Time to Break the Rules
Sometimes we simply have to break the rules to ensure our brand experience matches our stated company goals for growth.
My favorite movie is “The Stepford Wives.” The original 1975 film is set in a quaint Connecticut suburb where the women have been turned into Disney-like robots, totally subservient to their spouses with no intellectual pursuits or thoughts beyond that for which they’ve been programmed. This movie is intriguing to me because I often feel surrounded by “Stepford Wives” during normal shopping
excursions. Case in point: the clerk at a store who is supposed to be helping you but really is performing quite the opposite role. Sound vaguely familiar?
Let me share a Stepford example. About three weeks ago I pulled into the drive-through lane of a national coffee retailer (I won’t identify the company but let’s just say Americans supposedly run on it).
It’s off a busy street, but at 2:30 p.m., it was pretty quiet, without another car in sight. I ordered my favorite vegetable and egg white flatbread sandwich, which I’ve convinced myself is healthy (clearly I don’t write about health topics). The mumbled voice that boomed over the speaker informed me that this retailer doesn’t serve food in the drive-through lane.
What? I’ve never heard that rule before so I asked for an explanation. His response: “It’s our policy.” He continued to explain that if I wanted anything other than a drink I needed to come inside. But I was in a rush (okay, maybe I was just being lazy) but isn’t the purpose of a drive-through to make it easier for paying customers to order what they want quickly? Otherwise they would call it a “Stop, Park, Pay and THEN Drive Away Lane,” right? I explained to Mr. Speaker Voice that I was in a rush. Since the drive-through window was only a few feet from the inside counter, couldn’t someone simply make that very short walk over to the outside window and serve me my sandwich? Honestly, was that too much trouble? Apparently, it was, since I was told, “No, we’re not allowed to do that.”
How Do Your Customers Experience Your Brand?
We’re not allowed to do that? When did giving your customer what they want become something you’re not allowed to do? Honestly, I wanted to tell the Stepford-esque employee what I thought of his company’s customer service (it wasn’t a rave review) since there was no reason not to sell me a sandwich. There was simply a RULE created someplace by somebody and it was programmed into his brain. He was going through the motions without any thought or genuine interest in meeting customer needs. In reality he likely was a high school kid who was just ‘doing his job.’ Needless to say, I was not a paying customer that day (though in fairness to this coffee chain, this was not a typical experience).
I’m sure you have at least one story similar to this one (and I look forward to you sharing it with me).
Being told ‘no’ without a logical explanation is frustrating. But let’s step back for a minute and think about the rules we’ve created in our own companies. Where do they come from? Do all of them make sense? Did they make sense at one time but perhaps no longer apply... yet we haven’t bothered to change them?
How do some companies manage to get past this nonsense and offer stellar service while others completely blow it?
It’s a matter of seeing your company through your customers’ and prospects’ eyes. How do they experience your brand? How do customers get treated by different individuals who represent your company—from the customer service representatives and sales people to the individuals who answer the phone and those who package and ship your items? Is your message consistent? Is it the message you want to deliver?
Measuring Loyalty
Let’s look at a company that truly gets customer service: Apple. Having become a raving fan and convert with the purchase of an iPhone back in 2008, our household now boasts three Macs, three iPhones, an iPad and a couple of iPods (not all mine)... and a whole lot of dead PCs. I was first seduced by the Mac’s sophisticated technology (it works every time I turn it on; imagine that!) and became a zealot once I experienced the customer service at the Genius Bar. They are pioneers in customer service and their loyal customers are willing to pay a premium for their products because they’re assured their purchases are supported by real thinking people who care about helping their customers. Is this really so hard to accomplish?
But don’t simply take my word for it regarding Apple’s stellar customer service. The company’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) in the laptops and notebooks category was 81 percent; Hewlitt-Packard, by contrast, received a score of 7. NPS, for those unfamiliar with the concept, is a brand loyalty measurement tool. Basically you ask customers, “On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend this company to a friend or colleague?” Then you calculate the percentage of loyal enthusiasts (9 and 10 raters) minus the percentage of unhappy customers (0-6). When you conduct your next survey (they should be done annually), you might try this question out—it’s one key factor in determining how well you’re doing at customer service and care.
To further support this argument, a recent article in The Wall Street Journal about Apple’s employee training explained more about the company’s philosophy, “... sales associates are taught an unusual sales philosophy: not to sell, but rather to help customers solve problems. ‘Your job is to understand all of your customers’ needs—some of which they may not even realize they have,’ one training manual says. To that end, employees receive no sales commissions and have no sales quotas.”
What’s Apple doing right that other companies simply don’t get? They understand the customer experience goes beyond the transaction phase. What happens leading up to and after the purchase is all part of delivering on your brand promise. They are not just collecting your money, they are vested in a long-term relationship with you. If you are vested—as all best of class companies are, you will do everything within your power to ensure all of your customer touch points (not only those leading up to a sale) are affirmative experiences.
Conclusion: You can have the best coffee in the world but if you treat your customers like afterthoughts or inconveniences, then you just might drive yourself to become a commodity player. That means your customers will buy on price as a key decision factor because you are not offering a unique value that is justified by a higher price point. Think Starbucks and compare the experience there versus another coffee chain. Now think of the difference in price you are willing to pay for the Starbucks experience. Enough said.
Finding Inner Genius
The following tips should set you on the path toward creatinga Genius Bar experience of your very own:
1. Listen to your customers.
This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s amazing how often this simple task is overlooked or at least not performed correctly. Ask the right questions to ensure you clearly understand customer needs. This includes day-to-day activities as well as conducting surveys, interviews and focus groups.
2. Measure your Net Promoter Score.
How likely are customers to recommend you to a friend or colleague? If you don’t know, find out what percentage of your audience is loyal to you compared to those who are unhappy and wouldn’t recommend your business to others.
3. Mystery shop your competition.
What’s the buying experience like when your customers or prospects buy from your competition? If you don’t know, find out. If you can’t easily buy from competitors, then ask your customers or prospects about their experiences. You might be surprised by what you discover.
4. Mystery shop your own company.
This activity may not be an option for really small companies but if you can have a trusted friend or colleague attempt to buy from your company, the results will help you understand how others experience your brand. This is almost always an eye-opening experience.
5. Review all of your customer touch points and compare with your competitors.
Visit competitors’ websites often and review their marketing material. How does it compare to your own? What impression are they giving of their value and benefits? What does your material say about your company? Looking at this through your customers’ eyes with their perspective and needs is critical. It’s worth sitting down with a few customers and determining how they interpret your website and material—find out the message they get from it.
Consultant, nationally recognized trainer and speaker, author of The Ultimate Small Business Marketing Toolkit, and educator at Boston University, Beth Goldstein helps manufacturers grow their firms through increased profit and improved customer satisfaction and loyalty. Beth can be reached at beth@m-edge.com