methods.
Sometimes I believe we feel the same way about our companies being customer focused. There is a tone or a feeling that is often hard to describe. Sometimes we call it culture or customer centricity or say it is part of their DNA (a term I'm not fond of -- see previous blog). Using these terms make it feel like you either have it or you don't.
In reality, I think it is an integral system of tactics that really bring focus on the customer. Leadership sets the tone. But after that it's the nuts and bolts. It's how companies gather customer insights and put them to use. It's how they communicate the importance of customer initiatives and engage the enterprise. Its how they make sure the right people have the right information to make customer focused decisions and take action.
Just like the artist that practices, develops their skill, and consistently improves over time, companies need to do all the little things that drive customer focus in their business. The best news -- the results will prove all their efforts to be worthwhile.
Are you good at art? Most people will say "no." In fact they may say they are awful, or don't have an artistic bone in their body. In other words, they believe that artistic talent is something you are born with -- you either have it or you don't.
It's not true. While some have a natural inclination for such skills, artistic talent can be developed. There is a classic drawing book titled Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. The author Betty Edwards shares loads of examples of ordinary people that learned to draw using her methods.
Sometimes I believe we feel the same way about our companies being customer focused. There is a tone or a feeling that is often hard to describe. Sometimes we call it culture or customer centricity or say it is part of their DNA (a term I'm not fond of -- see previous blog). Using these terms make it feel like you either have it or you don't.
In reality, I think it is an integral system of tactics that really bring focus on the customer. Leadership sets the tone. But after that it's the nuts and bolts. It's how companies gather customer insights and put them to use. It's how they communicate the importance of customer initiatives and engage the enterprise. Its how they make sure the right people have the right information to make customer focused decisions and take action.
Just like the artist that practices, develops their skill, and consistently improves over time, companies need to do all the little things that drive customer focus in their business. The best news -- the results will prove all their efforts to be worthwhile.
I have a boomerang on the wall in my office. It reminds me of the importance of creating awareness for voice of the customer programs.
I suppose that deserves an explanation. There is a story behind the boomerang.
The first step to engaging the users of customer information is for them to be aware (see the hierarchy of engagement). They have to know that your customer listening program exists. With this in mind, customer advocates and strategists often put their marketing hat on and ask themselves, "how can I get the word out?" We have worked with companies to develop communications plans which include clever names for their programs, videos, signs, micro-sites, contests, and more -- all aimed at generating interest and support for their program.
So what's with the boomerang?
I've always thought a boomerang is great symbol for customer feedback. You toss it (like asking customers for feedback) and it comes back to you (they respond). Sometimes it lands gently in your hands and sometimes it may conk you on the head. With this in mind I've always thought it would be clever to give away boomerangs to promote a customer listening program. Every time we brainstorm ideas for ways to promote such programs, I suggest the boomerang idea. I have even priced them -- you can get boomerangs for $9.25 per dozen! The polite nods and comments suggest that most are thinking, "I wish he would give up on the silly boomerang idea."
However, one of my proudest moments came last year around the holidays when several of my colleagues gave me a gift wrapped box. Inside I found a boomerang. A thoughtful gift that now hangs on my wall.
So if you are looking for ways to promote your customer listening program, I've got a great idea for you!
I suppose that deserves an explanation. There is a story behind the boomerang.
The first step to engaging the users of customer information is for them to be aware (see the hierarchy of engagement). They have to know that your customer listening program exists. With this in mind, customer advocates and strategists often put their marketing hat on and ask themselves, "how can I get the word out?" We have worked with companies to develop communications plans which include clever names for their programs, videos, signs, micro-sites, contests, and more -- all aimed at generating interest and support for their program.
So what's with the boomerang?
I've always thought a boomerang is great symbol for customer feedback. You toss it (like asking customers for feedback) and it comes back to you (they respond). Sometimes it lands gently in your hands and sometimes it may conk you on the head. With this in mind I've always thought it would be clever to give away boomerangs to promote a customer listening program. Every time we brainstorm ideas for ways to promote such programs, I suggest the boomerang idea. I have even priced them -- you can get boomerangs for $9.25 per dozen! The polite nods and comments suggest that most are thinking, "I wish he would give up on the silly boomerang idea."
However, one of my proudest moments came last year around the holidays when several of my colleagues gave me a gift wrapped box. Inside I found a boomerang. A thoughtful gift that now hangs on my wall.
So if you are looking for ways to promote your customer listening program, I've got a great idea for you!
I don't believe anyone has the definitive answer on how social media is changing the way we listen to customers, but it's clear that more tools are quickly emerging. In preparation for a presentation at our recent Walker Fall Forum, I began to consider a way to sort out the various uses, applications, and pros and cons of these tools. Without a place to start, what is one to do? Easy -- do what any wise consultant would do. Draw a two-by-two chart!
That's what I did. And I invited colleagues Leslie Pagel and Jeff Wiggington to collaborate with me.
After some deliberation, here is what we developed as a starting point. A brief description is below.
Content. Traditional methods (surveys, verbatim comments, customer advocacy boards, and online customer panels) are included along with emerging social media tools (private communities, public communities, social networks, blogs and micro blogs).
Control. Plotted on the horizontal axis is the degree of control customer strategists have over the feedback they receive. For instance, surveys provide a lot of control because you're the one asking all the questions. In contrast, you hand over virtually all control in the feedback you receive from micro blogs.
Influence. The vertical axis shows the degree of influence customer insights would typically carry from each source. Customer advisory boards and surveys tend to carry a lot of weight while many are skeptical of customer insights delivered through micro blogs.
Engagement. The size of each circle represents the level of engagement of each tool. For instance, customer surveys aren't terribly engaging - you ask questions and you get responses. However, communities and social networks are very engaging and can produce different types of customer insights.
The Goal. The goal for customer strategists is to get the most out of each tool so that it rises in the level of influence it carries. There are strengths and shortcomings to each, so we should look for ways to use each tool in ways that produce the richest, most relevant insights to drive your business.
What do you think?
Are the characteristics relevant for customer listening programs? Are the right tools listed for developing a customer relationship strategy? What is missing?
Comments encouraged!
That's what I did. And I invited colleagues Leslie Pagel and Jeff Wiggington to collaborate with me.
After some deliberation, here is what we developed as a starting point. A brief description is below.
Content. Traditional methods (surveys, verbatim comments, customer advocacy boards, and online customer panels) are included along with emerging social media tools (private communities, public communities, social networks, blogs and micro blogs).
Control. Plotted on the horizontal axis is the degree of control customer strategists have over the feedback they receive. For instance, surveys provide a lot of control because you're the one asking all the questions. In contrast, you hand over virtually all control in the feedback you receive from micro blogs.
Influence. The vertical axis shows the degree of influence customer insights would typically carry from each source. Customer advisory boards and surveys tend to carry a lot of weight while many are skeptical of customer insights delivered through micro blogs.
Engagement. The size of each circle represents the level of engagement of each tool. For instance, customer surveys aren't terribly engaging - you ask questions and you get responses. However, communities and social networks are very engaging and can produce different types of customer insights.
The Goal. The goal for customer strategists is to get the most out of each tool so that it rises in the level of influence it carries. There are strengths and shortcomings to each, so we should look for ways to use each tool in ways that produce the richest, most relevant insights to drive your business.
What do you think?
Are the characteristics relevant for customer listening programs? Are the right tools listed for developing a customer relationship strategy? What is missing?
Comments encouraged!
Do you ever wonder if you are even on someone's radar? Like, do they even know you exist?
While that may bring memories from your lovestruck teenage years, I'm actually talking about our roles in the business world. Specifically, I'm thinking about customer advocates and customer strategists that have an important role of delivering customer information and doing everything they can to make sure that information gets put to use.
If you are not on the radar of the people that are supposed to use all those good customer insights, you're sunk.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of distractions that compete for your spot on the radar, so what can you do? Here are a few quick thoughts:
First, the information you provide must be RELEVANT. If it means something to the user, you will get noticed.
Next, REPETITION matters. It helps to stay in front of your users as a constant reminder that their day-to-day decisions should be customer focused.
Build a strong REPUTATION for your voice of the customer program. If they see it as an important company initiative, they won't pass you by.
Finally, REACH your users in convenient places. Everyone uses email, which may be a good reason to try another vehicle. We currently work with a number of companies where we deliver customer information directly into Salesforce.com, via an iPhone application, through convenient SmartSummary reports and many other ways.
I believe most people want to weave customer insights into the decisions they make every day. However, because our colleagues are busy and overloaded, it is really important to make it easy. And it starts with just being on their radar.
While that may bring memories from your lovestruck teenage years, I'm actually talking about our roles in the business world. Specifically, I'm thinking about customer advocates and customer strategists that have an important role of delivering customer information and doing everything they can to make sure that information gets put to use.
If you are not on the radar of the people that are supposed to use all those good customer insights, you're sunk.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of distractions that compete for your spot on the radar, so what can you do? Here are a few quick thoughts:
First, the information you provide must be RELEVANT. If it means something to the user, you will get noticed.
Next, REPETITION matters. It helps to stay in front of your users as a constant reminder that their day-to-day decisions should be customer focused.
Build a strong REPUTATION for your voice of the customer program. If they see it as an important company initiative, they won't pass you by.
Finally, REACH your users in convenient places. Everyone uses email, which may be a good reason to try another vehicle. We currently work with a number of companies where we deliver customer information directly into Salesforce.com, via an iPhone application, through convenient SmartSummary reports and many other ways.
I believe most people want to weave customer insights into the decisions they make every day. However, because our colleagues are busy and overloaded, it is really important to make it easy. And it starts with just being on their radar.
At our recent Fall Forum for Walker clients, my friend and colleague Jennifer Batley presented a terrific model that provides a logical explanation of how educating your account teams leads to business impact.
She shared a graphic which I have scribbled here. The progression goes like this:
Education of account teams...
...leads to buy-in for your voice of the customer program, which helps...
...get better inputs from account managers for gathering customer insights, which leads to...
...more robust results fostering a stronger belief in the information, which produces...
...more action and use of customer information, which increases...
...results, or business impact.
Why is this so important? Because too often, customer advocates and strategists provide lots of great customer feedback, insights, and information that never gets used. Everyone, particularly account managers, is overloaded with information. They are not looking for more. So if you are responsible for putting customer feedback to use, you need to not only provide the information, you have to constantly educate as to how to put the information to use in a way that helps them and helps the company.
Education can be one of your most powerful tools to engage your enterprise. When your most customer-facing employees believe in the information, or actually rely on customer insights you will see more action and better results -- guaranteed!
She shared a graphic which I have scribbled here. The progression goes like this:
Education of account teams...
...leads to buy-in for your voice of the customer program, which helps...
...get better inputs from account managers for gathering customer insights, which leads to...
...more robust results fostering a stronger belief in the information, which produces...
...more action and use of customer information, which increases...
...results, or business impact.
Why is this so important? Because too often, customer advocates and strategists provide lots of great customer feedback, insights, and information that never gets used. Everyone, particularly account managers, is overloaded with information. They are not looking for more. So if you are responsible for putting customer feedback to use, you need to not only provide the information, you have to constantly educate as to how to put the information to use in a way that helps them and helps the company.
Education can be one of your most powerful tools to engage your enterprise. When your most customer-facing employees believe in the information, or actually rely on customer insights you will see more action and better results -- guaranteed!
"It's in their DNA!" That is a common response when someone asks, "What makes that company so customer focused?"
There are other common responses such as, "it's embedded in their culture" or "it's woven into the fabric of their business." All these are actually pretty good metaphors as they help explain something that is inexplicably hard to grasp. However, it doesn't really explain the true ingredients that make a company customer focused. After all, you can't go out and purchase company DNA or specially woven company fabric. It's not even available online!After quizzing a group of experts (my colleagues - who really are experts at this), I've landed on these three:
- Leadership - Starting at the top, the company believes in being customer focused. Executives and managers regularly access customer information and insights for making decisions.
- Infrastructure - There is a discipline and a system for gathering, analyzing and distributing customer insights. The right person gets the right information at the right time to make better decisions.
- Action - Customer focused companies have a bias for action. They apply the voice of the customer to strengthen relationships, make product improvements, change service procedures, and much more.
The real difference between a customer focused company and an ordinary company is financial performance. There is plenty of proof of that. So next time someone says, "it's in their DNA," go deeper and make it more practical.
If you lead a customer listening program and you're aiming to get people engaged, you are probably wrapped up in the finer details. Things like delivering customer reports, training employees, organizing your customer advocacy team, and interpreting customer insights. All of these are really important to driving action and building a customer centric culture.
However, here's one of the most basic ways to get people engaged and keep them engaged:
Say "Thanks!"
I recently held a meeting with a small team that I lead. It was our first meeting so I really wanted to get things off on the right foot and encourage involvement and active participation. I was relatively prepared and upbeat. It was a good meeting. There was an active exchange of ideas and I felt the team was engaged. Later, after the meeting, I reflected on our conversations and really appreciated their active involvement. Then it hit me -- I never thanked them! I could have simply ended the meeting by saying, "hey I really appreciate everyone showing up taking part - it means a lot - thanks." Instead, I blew it.
I did end up sending an email to the team as an afterthought. But the lesson stuck with me -- try to start and end every meeting by thanking people. Simple and sincere, it can go a long way.
This lesson extends beyond customer loyalty and customer listening programs. It applies to virtually every meeting inside and outside of the office. Just say "thanks!"
Video is a great way to engage with customers. A few weeks ago I posted a blog touting the benefits of using video to invite customers to participate in a survey. In today's blog I'll share thoughts on using video to follow up after you have gathered their feedback.
What is it: Rather than sending an email (or nothing at all!) some customer focused companies are sending a video from a senior executive to thank survey participants for sharing customer insights and to let them know their voice has been heard.
Key content: There are four key components - (1) thank them up front, explaining how important it is to receive customer insights, (2) mention a few of the good things that customers had to say about the company, (3) touch on some of the negative feedback that was received and what is being done about it, and (4) thank them again. Don't forget to mention that you will seek their input again in the future.
Benefits to customers: They see that their insights are being put to use. That should enhance your customer loyalty and improve the chances of getting more feedback in the future.
Benefits to employees: Your colleagues hear from a senior executive that important customer initiatives are being put in place. Engaged employees will hopefully respond with customer focused decisions and actions.
The video below is a quick attempt to provide an example. See what you think.
Again, used effectively, video is a great way to get your message across in a very personal genuine manner.
The customer follow up video
What is it: Rather than sending an email (or nothing at all!) some customer focused companies are sending a video from a senior executive to thank survey participants for sharing customer insights and to let them know their voice has been heard.
Key content: There are four key components - (1) thank them up front, explaining how important it is to receive customer insights, (2) mention a few of the good things that customers had to say about the company, (3) touch on some of the negative feedback that was received and what is being done about it, and (4) thank them again. Don't forget to mention that you will seek their input again in the future.
Benefits to customers: They see that their insights are being put to use. That should enhance your customer loyalty and improve the chances of getting more feedback in the future.
Benefits to employees: Your colleagues hear from a senior executive that important customer initiatives are being put in place. Engaged employees will hopefully respond with customer focused decisions and actions.
The video below is a quick attempt to provide an example. See what you think.
Again, used effectively, video is a great way to get your message across in a very personal genuine manner.
Action is the often elusive, prized component to any voice of the customer program. And, one of the keys to action is training. It makes sense -- you have great customer insights, but nobody is going to apply them to the business unless you show them how.
Training is particularly useful with your customer facing employees. But beware the following scenario:
You assemble all your account managers and develop a great training session. They get it. The light bulb turns on! They understand the benefits of being customer focused and realize customer loyalty can drive business performance. You review the reports they will receive and they love them. By the end of the session they all recognize they can make better decisions and can improve the way they manage customer relationships.
(okay, this sounds too easy, but just play along for now)
The energy is high and you feel as though you have really broken through - your plan is working. Your training session is done and you chalk it up as a success!
Not so fast.
Reality will quickly set in. You will find that by the time they get back to their office, they are buried in other details. You'll find that not everyone was able to attend. There will be turnover and new people will need to be trained. In other words, to really make your training session successful, you better start a list of all the ways to follow up. It's true of any training -- You can't expect people to change their habits without constant reinforcement and repetition. At some point, with luck and hard work, it can become routine.
So, if you conduct trainings for your customer listening program, start your list and recognize that the real work starts after you have finished your session.
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