Making the Promises Real in 2010

Many are seeing 2009 as a breakthrough year for efforts designed to raise the profile of the customer experience. There is growing evidence that the everlasting pledge to put the customer first actually got beyond lip service and into real and actionable tactics. With the progress made last year, even in very tough economic circumstances, 2010 should see the movement gain even more momentum.

An article on retailcustomerexperience.com offers the following advice as brand marketers and retailers continue to travel down this road:

“Drop the executive commitment facade.” Executives need to “put their money where their mouth is” with time, treasure and talent. If it’s a real priority, they will manage customer experience like they do financial results.

“Acknowledge that you don’t know your customers.” The means to truly knowing the customer does not lie in a long and drawn out marketing research project. Establish a “voice of the customer program” for a quick, ongoing and continuous dialogue with your customers.

“Keep from getting too distracted by social media.” Social media should be an important “listening post” in your efforts, not the end all and be all. Other listening posts include surveys and call center calls and other customer touch points.

“Stop squeezing the life out of customer service.” By measuring how well your customer service organization serves the consumer instead of using efficiency metrics, you can turn this necessary evil into a strategic asset.

“Restore the purpose in your brand.” A true brand is more than just your logo. It’s a promise that you make and keep with your customers at every transaction. Your raison d’être should be apparent in everything you do.

“Don’t assume employees will get on board.” When you announce your new customer experience initiatives, expect a good amount of eye rolling from your employees. It’s critical to sell them on why this is so important and engage them to participate in how to make improvements.

“Translate customer experience into business terms.” Develop a model that measures the direct impact of customer experience on brand loyalty. That number can help bridge the understanding gap among employees and engage the accounting department as to a tangible financial impact.