Challenge: First 60 days of service for small business customers falls well below expectations.
For this Fortune 30 Telecom, the first 60 days are critical to the long-term relationship in terms of future upgrades, crossselling and retention.
Yet internal research showed that the experience and satisfaction levels for small business customers with bundled services fell well short of the desired mark.
Some services were provided directly, and others by partners. As a result, the telecom was unsure of the overall customer experience, and didn't have a handle on all the interactions—or Touchpoints—its new customers were encountering. Worse, they were unable to control the quality of these important customer experiences.
Approach: Identify customer interactions and define optimal experiences.
Working across multiple regions, functional groups and service delivery partners, MCorp Consulting conducted Touchpoint Mapping®, a proprietary research methodology that is part of MCorp Consulting's Customer Experience Mapping suite.
The goal of this process was to chart customer experiences, identify individual touchpoints and map the touchpoint paths traveled by customers during their first 60 days of service. Additionally, we needed to quantify what was and what was not working, pinpoint why, and define solutions.
Our approach included internal (management and line staff) and external (active small business customers) research, combined with analysis aimed at measuring the quality and efficacy of customer interactions, as well as the related touchpoints that were—and were not—successfully driving customer satisfaction.
Through this approach, our client's organization expected to gain a better overall understanding of the customer experience as well as the drivers of satisfaction, through “voice of the customer” and touchpoint data that was both measurable and actionable.
Optimization of service and communications touchpoints—and identification of best practices across regions—led this Telecom to higher initial satisfaction, reduced cost and a better customer experience.
The number of touchpoints encountered in various “paths” ranged from 5 to 18. This chart indicates gaps in perceived value between customer and corporate perspectives across the maximim path of 18 touchpoints, with significant differences in opinion around welcome package and post-installation interactions. This recognition allowed redundant touchpoints to be eliminated, and others improved.
Findings: Redundant and underperforming touchpoints drive negative customer experiences.
Focusing on touchpoints and the experience they deliver across the entire customer lifecycle—from awareness through advocacy—we charted a series of 47 different touchpoints encountered by customers. We also found that some customers assumed certain important communiqués were junk mail.
By measuring the performance and value of these touchpoints by region, combined with path and driver data, we were able to:
- Prioritize touchpoints;
- Pinpoint redundant service-related communications;
- Target which were meeting, and which were not meeting, customer needs;
- Highlight specific “quick fixes” to customer experience problems.
Recommendations: Eliminate redundancies and refine the customer experience.
In addition to providing specific recommendations for experience improvements across the lifecycle, MCorp findings illuminated redundancies that allowed this Telecom to reduce the number of touchpoints delivered in the first 60 days of service by 34 percent. Not only was cost reduced significantly, but perceived value increased, and the internal systems for delivery and management were improved.
As an example, we consolidated three communications (two mailed, one electronic) into one, saving $573,000 in postage alone in the first year.
Results: Significant cost savings, dramatic ROI, and an improved customer experience.
By identifying, measuring and improving individual touchpoints in the context of the overall experience, this Telecom was able to leverage customer opinion and adopt best practices from within its own organization, optimizing and reducing touchpoints while improving paths to loyalty.
By improving the remaining touchpoints, we boosted overall satisfaction and customer experience while achieving dramatic cost savings and process efficiencies.
About MCorp Consulting
MCorp Consulting is a research, brand and strategy consultancy that maps and improves the touchpoints between organizations and their customers, delivering better brand, marketing and customer experiences.
Touchpoint Mapping®, Brand MappingSM and Loyalty Mapping® are proprietary research tools for brand marketers that take the guesswork out of decision making with proven, actionable and accurate data.
How might your organization benefit from working with MCorp Consulting?
Call 866-526-2655 or contact us to find out.
Copyright © 2009 MCorp Consulting, all rights reserved. Touchpoint Mapping®, Loyalty Mapping® and Brand MappingSM are trademarks of MCorp Consulting.
Success Brief: Telecommunications
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