Monday, July 02, 2012
Many companies pride themselves on the quality of the customer experience they provide. However, some organizations go much further, and are significantly more successful in delivering a level of service that can impress customers, winning loyalty and creating brand advocates in the process.
Business 2 Community reported that marketing consultant Becky Carroll recently gave a presentation highlighting best practices for organizations striving to offer a top-quality customer experience.
Building the right culture
According to Carroll, many of the companies with the best customer support offerings make significant efforts to imbue their organizations with a customer-centric culture. Nordstrom, for example, is well-known for the quality of its customer service. Carroll noted that the company makes customer service a priority at every level, including when it comes time to post job descriptions to attract new employees. Even positions that may seem unrelated to customer service, such as stocking shelves, specifically call for individuals who support customers.
Carroll argued that only by instilling the values of customer experience and customer support, at the employee level and for every position, can an organization hope to truly achieve excellence in these areas. As she noted, employees are essential when it comes to creating noteworthy, memorable customer experiences. When someone has an excellent experience with a company, it is often due to personal interaction.
Quality experience throughout the customer lifecycle
Another key to offering high-quality customer experiences is focusing on the entirety of the customer lifecycle, as Kerry Bodine recently highlighted for 1to1 Media. According to Bodine, many organizations focus exclusively on the early stages of their relationship with customers. To create customer loyalty and advocacy, however, companies should strive to maintain this level of support throughout their relationships with customers, not solely in the beginning.
