THE NEXUS OF CUSTOMER SERVICE AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE FOR BUSINESS EXCELLENCE
The happiest place on earth is a claim Disney lay claim to when visitors visit Disneyland and this has been backed up by an all-encompassing experience designed to bring to life the happiest place on earth. Indeed, as they say, this is where the magic happens, the activities they do are geared towards wowing and delighting. For Disney, their customer service and customer experience have been crafted in such a way that it is a critical component of the overall brand experience and its impact on their bottom line.
According to former Disney employee Jim Poisant in his book Creating and Sustaining a Superior Customer Service Organization; he says the responsibility of delighting the customer does not rest on the frontline employees alone, rather it’s the responsibility of the entire organization and a sum of small things done exceedingly well.
It is clear that Disney has understood the power of customer service and its impact on customer experience; but how do we distinguish these two variables?
Customer service is the process of offering help or assistance to a customer before, during, or after a sale is made while customer experience is the culmination of the overall interactive process with the customer and for many businesses, this is manifested as differentiation.
These two metrics are key in acquiring and maintaining customers and thus companies need to understand and invest in both. Studies show delighted customers represent repeat purchases, a referral system, and a brand defender in times of crisis. It is cheaper to retain than to recruit a customer and so it is important corporates understand these dynamics and rethink the position of CS/CX in their organizations.
Many myopic companies still look at CS/CX as an individual or departments responsibility with the flower-girl role in a wedding; however, this is far from the truth as given the above metrics in addition to the customer lifetime value among others, CS/CX is a revenue saver and income generator. It is also a great source of feedback that informs decisions and product development, innovation, and strategic planning as the best companies on CS/CX don’t offer products; rather they provide tailor-made solutions to their customer’s problems.
Further that the customer is well informed and bombarded by options, CX is now the most important business survival tool and one that must be embedded into your business strategy. To do this the many processes and everyone in the organization must be aligned to the same end game from responsiveness to giving feedback; taking criticism positively and innovation among many others represent the building blocks of a delightful customer experience.
Thus the same way companies have sales or marketing plans, they need to have a CS/CX plan that will address customer acquisition and retention which must be set in systems and processes that monitor, track and evaluate the impact of their success or failure on the company’s return on investment (ROI)
Embedding CS/CX in systems and processes means getting employee buy-in and Jim Poisant in his book points out that Disney has a very deliberate strategy to take care of the people who take care of the customer. As your first line and face of the organization- onboarding your employees by living superior customer service internally has been shown to increase productivity, reduce losses and days off, and an overall great experience when dealing with the company.
In addition, superior customer service organizations are not always right and when there is deviation these entities acknowledge the problem, offer an apology, and finally find a solution where they can use the challenge to delight they do so by either offering the remedial service for free or doubling the offer amount. These entities further acknowledge there is no one-size-fits-all solution and that they operate in dynamic markets, their experiences need to keep evolving to stay ahead of the customer expectation.
Should you wish to embark on a journey together into better systems, processes, and outcomes that deliver to and delight customers, look no further than our financial institution. Delighting our customers is what we do at Springboard Capital and this starts with our extensive product knowledge not only on financial products but also on other business-related content. Separately most of our solutions are built on feedback from our customers so that they meet their diverse needs without leaving them feeling vulnerable. Our various loan products are Business Loan, Emergency Loan, Asset Financing, Salaried Loan, Loans against Logbook, Import Duty Financing or Title Deed Loan, to help grow and manage all operations.
We not only offer solutions, but we are also the anchor of a larger family comprising our customers, our corporate networks, and other business leaders whose synergy creates an invaluable currency for all our stakeholders. Contact us today at 0700 944 444 or WhatsApp us through the button below, or email us at info@springboardcapital.co.ke.
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Article based on Jane Mburia Webinar Presentation – Jane is a seasoned CEO and Principal Consultant at Lead Insights Africa Consulting. With a diverse background encompassing transformational leadership, board membership, and change catalyst expertise, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role. Jane’s specialization in customer-centric solutions, CX/XM strategies, and her deep understanding of the banking and finance industry make her a sought-after expert.
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