Leanne Nelson+ by | Jun 4, 2015 | Customer Experience, Tools, Tips & Resources
Traditional marketing Marketing used to be a one way exercise. The company would tell you what they stood for, what their position in the market was, what their value proposition was and why you must have their product. We either bought or didn’t. We might have told our spouse or the lady in the newsagent or the barber about how good, bad or indifferent the product or service was. But typically the marketing was company driven, from the inside to the outside. New world marketing Then came the internet. We became connected like never before. We were given a voice like never before. Now, businesses can no longer dominate the conversation. They are who we say they are. We have the platform to tell the world what we think. Social media lets us celebrate or complain about our customer experience to anyone who cares to listen. Online review sites are increasingly guiding buying decisions. Blogs are the new super-niched media that help form our opinions. Marketing has been turned inside out. Or rather, outside in. Businesses no longer dominate the marketing conversation. They are who we say they are #smallbiz… Click To Tweet Customer experience, you say? Customer experience is, in a way, inside out marketing. It’s not about who the business tells us they are, but rather how the customer feels about the business and what they tell us the business is. And remember, they have a voice like never before. Customer experience is a the result of a mishmash of interactions, each one creating a perception. Just like individual bricks build a house, individual interactions build a perception of...
Leanne Nelson+ by | Jan 15, 2015 | Customer Experience
Poor customer experience. Remember the last time one of your suppliers made you jump through hoops, just to do business with them? You started out what you imagined would be a simple enquiry process, only to find the contact details on their website where hidden like Tutankhamen’s treasure. So what do you do? Click on the next supplier on the list, just like everyone else. Perhaps you have an inkling your own customer experience systems aren’t as smooth as they should be, but you’re not quite sure how or where to start improving them. The good news is, little tweaks can have a big impact. With a regular review process in place, you can create effortless customer purchase journeys that will keep clients on board rather than clicking the next supplier on the list. Why you should know your processes from your customers’ perspective As you probably know from your own experience, if one business is difficult to deal with, another is only a Google search away. I don’t mean difficult in a snooty, obnoxious way. Oftentimes the whole process is impeded by systems and procedures that don’t quite work, despite the company’s best intentions. Studies show that over 60% of consumers will switch companies due to a poor customer experience (Accenture Global Consumer Pulse Survey). The scariest part is of those, 96% won’t complain or raise an issue. The business will never know. Over 60% of consumers will switch companies due to a poor customer experience Click To Tweet It’s not enough to look at your processes from the inside. They must be reviewed from your customers’ perspective. After all, they’re the...
Leanne Nelson+ by | Jan 9, 2015 | Customer Experience
Over the Christmas/New Year period, I’ve had the opportunity to see first hand the customer experience strategy from many different businesses. There’s been the good, the bad & fortunately, not too much of the ugly. One experience highlighted the benefit of businesses being flexible in their policies and systems in order to create a memorable customer experience (in the right way). I bought my husband a razor for Father’s Day, earlier this year. To add some background, I should mention that while that experience was quite efficient I was left underwhelmed. The retail assistant had obviously spent time learning the features of the products, but she could have been reciting Volume III of the Funk & Wagnells for all the interest she showed when explaining them to me. Very rote. Very monotone. Very meh. So we were starting from an experience slightly less than average. That’s my story (policy) & I’m sticking to it The razor stopped working properly so my husband tootled off to the store with razor, warranty and receipt in hand. Of course, as these things often pan out, his razor would need to be sent away for repairs under the warranty. He asked if it could be replaced by one in store. No, sorry, that one’s been superseded and we don’t have any in stock. But wait! Husband spied the newer model (apparently the same in every way except the model number). Could he have his faulty razor replaced by the newer model? No, that’s not store policy. What if he paid the $25 price difference? No, that’s not store policy either. So hubs was left with his faulty razor while...
Leanne Nelson+ by | Nov 24, 2014 | Customer Experience
Hands up if you’re starting to feel the stress of the Christmas rush? The phone’s ringing, the orders are coming in & you’re busy, busy, busy. So busy that you’re beginning to wonder how you’ll manage to get everything done. And don’t even mention all the Christmas events that are coming up! Being organised will improve your sanity & your bottom line Stop & take a breath. The lead up to Christmas doesn’t need to be crazy, with everything becoming a last minute rush. In fact, it can become a prime opportunity to create exceptional customer experiences that will stand out in a sea of frazzled tinsel. The customer experience can mean the difference between repeat business & one-off sales, between great word of mouth referrals & silence. Here are 10 things you can do to keep your customers returning. 1. Get your email campaigns in order Send an email campaign letting people know your Christmas hours. This is particularly important if you are taking a break over the holiday period. 2. Remember your loyal customers Let your loyal customers know how much you value them by sending an exclusive thank you offer or gift. If your schedule & budget allow, a special event just for them is a nice touch. 3. Beat the Christmas card rush Prepare & send Christmas cards early to avoid postal delays. If you prefer e-cards, sending them early can help you stand out from the surge of cards received closer to Christmas. 4. Stand out Finalise any proposals or projects that have become drawn out over the silly season. Stand out by being the...
Leanne Nelson+ by | Nov 18, 2014 | Customer Experience
Business owners & managers are busy. We’re also good at what we do! We have our ways of doing things that get the job done, and if it’s not broken we don’t have a lot of time to fix it. The problem is, what works for us isn’t always working for our customers. We become so familiar with what we do, we can make assumptions to fill the gaps, or not recognise where day-to-day processes are making life a little more difficult for customers. The good news is, becoming a customer experience focused business doesn’t have to be difficult. With a few guidelines, you can easily step into your customers’ shoes and make them smile (we all love it when our customers smile, right?) What’s not working We fill gaps, we make assumptions, we know how things work. But our customers don’t. Therein lies the problem. Let me give you a simple, all to common example. Great Business Group Pty Ltd (trading as Brilliant Coaching) provides a coaching session to Meredith. Meredith is very satisfied with Brilliant Coaching’s service & pays them a large fee by credit card. The payment goes into the Great Business Group Pty Ltd account and everyone is happy. Then Meredith receives her credit card statement. There’s a charge by a company she has never heard of before and she becomes concerned. She is really busy and doesn’t have a chance to call the bank right away. She begins to worry that she might have to go through the rigmarole of cancelling her credit card. Some time later, Meredith wonders why the Brilliant Coaching charge...
