Choose Wisely – There are Pretenders Out There

Robert A. Kobek, President

www.customercount.com

     Ten, yes 10, years ago our company created a seismic shift in our business universe and made the conscious decision to enter into the world of online enterprise feedback management. (You can get our definition of EFM by downloading our white paper at www.customercount.com)

     Since that time, we have faced competition from, among others:

  Email marketing and technology companies that happen to have survey because they should
  Call center technology companies that happen to have a survey because they should
  Reputation management companies that happen to have a survey because they should
  Research companies that happen to have a survey because they should
  Online rating companies that claim to have surveys but will cream you if you are “bad”
  Social and digital media companies that don’t have surveys at all but make you think their stuff is measurable.

     But there are very few true EFM companies that exist purely for the purpose of creating process improvement while creating and keeping customer engagement leading to customer loyalty.

     For example, among the most important Key Performance Indicators you can measure in a call center is the CES, Customer Effort Score. The CES is a 1-7 scale question and it measure how hard or easy it is to do business with your company. The lower the score, the more attention to process is required. But, where? Is it only a function of fixing a process inside the contact center, if so , where? Training, QA…? Or, are the other systemic processes that cause this. By measuring the CES and fixing what is broken you might actually take what is a 5 call resolution to a 2 or 3 call resolution.

     Now, imagine the money you just saved, the sustainable customer loyalty you just created and information that everyone one in your enterprise can use, from marketing to service. And, if, for example, you are in the hospitality business, not only are your process getting fixed but your online ratings will improve.

     So, remember, if it is feedback you want, make certain what you are getting is measurable and actionable data that will have a positive impact on your complete enterprise …. Your social ratings will take care of themselves.

The Customer Makes a Company 

By Shannon Rankin, CustomerCount℠ Intern

With the landscape of customer engagement vastly changing by mobile devices, there are new challenges to face. People want information and they want it now. When people travel they want to know the best places to stay, the best places to eat, and the best ways to travel. People read reviews before committing to a product or a company because they want to know what they’re getting themselves involved in.

CustomerCount℠ helps companies tackle those challenges by creating surveys to fit their specific needs. The better you know what your customers really want, the better you can provide more relevant services and/or products. With customer engagement comes the responsibility to not just grow business but to grow relationships with your clients.

With this kind of feedback, companies can become better businesses. It’s a chance to really hone in on what their customers need. It also helps a business learn about what they’re doing right and what areas they need to improve on. Studies show that the more loyal customer is actually the one who complained and then had their problem resolved. This builds trust because it gives them a chance to see that a company cared enough to listen.

It’s more than just a one way street here at CustomerCount. Not only are we concerned about helping our clients better engage with their clients, but we are always looking for ways to ensure we also stay engaged with our own clients. After all, the customer makes a company.

While scrolling through the plethora of yahoo articles that normally are a waste of time I came upon one that was extremely relevant today.  We always hear how people experience horrible customer service for one reason or another.  Turns out that this is happening way too often and Consumer Reports has done a study to identify the top reasons for horrible customer service.  Click the link below and ask yourself if you or your company have ever been tagged with one of these.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/driving-them-crazy-americans-top-150000325.html

-Matt

SACRIFICING FEEDBACK FOR SOCIAL MEDIA RATINGS IS NEVER A GOOD IDEA

BY: Robert A. Kobek. RRP
President, CustomerCount

It is very important to note that I am a fan of social media rating services. Like many travelers and diners when I am looking for an out of town place to stay or maybe a new place to dine I now check the scores on any one of the hundreds of rating sites, the most prominent of which are Yelp! www.yelp.com and TripAdvisor www.tripadvisor.com .

Well, I have been duped too many times. In my rush to find the 4-5 star ratings (actually, sometimes I will settle for 3) I have actually been led to a few places that somehow must have gamed the system. But, both TripAdvisor and Yelp! have processes in place to make certain that it is very difficult to game the system and they can hurt your reputation if you don’t play by the rules.

Additionally, I am exposed to various organizations that “push” to a rating site and completely ignore measuring critical elements in a customer experience. The belief is that lots of ratings is the primary driver. So 1,000 ratings of 2.5 is better than 400 at 4.0? I know, I get it, but sacrificing customer feedback data for online reviews is just not a good practice.

There is one constant that I find is a part of the process for the 4-5 star consumer rated businesses: they all place significant emphasis on customer feedback. There is a paper comment card or a QR code strategically placed throughout the venue or there is the possibility of gathering an email, essentially an online comment card. The really big companies actually survey customer service calls to measure Key Performance Indicators that positively impact ROI and profitability of service. They not only collect feedback, they act upon it by building upon what works and improving those areas that don’t.

If you don’t care why should your customers? They don’t have to come back and if the service you provided was bad enough, you are almost certain to see it in the social media world, without your prompting somewhere, I promise.

Measure to manage is our moniker! It’s very basic but the fewer the indicators that need attention, the better the ratings. It is as simple as that.