Three years ago, I was preparing to fly internationally. I arrived at the airport to find that my flight was delayed by 26 hours. I went back home, and returned to the airport the next day. At check-in on day two, I asked the airline representative if, since I was a loyal customer whose flight had been delayed by 26 hours, there was any chance that I could have an upgrade. In response, she stated, “As my CEO says, if you want loyalty, go and buy a dog.” This line was delivered with a satisfied smile, as she continued to check me into my economy seat.
This was the moment when I realized the impact that every single employee has on a customer’s experience. Every internal interaction, whether it be a formal meeting or a corridor conversation, creates the culture of an organization, and if disregard for customers is demonstrated internally, you can be sure your customers will know it.
Why do we care?
Companies across all industries and sectors are recognizing that long-term, sustainable business growth comes as a result of having loyal customers who choose to do business with an organization and who are willing to tell their colleagues, friends and family about their experiences.
However, there is also a significant amount of research that links the employee experience with the customer experience. People want to work for an organization that they feel proud of, one where they receive positive feedback from their customers, and that they can have great conversations with their friends and family about being a part of.
I
have recently introduced a concept at Microsoft Australia, where I work, which challenges our employees to the following: “Don’t create satisfied customers. Create raving fans.” We are currently collecting stories of great experiences our customers have had (in their own words), that we can share both internally and externally to represent the customer-centric culture that we are building.
Companywide change
As with any significant cultural change, the initial group of advocates for building a customer-centric organization must be your senior leadership team.
At Microsoft, we have a unified global framework called the customer and partner experience (CPE) strategy that’s designed to improve overall satisfaction with Microsoft. As part of this strategy, the senior leadership team of each subsidiary includes a CPE lead. These leaders work in partnership with the business leads to engage every Microsoft employee in improving customer and partner experiences.
Accountability
It is important to build clear expectations for employee behavior, and to drive accountability. At Microsoft Australia, every employee (whether customer-facing or not) has CPE commitments and key performance indicators (KPIs).
An example of a customer-centric commitment for an account manager is the development of “conditions of satisfaction” for the accounts that he or she manages. This involves working with the customer to outline how they would like to do business with Microsoft and to ensure that expectations are clear for both parties for their mutual benefit. This agreement then forms the foundation of the relationship to help drive engagement.
During performance reviews, individuals are assessed on both what they achieved (the satisfaction ratings their customers provide) and how they achieved it (a qualitative assessment of their interaction with customers and how they deliver customer-focused processes).
One of the most significant impacts I have had with the Australian subsidiary of Microsoft has been attending management meetings in which each employee’s performance is calibrated. I provide feedback and challenge performance ratings based on both the what and how of the customer and partner experience. After attending these meetings for a number of years, managers are now well prepared to speak to an individual’s customer focus as part of their performance review and have built it into their employee/manager one-on-ones throughout the year to ensure the focus is sustained.
Listen to your customers
As professional communicators, we have access to many different tools today that allow us to understand our customers’ current level of engagement.
Most organizations have a formal customer satisfaction survey. I recommend that you not only review the survey metrics, but also read all of the verbatim comments provided and develop your own qualitative analysis. Feedback is a gift that will help your business grow, so show your appreciation by communicating to customers what you’ve heard and what you will do differently based on their survey feedback.
Your call centers are also a great place to listen to your customers. Jump onto calls, understand the issues and engage with the teams who are speaking to your customers every day.
Social media
Social media provide a great opportunity to understand the sentiments of your customer base and identify areas for making stronger connections. Most organizations are still working on how to best use social media, so if you’re new to it, here are three preliminary steps:
- Step one: Find out where your customer base is having discussions online.
- Step two: Listen to the conversations. Understand the issues prior to jumping in and participating in the conversation.
- Step three: Think about your resources before you engage in social media, as you may risk customer dissatisfaction if you can’t engage in a consistent and predictable manner.
To ensure you’re ready to engage with your customers via social media, think through the following:
- Governance
Establish guidelines to ensure your employees are engaging through social media in appropriate discussions with an appropriate tone that best represents your brand.
- Strategic guidance
Identify key influencers who have a significant impact on your customers’ perception of your company, and develop an engagement model for this audience.
Identify existing online communities where you will start to engage in discussions.
If appropriate, create communities and encourage your customers to join the discussion. (Note: It is a lot easier to engage with your customers where they are already spending their time. You will also have more credibility in discussions if your competitors are also able to have a voice.)
- Content
Ensure that individual employees are accountable for generating content so that you have an “always on” approach to social media.
- Response time
Consider how you will respond to questions or frustrations that may arise through social media channels. At Microsoft Australia, we have dedicated two customer service representatives to monitor and answer these comments, which often surprises and delights customers who were not expecting the company to respond to something they posted on Twitter.
- Analytics
We use social media monitoring tools to provide weekly insights into the discussions that are taking place online. There are a number of different tools available in the market to help you gain these insights.
- ROI
Create a social media dashboard to measure reach, influence and sentiment, which will provide immediate insights on issues that you may be affecting.
Customer experience—the final word
When I reflect on my experience at the airline counter and wonder why I’m still telling this story three years later, I realize it’s because I had an emotional response to that interaction. If we focus only on producing great products and creating great transactional experiences, we’re missing the opportunity to surprise and delight. Internally, we talk about doing the extraordinary for our customers, partners and our colleagues. But as we continue to do the extraordinary, we create the new ordinary. Customer experience is about creating emotional connections with your customers by consistently delivering great experiences. This is a constant challenge for all our businesses, but it starts internally with your organization’s culture, attitudes and norms.
