The man waits.  And waits.  And waits.  The till attendant sees him but is more concerned with finishing a conversation about last Friday’s pub-crawl.  This riveting dialogue – presumably with another ‘employee’ – is of first importance.  The customer is secondary; an interference, an impertinence, a fly on the ointment of another day’s pay-cheque.

So, conversation ended, a financial transaction occurs.  There are no words exchanged (to the customer).  There is no meeting of eyes, no friendly smile, or no exchange of repartee.  No bag is offered.  No time is taken.  No repeat custom will ensue.  Not that anyone cares.

Well, reader, I care.  For I am that man.  This incident happened on Tuesday.  And I’ve had enough.

Towards the end of last month I delivered at two day course on Customer Experience Management at Queen’s University Belfast.  CEM is based on the insight that the customer-provider relationship is centred on factors that transcend the financial and the functional.  Providers of goods and services must realise that a customer craves emotional value from the transaction.  Once this is catered for, customer loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing follow like juice from ripe grapes.

During this workshop I asked my international audience a question.  Alright, so we instantly suppose that our American cousins go overboard with their ‘missing you already’ mentality.  But if it’s a straight choice between this and the ‘couldn’t care less’ approach we are used to, which would you choose?

To my everlasting astonishment, the class was fairly evenly split.  I thought we would all plump for the American version, as shallow and sentimental as it might seem to the non-fluffy NI mindset.  Why?  Something is better than nothing.  Especially in the area of customer service, too much (if there is such a thing) is always superior to too little.

I’ve learned a great lesson from this.  Here, we get the standard of customer service we deserve.  As Dr Phil would put it, you teach people how to treat you.  A lifetime of putting up with crap has lowered our level of disgust and that is what we receive in return for our hard earned cash.  And if you don’t know who Dr Phil is, then you’ve still got a lot to learn from our successful, powerful and wealthy cousins across the Atlantic.

Personally, I don’t give a stuff if some hyper-keen till operator comes across as saccharin and schmaltzy.  I don’t care about ‘authenticity’ in that context.  If I want authenticity I’ll read a book by Jean-Paul Sartre or some other depressive.  What I do want is damn fine service, not a proposal of marriage.  I want to see good manners, a respectful attitude, and a positive outlook. Otherwise, I want another shop.

Is anyone out there with me?

The 21st century marketplace is brutally competitive. Recent research confirms that customer loyalty is more a result of how customers feel about doing business with you, than what they think about your products or services. Companies that satisfy their customers here gain their clients’ loyalty in the form of repeat business and referrals. The most successful companies utilize this by managing the total customer experience – not only meeting, but exceeding, both the rational and emotional needs of their customers. In this course you will gain an understanding of the building-blocks of a customer experience, learn how to manage your brand’s role, and create satisfying interactions that turn customers into campaigners.

You may also find our previous blog I Am Not a Number interesting.

26/02/08 & 27/02/08 – Customer Experience Management – 2-day workshop
Venue: Queen’s University, Belfast

Time: 9.30 – 4.30     Cost: £360

QUB is taking bookings for this event.  To book contact Marc Forte at QUB on 028 9097 5260/5261 or email m.forte@qub.ac.uk. Discounts are available for multiple bookings.

Today competition for customers is fierce and customer power is on the increase. But what are customers to you? Information to be managed? Or people to be engaged?

There are two answers. The old one is called Customer Relationship Management (CRM). CRM is a process by which companies capture, store and analyze information relating to all parties in any business transaction – vendor, partner, and internal customer.

The second is called Customer Experience Management (CEM).  It is the future.The key to sustaining a competitive advantage lies in focusing in on the “customer experience”.<span>  </span>Whenever a customer interacts with your firm and its products, this interaction must <em>create value</em> for the customer. To create value for customers, the firm must connect with customers and must create experiences that are memorable.

Businesses have to understand how products (goods, services, or experiences) help make customers lives better (easier, more meaningful) and how customers feel about their products, including any emotional associations they may have. This is called the emotional value or ‘e-value’ of a product.

What does this mean is real terms? In a phrase, doing things that your customers like. Customers want to be liked by the people serving them. The more you do this, the more they will return, and encourage others to come along with them. The more this happens, the more profit you will make.

E-value can take the form of friendliness, authenticity, integrity, or downright fun.  They do not want to be analysed or systematized by the procedures of ‘scientific management’. They are people, not numbers.

Forget this in any aspect of their contact with you, and they will forget you.

Our next Customer Service and Satisfaction 2-Day Workshop is on 27-27th February.

Venue: Queen’s University, Belfast
Time: 9.30 – 4.30     Cost: £360
To book contact Marc Forte at QUB on 028 9097 5260/5261 or email m.forte@qub.ac.uk. Discounts available for multiple bookings.

The 21st century marketplace is brutally competitive. Recent research confirms that customer loyalty is more a result of how customers feel about doing business with you, than what they think about your products or services. Companies that satisfy their customers here gain their clients’ loyalty in the form of repeat business and referrals. The most successful companies utilize this by managing the total customer experience – not only meeting, but exceeding, both the rational and emotional needs of their customers. In this course you will gain an understanding of the building-blocks of a customer experience, learn how to manage your brand’s role, and create satisfying interactions that turn customers into campaigners.