Checks Mix Blog

CustomerCount and Noble Systems Gamification

EmilyEVC, July 12, 2019

The New Multiplayer Experience We All Win!

By Yuri Duncan, CustomerCount

CustomerCount® has recently partnered with Noble Systems to integrate our first-class enterprise feedback management system with their industry-leading gamification platform. Used together, the two solutions create powerful new levels of value for the processes of motivating employees and gathering customer feedback.

You might wonder “what is Gamification”?

Gamification is simply the application of game mechanics across the generational spectrum to motivate employees intrinsically and extrinsically to align agent activity and company goals. It uses the same techniques that game designers use to engage players and applies them to non-game activities to both motivate action and add value to your business.

Gamification has been embraced by companies in virtually every industry for its effectiveness at enhancing employee satisfaction, and for making learning and improving performance more fun. By doing so, it also elevates the customer experience and builds loyalty. Companies with highly engaged employees have an average 3-year revenue growth 2.3 times greater than companies whose employees are only engaged at an average level. (UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School)

CustomerCount and Noble Systems Gamification

How does this partnership benefit YOUR organization?

“CustomerCount’s robust KPI reporting technology and Noble’s Gamification tools are an excellent fit. Working together they provide an immediate impact on team motivation and strategy, making the most of every customer interaction.”– Robert Kobek, RRP, President, CustomerCount.

For employees, motivation impacts everything. Motivated employees deeply impact efficiency, cost and overall expense. Integrated with CustomerCount’s Enterprise Feedback Solution, CustomerCount’s clients now have the opportunity to further increase productivity and financial performance.

“Every interaction now becomes an opportunity to grow employees and create a customer experience that will surely escalate customer evangelism, resulting in more holistic purchases and greater lifetime value.” – Chris Hodges, SVP Sales and Marketing, Noble Systems.

Adding the power of a gamification solution to a VOC platform places the insight gathered from CustomerCount’s enterprise feedback management platform at the center of a company-wide reward and recognition program, ensuring that all touchpoints of the customer experience journey are met with the highest level of engagement possible.

Contact Bob Kobek now for further information about CustomerCount’s survey solutions on +1 317-816-6000 or request a demo.

How video can increase customer engagement

EmilyEVC, July 10, 2019

By Yuri Duncan, CEO of Buchanan Creative Solutions

When your organization sends a survey to a customer, your primary goal with that customer is “engagement”. A word synonymous with both “participation” and “involvement”.

The survey is the best means for gathering information related to a customer’s overall level of engagement with your services.

The results of a well-prepared survey allow you to measure a customer’s level of involvement with your brand, services, products, and ongoing improvement efforts.

Ideally, that involved customer becomes an active participant within your services and products. And eventually becomes a brand champion.

CustomerCount® provides branded survey communications that are designed to maximize response rates and set you on the path of ongoing customer engagement.

Engagement, Participation, and Involvement are also the reasons CustomerCount chose the power of video as the best means for sharing their message across the globe.

Video is an incredible tool to attract and retain new and existing customers.

The statistics related to video and engagement are impressive:

When we receive a message via video, we remember 95% of the message, as opposed to only 10% retained from text;
52% of purchasers say watching an online video related to a product makes them more confident in their purchase decision;
A video explaining a product can increase the chance of purchase by upwards of 85%;
Animated videos increase conversion rates by 20%;
Search results accompanied by a video thumbnail have a 41% higher click-through rate than those without;
75% of executives claim to watch videos on business related websites at least once a week;
Online retail shoppers are 64% more likely to buy a product after watching a video; and
90% of customers report that product videos help them make purchasing decision.

In this digital age, video is a key resource for education, marketing, communication and research. That is exactly why CustomerCount has partnered with Buchanan Creative Solutions to build a library of impactful video content.

Using a combination of video, animation and sound, we have created a wide range of content designed to:

Educate: An animated video of the CustomerCount whitepaper “The Difference Between Feedback and Surveys”
Explain: A series of videos speaking to the “Top 10 Reasons to Choose CustomerCount”
Demonstrate: Videos focused on specific products such as TravelVue and the Onsite Service Request
Communicate: A series of videos featuring Bob Kobek, President of CustomerCount, speaking directly to the viewer about new innovations and features within the CustomerCount platform

Why choose CustomerCount?

CustomerCount is clearly committed to fostering engagement across multiple channels.

Their survey platform provides a seamless experience for engaging your customers. And their ongoing communication strategy provides viewers with a wide range of inviting and effective video content.

Enhance your feedback management systems across the board by visiting the CustomerCount channel on YouTube.

Once you’ve had a chance to watch the power of CustomerCount in action, contact Bob Kobek now for further information about CustomerCount’s survey solutions on +1 317-816-6000.

Reflections on a text analytics webinar

EmilyEVC, July 5, 2019

By Georgi Bohrod, RRP (WRAP Partner)

Recently I had the opportunity to attend an informative webinar presented by CustomerCount® and Keatext. CustomerCount invited all of their clients and some other colleagues to attend. This was a unique opportunity to see and learn what’s new with the world of text analytics and how using the information can further support business intelligence.

To describe the process simply, Keatext’s platform ‘sees’ patterns within comments on the survey and then evaluates and interprets the output.

Frankly, GBG & Associates does not use text analytics in this way. We do look at online sentiment, engagement in social media and so forth. But we don’t dive deep into survey comments as a way of managing our business. However, we have plenty of clients and colleagues who do, so it was terrific to be made aware of:

How Keatext artificial intelligence and text analytics provides instant clarity
How the platform reveals actionable insights from multiple channels
What customers and employees are really saying

CustomerCount is dedicated to making sure their clients get the most out of the copious amount of information gathered by its enterprise feedback system.

With a goal to create and maintain customer satisfaction, the Keatext platform is yet another way CustomerCount’s cloud-based survey solution provides data and information zeroed in on improving the bottom line.

By taking open-survey questions, online reviews and social media posts, Keatext technology gives businesses a more nuanced look at what their customers are thinking and saying. CustomerCount integrates this service into its reporting platform.

Join us for the next webinar

Next time you have the opportunity to attend an online seminar (especially a free one) carve out the time and space for it. The 45 minutes spent in the company of the great teams at CustomerCount and Keatext along with a couple of poignant comments by CustomerCount clients reminded me that we need to stay on top of new methods and technology to grow our business and professional knowledge.

About GBG & Associates

GBG & Associates, Inc. is a communications firm with a strong track record in the hospitality sector as well as other vertical markets. We offer sound product and market knowledge with a proven track record in building brand identification through public relations, advertising and marketing strategies. GBG offers a strong consortium of individuals and companies with deep expertise in all aspects of marketing communications.

Georgi Bohrod RRP, principal of GBG, has created and implemented a wealth of tactical marketing, advertising and public relations plans for hotels, timeshare resorts, second home properties, resort developers, fractional properties, private residence clubs and travel industry corporations. Her role in changing the public perception of the timeshare industry is widely acknowledged. A founder and member of the board of directors of WIN (Women in the Industry) as well as a designated RRP (Registered Resort Professional), she has received awards for collateral material design, interactive media design and public relations campaigns. She was a member of the founding team of Worlds’ Finest Resorts, serving as chief marketing and public relations strategist. World’s Finest Resorts successfully evolved into RCI’s Registry Collection.

7 things to remember about customer surveys

EmilyEVC, June 24, 2019

Customer surveys are still one of the best ways to get customer feedback and find out what your customers are really thinking.

However, while a well-executed survey is a dependable source of meaningful and actionable customer data, there are a few traps you need to avoid. These costly mistakes can leave you with unreliable data and lead to poor business decisions.

With customer surveys you have to deal with human nature. As such, accept that some people will lie, while others will give inaccurate answers, even by accident. Despite this, customer surveys continue to be a great tool to determine how customers feel about a brand’s products and services.

So, if you are looking to improve your survey results, here are CustomerCount’s top 7 things to remember about customer surveys.

1) Keep customer surveys short and simple

Find the shortest and easiest way to ask questions by making them clear and concise. You’ll have lower abandon rates and higher completion rates if the questions are simple to understand and easy to answer. And only ask one question at a time to avoid confusion.

2) Cut back unnecessary questions

Does each question have a real reason for being in the survey? Will the data provided add anything to the results you want? If not, remove it. Renowned customer service expert, thought leader and author Jeff Toister recommends using these three questions whenever possible:

How would you rate (product, service, experience)?
Why did you give that rating (open text response)?
May we follow-up with you if we have additional questions?

3) Include different types of questions

Multiple choice questions and Likert scales produce great results, but a few open-end questions like “Why do you feel this way?’ will provide some insightful feedback. Don’t forget to use yes/no questions as well in your survey. They make great starter questions and are easy to evaluate.

4) Be consistent and avoid jargon

If you are going to ask customers to respond on a scale between 1-5, with 1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree, keep that scale across all your questions. And don’t assume they understand acronyms and jargon. Otherwise expect the answers you receive to be inaccurate.

5) Avoid leading questions

Don’t let pride or fear stop you asking a good question. Remember to be neutral, avoid assumptions and remove emotionally charged language.

6) Get your timing right

Surveys about surveys have found that the highest open and click-through rates occur on Monday, Friday and Sunday respectively. And think about how often you want to send a survey out. Do you really want to wait three months to find out you have disgruntled clients? Customer service expert and best selling author Shep Hyken recommends surveying your customers within 24 hours while their experience with your business is still fresh in their mind.

7) Think about offering an incentive

Data shows that incentives, such as a discount, giveaway or credit, can increase survey results by 5-20 per cent. CustomerCount president, Bob Kobek, suggests another good incentive is allowing participants to see the results – especially in B2B surveys. Studies show incentives of any kind are unlikely to detract from the quality of your responses.

Customer surveys with CustomerCount

If you’re unsure of which questions to ask, incentives to offer or assistance in understanding the responses, CustomerCount can help. CustomerCount collects, measures and reports customer feedback through branded, customized online surveys. These surveys are formulated to measure the quality of the customer experience with your organization across three primary touch-points.

With 20 years’ experience in customer feedback management, the team will be able to guide you through the survey process. CustomerCount’s surveys provide detailed and dynamic data gathering with comprehensive reporting. This helps clients make improvements to their process, increase customer and, ultimately, improve their bottom line.

Contact Bob Kobek now for further information about CustomerCount’s survey solutions on +1 317-816-6000.

WRAP Spotlight on Howard Bendell

EmilyEVC, June 20, 2019

By Georgi Bohrod/RRP WRAP Partner

Principal/GBG & Associates

When CustomerCount launched WRAP (Worldwide Research Analytics Program), the first member of the coalition to join with Mobius Vendor Partner (MVP) Associates was Howard Bendell, RRP.

CustomerCount’s cloud-based customer feedback management system teamed with Howard to provide in depth qualitative analysis to complement the robust quantitative reports of the data captured within CustomerCount’s consumer feedback platform.

With more than a quarter century of vacation ownership and real estate focused experience, Bendell is actively involved in the development and implementation of key strategic initiatives, new programs and products, and manages industry and consumer-based research efforts.

Highly regarded in the timeshare/hospitality industry for his work with KPMG, AMEX, Interval International and Laventhol & Horwath, Howard has all the credentials and expertise necessary for this brilliantly informed view of data and text analytics. The WRAP reports present the information necessary to formulate conclusions and offer strategic recommendations regarding intelligent, tactical, and appropriate responses.

Howard Bendell CustomerCount WRAP Program — Howard Bendell, WRAP member

About CustomerCount and WRAP

CustomerCount’s product is well designed and powerful, delivering essential data to clients throughout the life of the member/owner. Howard’s WRAP insights build on this information interpreting the data and putting it into context qualitatively.

The WRAP coalition is a key group of industry professionals organized by CustomerCount’s creator, Bob Kobek, to continue enhancing the basic website survey tool which measures NPS (Net Promoter Score) and the customer experience. Each of my fellow WRAP constituents is available through CustomerCount to continue to bring expanded services to participating CustomerCount survey clients.

I’m proud to be a part of this group along with Howard Bendell RRP (Qualitative Analysis), Emily Collins, EVC Marketing (Digital Marketing), John Locher RRP, Locher & Associates (Membership/Ownership Engagement/Business Development) and Carlos Marchi SMEI, CME, CECP, EVP Mexico and Latin America, CustomerCount (Contact Center Compliance).