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How clients interact with a brand has changed significantly. Now the customer experience extends far beyond customer service, and so it should....
If you didn’t know better you could be forgiven for thinking that the line was for an über cool nightclub. World class underground House music is pumping from the speakers and there is a doorman looking after the crowd outside. Unlike a nightclub doorman though, he is offering free gelato taste tests to help ease the decision making process once inside.
Even if you can’t make it to Surry Hills or Darlinghurst on a chilli winters night, the customer experience extends across the globe via their popular Facebook page. Messina’s Facebook audience enjoys (amongst other things) a personalized level of social media customer service that makes them feel like they are part of the brand. I guess you get the idea. Messina is nailing their customer experience.Forrester Research’s study ‘The State Of Customer Experience Management‘ suggests that over 90 percent of companies rate customer experience as a top priority moving ahead.
So what separates customer experience from customer service and what can your business do to improve your customer experience?...
Customer Experience Management professionals are too obsessed with methodologies of measurement and not enough with making them actionable.
Research into customer experience shows that a majority of consumer-facing industries are not rated very positively by the customers. Temkin Group researchers surveyed 10,000 U.S. consumers to come with this conclusion. Amplified Analytics’s analysis of 12,832,246 customer reviews published during the same time period produced similar results, although measured on Social NPS® scale.
Temkin Experience Ratings
I think most executives would not question the importance of customer experience to long term viability of their companies. The real question is why these companies cannot figure out how to improve it. Don Pepper offers a brilliantly simple answer:“The overwhelming majority of businesses measure their financial success based on current sales and costs, while customers are focused on the customer experience they anticipate....
Brand relationships are no different. Keeping a fiery connection takes some work.
To unlock long-term love for our brands and set the stage for strong lasting connections, one simply has to look at and apply basic human relationship principles. Here are five ways you can keep the spark alive and forge a devoted, lasting connection to consumers....
M-commerce is prized for its convenience, but consumers want more from their mobile shopping experience....
If you've ever made a purchase on your smartphone or tablet, you're part of a rapidly growing trend called mobile commerce. The convenience of mobile commerce (m-commerce) has made it a popular choice among consumers over the past several years, and it has quickly become a large part of today's shopping landscape. Despite this popularity, a new study finds that consumers' expectations for their mobile shopping experience aren't being met.
Qualitative research firm iModerate and market research firm uSamp reported the findings of their most recent study on consumer motivations, preferences and barriers regarding their engagement with m-commerce. Their research found that the most prevalent consumer concerns about mobile shopping are personal data security and functionality. According to the study, respondents want marketers to focus on a better customer experience, transparency about security issues and content prioritization.....
Figuring out how much content you need is a tough question, but Jay Baer supplies an easy formula to get you started...One of the three ways to create Youtility – marketing so useful, people would pay for it – is to answer every customer question. Your prospective customers have TONS of questions they need to have answered before making a purchase. This is true for all businesses, but perhaps most so for B2B, where the stakes are higher and the consideration cycle is longer.
In the book, I have lots of case studies about answering customer questions, highlighted (of course) by Marcus Sheridan from River Pools and Spas, who revolutionized his business and the swimming pool industry by focusing on teaching, not selling.So I was going through this principle, and talking about Marcus and other examples when a gentlemen in the St. Louis audience asked this very good question:How many questions do I need to answer?...
The transition from traditional marketing techniques, however, hasn’t been without some challenges. The shift in mindset to engage their audience online (as opposed to simply broadcasting) has been a fairly confusing proposition. Although the concept of engaging and interacting with their follower base is new, most will agree that it’s an important component to adopt if they’re to actively create brand advocates.
But what is considered engagement? In it’s purest sense, engagement is the ability to cause another person to respond. Because of the wide variety of social media platforms, a brand follower can conceivably respond using any (or a combination of) the following methods:...
The internet gives everyone a voice, and that’s a beautiful thing. However, the things people say online can actually have a bigger impact than they think. When an unhappy customer goes online and leaves a bad review of a business, other customers take it to heart and the company loses business– maybe just a little at first, but when companies start to develop a bad reputation online, it can spread and grow in the blink of an eye. Luckily there are ways that businesses can help prevent that....
"I just want brands to focus on sentiment that matters and not on what is facile and easy to measure.... ... SMT: How much do social media departments understand that positive or negative sentiment may not matter as much as one would think? Did data ever suggest that it might, or was it never quite analyzed enough? AR: To be clear, I think sentiment matters a lot--but most brands are worrying about spikes in negative sentiment when they ought to worry about the everyday grind of negative brand experiences that drag down brand perception, consideration and loyalty. Conversely, many marketers do facile social media marketing to create spikes in positive sentiment, but these are much less powerful for increasing brand consideration than simply improving the product experience and allowing trusted consumer WOM to carry the brand message. To specifically answer your question, social media departments tend to hang on every little detractor event and still focus too much on posting photos designed to get likes rather than to make a brand impression. Most seem not to not understand these efforts have little to no impact on the brand. In part, this is because they are focused on bad metrics that are not tied to business results (such as the number of likes and retweets) and in part because social media departments do not have the power to change what matters most--customer service, product quality, packaging, etc. Right now, many social media professionals are working around the edges rather than at the core where change is needed, but you do see some exceptions--USAA, American Express and Home Depot come to mind. These are companies that have dedicated themselves to the customer, and social is considered an essential component rather than something to be bolted-on to business as usual....
It’s not even just e-commerce sites that allow reviews either. Local Directory sites allow customers to review businesses, whether the business encourages them or not. For a lot of businesses the ease of getting reviews from clients should be an opportunity to grab with both hands. Surprisingly, many businesses are ignoring this. More worryingly, if past clients have gone online to complain about poor service publicly on a third party website some business owners are taking the attitude of “out of sight, out of mind”. I even spoke to one business owner who said that if anyone read online reviews about his business he wouldn’t want them as a client anyway! So do people read reviews, and more importantly do they believe them? PeopleClaim have put together this Infographic looking at some statistical measures of ratings and reviews. They were curious as to how many people were searching for reviews, what they were finding, and what type of decisions they were making based on this information....
The whole point of social media is to encourage interaction and communication. If used effectively, it can increase brand awareness... ...Social media isn’t just about marketing. As social media continues to grow, it is really important for businesses to accept the fact that consumers will turn to online channels to either complain about service issues and in many cases praise you. It’s very easy for your customers to go elsewhere if you fail here, so unless you get this point of your customer journey right whatever you achieve with your social media marketing can be damaged by your lack of care. If you aren’t listening and responding to your customers then how do you expect continued loyalty for your business?
After doing this awhile, you get to see the signs of the self-promoter and the quick name-for-themselves artists. You also – with more rarity – get to meet the real deal. So, I was very pleased when he agreed to sit down and chat on topics ranging from the new directions for marketing, listening and relationships, and why “lurking” in social is a good thing....
Social Media is a powerful customer service tool. This guest blog post from Ashley Verrill shares results from the Great Social Customer Service Race Study.
Via Martin (Marty) Smith
Every day, an increasing number of connected consumers are taking to social networks to ask for help or express sentiment related to business or product related experiences; some do so to seek resolution from their peers, others broadcast questions or comments as a form of catharsis; and a smaller group of consumers actually hope to receive a response directly from the company. The reality is that social media is the new normal. A myriad of social networks, whether you use them or not, are now part of the day-to-day digital lifestyle with Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Youtube among others becoming the places where your customers connect, communicate, and engage around experiences. They take to these social networks and more because they can. The question is, what are you going to do about it?... Recently, Sitel and TNS released a study of social media customer service to explore the growing trend. The report features the responses of more than 1,000 consumers in the U.K. and while still nascent, we see a landscape that is shifting beneath our feet. What’s clear is that consumers are becoming more connected. Traditional call centers and knowledge bases work as designed, read…as best as they can considering the circumstances. Traditional customers are no longer alone in their role in defining markets.
Connected consumers think and behave differently. One key difference that I learned when writing my book, The End of Business as Usual, was as provocative as it was revealing. When faced with a problem or question concerning a product, traditional customers will first seek out resolution through traditional service means. Connected customers, on the other hand, will either first express dissatisfaction to their friends in a social channel and/or proceed to search for or ask peers and companies for help in online communities or social networks. In other words, traditional customers will seek out information and connected customers expect resolution to find them....
[Brian Solis shares an interesting look into customer service online and how business needs to respond in the future ~ Jeff]
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Is your company using social media to provide a better customer service experience and respond to customer outreach? Many are not! As Ferris Bueller said “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” And if you are not paying attention to your customers use of social media get customers service issues resolved, then you could be caught with your corporate pants down!
42% of consumers who complain on social media expect a response in under sixty minutes. (Source: Edison Research) So, do you really need to worry about using social media for your company’s customer service program? Why staff a socially savvy group of service reps when you already have a web site, email and a phone? Well, if your customer service program is like Cameron’s (from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) home “”The place is like a museum. It’s very beautiful and very cold, and you’re not allowed to touch anything”, then you need to reconsider your strategy.
Your customers are on a changing customer service-seeking journey and are abandoning the old-school waiting for the “customer-service desk” experience. They are tweeting themselves to the front of the virtual customer service line. And, with 95% of people commiserating with others about their sub-par customer-service experiences, then that would mean a resounding … you need to do something about it!
Zendesk, a cloud-based customer service software platform, thought that finding out this information was so important that they commissioned Dimensional Research. Customers also share great experiences too, with 87% sharing good interactions with others. So, it’s not all bad news....
What do you do when you have a problem with a brand’s product or service?You go online, right?
You’re not alone. Close to six in ten (57 percent) of customers search for a solution online before taking any further action, and they’re increasingly reaching for a brand’s social media outposts. Almost half of social media users (47 percent) have received customer care on a channel such as Twitter or Facebook, and 37 percent now prefer customer service through social media rather than by telephone.
But brands still have work to do. While 80 percent of Twitter users expect a response to a consumer service enquiry within a day, just 40 percent of tweets to the 25 largest online retailers are answered within 24 hours, and many are ignored altogether....
Case study: Virgin America is using its Twitter presence to handle everything from seat changes to cocktail requests—even at 35,000 feet.
Steve Jenkins was waiting for takeoff when he noticed it—his boarding pass for Virgin America Flight 753, bound for San Francisco, was missing his frequent flier number. He could have flagged a flight attendant. He could have called customer service. Instead, Jenkins, the CEO of a Seattle-based gaming company, decided to pick up his phone and tweet.
Four minutes later, Virgin America responded:Jenkins messaged @VirginAmerica with his ticket details. He was all set before the plane left the tarmac."It would have taken me longer to call, go through the whole phone tree, find someone, and authenticate myself," he said. "And if I hadn't done it when I thought about it, I might have forgotten about it."...
...Why read Jay’s book and not others? A few reasons: 1: Jay’s a great writer. I’ve been a big fan of Jay’s blog for years (even though I’d love to see him write more lately). Partly because he’s a smart guy. But partly because he’s also a great writer. 2: The concept of the book resonated with me. So many companies are focusing on using social media to sell. And then here comes Jay talking about companies using social and digital tools to HELP. I’ve always loved that approach, so I was immediately interested in Jay’s book. 3. Stats to back up his thinking. Since I’ve been a reader of Jay’s blog for years, I knew he’d definitely be backing up his opinions with good, old-fashioned research. No willy-nilly opinions here.
So, how was the book, you say? Here are six quotes I think sum up Youtility to a tee...
Your website content is not all about you, it's about what you can do for your client. Website content showcases the benefits of working with your company.The content of your website needs to reflect your audience – the brand persona you’ve identified as your ideal client and the wants and needs that client may have.
Or is your website all about YOU? “What?” you say. “My marketing is supposed to be about my company, about what we do, right?” Wrong. Instead, your website content should show what you can do for your customer. Can they see themselves in your website? Is their solution already there?...
Sure, you have a business, but whether you sell a product or a service, you must provide SERVICE. What makes you so much different from your competitor that your prospects are knocking down your door? Or are they?
Solving problems is your real product not your widget or your services. Anyone and everyone does that. It is you, your service and your ability to meet the customer/prospect needs that will drive your business.You already know that people buy from people. You are “people” not just your brand or your company. It is your responsibility to meet needs, solve issues and instill a level of comfort and trust with your audience.
The buying decision occurs in the emotional environment.“Too many business owners and sales people try to sell their product or service, neglecting the fact that their customer is a person. In fact, the customer is a person who has feelings, influences and a mind of their own. They want to be connected with, and to trust and believe the person from which they are buying.” Rebecca Wilson....
...Yes, there is a lot more to content marketing than just one campaign, but the lesson from this very simple idea is as solid as they come – it doesn’t have to be complicated, it just has to relate to your clients and give them some value. Next time you are racking your brain struggling to think about what you can write about, take a moment, look around ask the people on the front lines of your business what they think. Take the pressure off – a little creativity and fun might just solve all your problems and win the hearts of some new fans. Giving that little extra...
With business priorities you manage, how important are online reviews, really, for you? Answer: Very. The stats very clearly show why.... You know generally that reviews are important for your business, and you may even know that they are becoming more imperative every day. But with all the day-to-day business priorities you manage, how important are they, really, for you? Answer: A lot. A great infographic just came out on this topic with some great statistics to share here. Depending on how your reviews currently stack up, some of these numbers are good and some are bad, but all are noteworthy: - 75% of reviews posted on review websites are positive. - 95% of unhappy customers will return to your business if an issue is resolved quickly and efficiently. - 71% agree that consumer reviews make them more comfortable that they are buying the right product/service - 70% of people consult reviews/ratings before purchasing....
There is a blind spot for most retailers and it involves their loyal customers. These loyal customers are talking about a brand, on social media, but on a local level. Most brands are not well-equipped to monitor it, however. In fact, 88 percent of local consumer feedback and content is missed by major retail brands and by independent businesses. Consumer Engagement grows by over 500% In 2012, VenueLabs reports that location-based consumer engagement grew by over 500%, and that trend continues to accelerate....
My hatred of US mobile phone companies isn’t something new to anyone who follows me. In the past few weeks, I’ve had multiple opportunities to complain about Verizon Wireless, due to their consistent inability to get even the simplest request right. But this one truly takes the cake. Read on for a lesson about how when a door locks, you go through a window (and cost the door a heck of a lot of money.) I’ve been traveling abroad a lot lately, giving speeches, consulting, skydiving in the desert. You know, the usual stuff. Knowing I had multiple trips abroad coming up, I called Verizon while I was still in NYC, asking to have their International Data Roaming package installed on my plan. Essentially, it’s $20 for 100 megabytes of data, or $200 per gig. It’s expensive, but in my opinion, being connected overseas and not being tethered to WiFi is worth it. After multiple assurances that it was on my plan and wouldn’t be coming off, I trusted Verizon and hung up after thanking the rep who helped me....
A recent study shows that fewer than one-third of big brands that have Twitter accounts answer customer tweets. They interact more on Instagram or Pinterest.... "Leaving a tweet unanswered is more damaging than not having a Twitter profile at all, but many businesses learn this lesson too late," he says. Even more confounding is that Twitter seems to be alone among social networks in that regard. Though fewer retailers are active on Pinterest and Instagram, most of the ones that have active accounts on those networks regularly interact with customers. So what's the reason so many tweets directed at retailers engender no reply? Social media experts have a few theories....
Definition:
Yes, consumers are more demanding, time-starved, informed, and choice-saturated than ever-before (we know you know). For brands to prosper, the solution is simple though: turn SERVILE. This goes far beyond offering great customer service*. SERVILE means turning your brand into a lifestyle servant focused on catering to the needs, desires and whims of your customers, wherever and whenever they are.
* Everyday great ‘customer service’ will of course forever be crucial: a 2011 American Express survey found that 70% of American consumers were willing to spend more with brands that provided a great service, and a whopping 60% thought brands weren’t thinking enough about the service experience....
[The concept sounds wrong, but it actually makes a lot of marketing sense ~ Jeff]
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![Great Social Customer Service Race - How SMM Changes Service [study] | Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight | Scoop.it](https://img.scoop.it/JNSb0WlpwmHQ1N_esREluDl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVvK0kTmF0xjctABnaLJIm9)
Here's a great case study and how one gelato maker takes customer experience to a business building high.