Customer Experience
The truth is...well...the truth!
10/11/09 12:53
If you watch the video, towards the end of the commercial the "underdog" cable guy asks "I was curious why we were listening to customers...seems dumb". This is a powerful message. It clearly takes a shot at the cable companies portraying that they do not listen to their customers. However, it actually goes a little bit deeper than that. If you think about it just a bit more, you can probably anticipate that the cable guy did not like what was being said about why FIOS is better than their cable solution. He did not like hearing the truth from the customers as to why the FIOS service was better than cable. For this reason, he made an unsuccessful attempt to question the whole process by stating that asking customers was "dumb".
We all know that this is a commercial and not "real-life", however unfortunately the reality is that there is a bit more truth to this than people would like to admit. Although I have never heard any person or company state in such blatant terms that it is "dumb" talking to customers, many have demonstrated this belief through their other words and their actions. At the most extreme case I have heard senior executives of companies and even VC's state that "customers do not know what they want/need". The more subtle way of communicating this has been by not engaging with customers at all. No matter which way it is communicated, in many ways these companies are like the cable guy in this commercial in that they do not like...or do not want to hear the truth from their customers and prospects.
So, what's the point of all of this? Well, the bottom line is that it did not matter what the cable guy said or did in this commercial as the truth being shared by the customers was the truth from their perspective. Ignoring it does not change it, and ignoring it does nothing to help to get more customers or to change the customers minds. Had the cable guy sat back, actively listened to the feedback from the clients he could have potentially implemented some change which would win back the customers, and potentially to even gain some competitive advantage. However, he chose just to ignore everything the customers said, and as a result will have to live with the consequences. So, the real questions become, do you want to be like the cable guy, or the FIOS rep? Are you avoiding "the truth"? Have you stuck your head in the sand to avoid the truth? Just remember that the truth remains the truth no matter if you choose to accept it or not.
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It is all about the experience
05/06/09 08:53
Just to set the stage for you....my contact has phoned in to inquire about potentially signing on for this companies service. He tells me of the painful process of even getting signed up in the beginning as they had to do a credit check, they had to verify his home network setup, etc. When he was done this initial call he felt that everything was now in order and all he had to do was to wait for the software required for the ability to run the VOIP service on his laptop to show up.
A couple of days later, the door bell rings and sure enough there is the new VOIP system. He went and started to install the system onto his laptop and that is when the problems began. To make a long story short, after several calls to the support organization they then decided to tell him that their VOIP software would not work on his machine because of the version of the operating system he was using. Now well beyond frustrated he then got passed back to the original customer service department he had dealt with in the beginning and they confirmed that the operating system he was using was not supported. Rightfully so, he then asked to speak with the manager due to the fact that they should have asked him in the beginning what operating system he was using which would have saved a great deal of frustration and valuable time. When the manager came on the line, my contact explained to him the sequence of events along with the frustration he was feeling....and the response from the manager of the customer service team was - “Yes, that OS is not supported, so what would you like me to do about it?”
So, here are some of the things that I would like you to think about regarding this story:
1. Do you think that this company spoke with many real life customers before they made a decision to build a solution that does not support one of the most used operating systems in the world?
2. Do you think that this company ever spoke to a real-life customer to better understand how they would like to have the solution delivered to them? (Lets face it...it is software which could be downloadable and does not require a physical shipment which requires the customer to wait days in order to receive)
3. Do you think that this company was concerned about creating a positive experience with their customers or do you think that they are more focused on getting their money?
4. Do you think that this company has ever done an audit or “mystery shopper” type of activity to truly put themselves in their customers shoes in order to experience the buying process their customers go through when buying their solution?
5. Do you think that the company really wants to have a customer support organization that states “....what would you like me to do about it?”
6. Do you think that either myself or any of the other people that my contact has told about this experience will ever voluntarily buy from this company again?
7. Would you buy from this company?
Finally....when was the last time you did an “audit” to truly understand the experience your customers are getting from you, your company, and the process they have to go through to either buy your solution or to get support when they run into issues? You only have one chance to make a positive impression....and there are big consequences for not providing the right experience for your customers.