“What gets measured gets done,” says Rich. And after years of observing many ineffective programs which resulted in frustration for agencies, brands and retailers and, in some cases, reluctance to start over without a structured process in place, ICC/Decision Services has created The Springboard Process to take the guess work out of launching critical customer experience programs such as shopper intercepts, secret shopping, retail audits, customer satisfaction and employee engagement surveys.

The process begins with an initial meeting where executives are introduced to their personal Customer Experience Team from ICC/DS Quality Assurance, IT and Account Management departments. The new team works together to establish goals, develop surveys and determine the proper frequency and sample sizes of tests to be conducted. The process continues as ICC/Decision Services runs test shops and reviews proposed programs before a full-scale launch. Customized Enterprise Reporting sites created for each client means data is delivered according to their needs and preferences.

“The Springboard Process assures that data gathered will lead to actionable results and provides real value,” says Rich. For more information about the Springboard Process and ICC/Decision Services visit www.iccds.com

About ICC/Decision Services
ICC/Decision Services was founded in 1979 to design and execute Customer Experience Management programs. ICC/Decision Services offers a wide range of qualitative and quantitative business tools, including mystery shopping, store audits, customer feedback and employee satisfaction surveys. Clients include Coach, 7-11, L.L. Bean, CVS, Foot Locker, Walmart and others. The company is headquartered at 561 7th Avenue New York, NY 10018, U.S.A. Phone: (800) 444-1717. E-mail: info@iccds.com.

1. Providing Accurate Insights for Brands or Agencies

As you know, Scan Data produces an objective overview of your customers’ purchases, but it doesn’thelp you understand the “whys”: Why this particular product? Why this particular brand? Why this particular time to buy? Or even why did a consumer not purchase a particular item?
Because they are conducted face-to-face with your customers in real-time, Shopper Intercept Interviews allow you do a “deeper dive” that answers all of these questions and more. With Shopper Intercepts you are on the frontlines of your business and are given uncensored front-row access into the mindsof your customers that an on-line panel could never do.

2. Complementing and Improving Your Other Customer Experience Tools

When you want to hear from your customer, Customer Satisfaction programs (e.g., comment cards, online feedback, phone surveys) are an excellent first step, but if you really want to understand the needs of your customers in real-time, these programs simply do not go far enough by themselves.
Shopper Intercepts are an invaluable way to gain direct and immediate insight into your customer shopping experience without the bias of passing time or the limitations of comment cards. Plus, Shopper Intercepts allow you to discover insights that simply cannot be captured by most comment cards, on-line or IVR surveys, or questionnaires.
A Shopper Intercept Interview would collect this additional information and allow you to truly respond to the needs of your customers. When you use only one type of experience tool, such as a comment card, the diagnostic and remedial information you need simply isn’t available. However, by employing a Shopper Intercept Program in addition to your other customer experience tools, you can improve your total understanding of your overall customer experience.

3. Find Immediate Solutions ““ Even During Time-pressured Situations

Have your sales dropped off unexpectedly? You may have a theory as to what is happening, but how certain are you that your hypothesis is correct? When you can ask your customers directly with a Shopper Intercept Interview, there’s no reason to undertake unnecessary risks because of a faulty assumption, especially when a Shopper Intercept project can be put into the field in little more than a few days

Shopper Intercept Interviews: The Bottom Line
What better way to learn about your customers’ opinions than to ask them immediately during or after their shopping experience , while their opinions are fresh and their experiences are unbiased by passing time? Learn the truth about the perceptions your customers have about your brand. When you better understand the desires and motivations of your customers, you become more effective in serving their needs and, as a result, customer loyalty increases, your return on investment increases, and of course, your sales increase.

Read more on how to leverage the power of Shopper Intercept Insights

From the beginning, Apple has successful established it’s brand to be unique. Everything from the product’s innovative designs, accessories, and customer service reps, aka Apple Genius, reinforce the Apple brand. Wal-Mart’s brand is known for low price guarantee, something which is not typically associated with Apple. The iPhone’s arrival to
Wal-Mart’s shelves is one of the higher priced items carried by the retailer.

According the AppleInsider, there are rumors of Apple selling it’s lower priced items in Wal-Mart stores. You won’t see the MacBook Pro, but possible newer cheaper items such as the Mac Mini. A part of Apple’s branding is the use of their own retail storefront and the Apple Genius. It will be interesting to see how Wal-Mart’s displays and associates will extend the brand of Apple which is prevalent in their own stores.

Of course, the bigger question is whether or not extending the Apple line with Wal-Mart will hinder the Apple brand. There are ways Apple can ensure their brand is well represented at the retail shelves. Brand strategy measurement tools include:

1) Visual Merchandising Audits: Photos conducted by a third party auditor can provide Apple a visual quality check of POS marketing and product displays.

2) Shopper Intercept Interviews: Intercept interviews are a great way to find out how the consumer views the brand in the retail setting. Apple can find out whether or not sales associates are knowledgeable on product line and helpful in ensuring a positive shopping experience. The interviews can reveal whether the pricing and marketing is effective with the brand’s consumers.

Measuring the consumer attitude and the merchandising would help Apple determine whether or not it’s brand quality is represented on the shelves of any retail storefront.

What do you think about the Apple expanding it’s product line with Wal-Mart? Do you think pairing with a discount retailer hinder’s the brand?

The article’s author Frederick Reichheld tells the tale of a group of Fortune 500 executives at a customer service symposium swapping stories on what revs their customers’ engines and generates successful consumer loyalty. But CEO’s from high-profile brands like State Farm Insurance, Chick-a-Fil, Vanguard and others really pricked their ears up during a talk from Andy Taylor, the CEO of Enterprise Rent-a-Car, a talk that Reichheld describes as “riveting”.

According to Reichheld, Taylor and his senior team had figured out a way to measure and manage customer loyalty without the complexity of traditional customer surveys.

Every month, Enterprise polled its customers using just two simple questions: one about the quality of their rental experience and another about the likelihood of whether the customer would rent from Enterprise again.

Because the process was so simple, it was fast. That allowed the company to publish ranked results for its 5,000 U.S. branches within days., thus giving the offices real-time feedback on how they were doing and the opportunity to learn from successful peers. The survey differed in another way, Reichheld said. In ranking the branches, Enterprise counted only the customers who gave the experience the highest possible rating.

That narrow focus on enthusiastic customers surprised the CEOs in the room. Hands shot up. What about the rest of Enterprise’s customers?, the marginally satisfied who continued to rent from Enterprise and were necessary to its business? Wouldn’t it be better to track, in a more sophisticated way, mean or medium statistics?

No, Taylor said. By concentrating solely on those most enthusiastic about their rental experiences, the company could focus on a key driver of profitable growth: customers who not only return to rent again but who also recommend Enterprise to their friends. Reichheld’s point, made via the Enterprise story, is that customer satisfaction surveys aren’t at all useful. They’re complicated and off-putting to customers, who invariably hate filling out all those long forms. Consequently, they produce low return yields and little useful information for executives to act upon.

In two years of research on the subject of customer satisfaction versus customer experience, Reichheld concludes that linking customer satisfaction surveys to actual customer behavior, using as little as a single survey questions, was highly related to company financial growth.

The Enterprise question ““ “would you recommend us to your friends?” ““ was the strongest sign of customer loyalty, he reports. “But evangelistic customer loyalty is clearly one of the most important drivers of growth,” writes Reichheld. “While it does not guarantee growth, in general profitable growth cannot be achieved without it.”

What Reichheld is really talking about is loyalty ““ i.e. the willingness of someone ““ a customer, an employee, or a friend ““ to make an investment or personal sacrifice in order to strengthen a relationship. And trying to measure loyalty through customer retention exercises or complicated customer satisfaction surveys simply does not work. As Reichheld points out, there is no demonstrable connection to actual customer behavior and growth. Figuring out a way to accurately measure customer loyalty is really the name of the game.

Customer satisfaction surveys can provide great insight if they are well written and administered. Surveys which focus on the wrong questions, verbage, or are written without a goal for specific information can be a waste of time. While customer satisfaction surveys are an essential tool to understanding shopping behavior and customer experience, there are additional tools to consider.

And that’s where mystery shopping comes in. A good, reliable mystery shopping program can extend into all facets of your business, providing a solid analysis of your company’s best practices and reliable data on which you can continually build customer loyalty ““ and your company’s growth in the process.

He stopped and asked: “What are you doing?”

The clerk answered: “I’m settling a complaint.”

Field shot back: “No, you’re not. Give the lady what she wants.”

Marshall Field, a notorious “floorwalker” at his landmark store, was way ahead of his time. He knew that giving customers “what they want” is the heart and soul of any commercial enterprise. He also knew that the key to boosting both his company brand and his bottom line was by constantly measuring progress, not just as a customer service barometer, although that’s obviously critical to any company’s success.

Like most successful business owners, he also measured the overall quality and effectiveness of the entire shopping experience. That’s what separates the contenders from the pretenders in business today ““ the ability to know exactly what makes customers enter your doors and come back again and again ““ knowing they can rely on receiving the same quality, service and product each time they do. Fast forward to the first decade of the 21st century, where companies like Starbucks are taking a similar page out of the Marshall Field playbook.

No matter which store or city a Starbucks customer is in, each one knows exactly what to expect ““ not just in terms of service, but in terms of overall experience. Each store’s product, design, atmosphere, décor and service is so predictable that it becomes intuitive; as a result, consumer behavior and response becomes accurately predictable ““ making it even easier to design promotions, incentives and products that will immediately boost sales.

What’s the key to Starbuck’s success? Why do they enjoy this level of consumer consistency and enjoy a fatter bottom line as a result? By identifying and statistically quantifying every conceivable element of the overall consumer experience  — and then continually analyzing just how consistently those elements are delivered.