Touchpoint Insights, October 2010: Drive Customer Experience, Customer Relationship

Insights and Influence in 140 Characters or Less...

This time of year, I expect things to “mellow out” a little. But the most popular tweets last month point to a renewed energy around -- and a focus on -- “getting customer experience right.”

From innovation and measurement to bashing the Gap for its massive customer experience faux-pas, we’re seeing a highly-engaged and process-oriented tilt to what’s being read, passed around and commented on.

Maybe it’s the tail end of 2011 budget season -- many of our clients (and many of our readers) have been thinking long and hard about what needs to be fixed, and how to prioritize it. Or, perhaps the question is how to actually drive the customer experience improvements you’re charged with delivering.

Whatever it is, we’re happy to see the enthusiasm. So, what are you planning…?

1.) RT @MyCustomer: Customer experience measurement: You can't manage what you don't measure! http://ow.ly/2Xa9V
If it’s been said once, it’s been said (and attributed to many) a hundred times. Measure, measure, measure…but with the reality of finite budgets, touchpoints, strategy plus tactics, NPS pros and cons, organizational buy-in, and what to do with the information once you’ve managed to gather it. As we’ve said, there is no one “ideal” experience. It simply isn’t realistic. So who gets what? That’s why you need to measure… (All in under 2,000 words? Impressive.) (Tweet Score: 81)

2.) Sometimes, part of the customer experience is making your product scarce. http://ow.ly/2QLpN
If I say more, the recap will run longer than the actual post… (Tweet Score: 52)

3.) A less-than-authentic response is not the best follow-up to the introduction of a poorly redesigned logo... http://ow.ly/2RKm9
What happened when Gap rolled out a truly hideous logo without first paving the way? One misstep followed another. As with the #1 Tweet this month, measurement is key. Gap clearly had no idea how much influence their “old” logo had on customer experience. Now, they may suspect, and -- one hopes -- they’ve learned a great lesson in touchpoint influence. (This Huffington Post: http://ow.ly/31Ng5, provides an excellent update.) (Tweet Score: 52)

4.) Are you going to innovate, or sit around forever trying to design a rocket? http://ow.ly/2N6Ar
A short post on a big idea, with a lot of meat in the follow-on comments. What is innovation? What does it take to create a new idea? What’s “new” really? Sometimes, obvious as an idea may seem, it really hasn’t been done before. Maybe it’s the convergence of ideas at the right time that helps us take the leap. My takeaway (and my personal experience)? Innovation really does require follow through. I guess this makes the concept of Touchpoint Metrics back in 1999 my “Peanut Butter Cup.” (Tweet Score: 51)

5.) Mirror, mirror, on the wall... http://ow.ly/2RLUT
LBI calls this “Social Retailing.” I call it “Minority Report meets paper dolls.” Macys’ customers stand in front of mirrors and call up outfits to virtually try on. Tap a Facebook link on the mirror and send an image to a friend for their opinion. Scroll over to a different outfit. Now there’s something I think we can honestly call “innovative” as per the article above. (Saves on shoplifting security too! Though I wonder if they have a six-item virtual dressing room limit?) (Tweet Score: 49)

6.) A bit of a personal branding slant, but it still has some applicable points (and is pretty darn funny). http://ow.ly/2Q52F
We’ve done “Branding Lessons of the Princess Bride” (December 2009 Top Tweets) and now it’s time for Arrested Development Lessons for Success. What’s the point of being amazing if you’re the only one who knows it? Get out there and blow your horn, set yourself up in the right time slot, persist, and be “spreadable.” (Tweet Score: 46)

7.) Knowing where and when to [or to not] improve processes is critical. http://ow.ly/31BM3
Process Improvement can sound like a yawn -- but applying it strategically can make the difference between moving boxes around on a screen, and driving massive improvements (and cost savings) across your company. A key part of customer experience design, I like the context the author fits this conversation into: Process improvements come in myriad shapes and sizes, and even the most mundane can be innovative if applied correctly. (Tweet Score: 45)

8.) The best tidbits that can be gained from a focus group exist in what they aren't saying [out loud]. http://ow.ly/2SnrT
Ahhh…focus groups… Suffice to say, I’m not a fan (of the traditional approach). Customer research? Oh, yeah. If you’re not plugged into the multiple Voices of your Customer, you’ll be getting a surprise someday soon. But focus groups? One very small part of VoC, into which some organizations put too much stock. Let me tell you, I’ve BEEN to Eden Prairie, and while filled with wonderful folks, I need help solving tomorrow’s problems more than yesterday’s… (Tweet Score: 42)

9.) Stop trying to catch up with everyone else. Take another road and cut' em off at the pass... http://ow.ly/2VlW4
You’ve heard this before: the first person to roll out a great idea is a genius (and frequently broke). But the second person? There’s your jackpot: All the novelty and payoff at a fraction of the investment. But how many times can an idea be replicated before it’s old news? Keep serving up fresh ideas or your leg up will simply dwindle into two steps behind. (Tweet Score: 41)

10.) Reading: "Only excellence matters for successful CRM" http://ow.ly/30eyq ["If #CRM doesn't work, what does? #CEX, that's what."]
When is CRM a four-letter word? When it streamlines you to the point of simply annoying your customers more quickly. Organizations sometimes forget that it’s not Customer Relationship Automation, the “M” stands for management. It’s a system that needs to be monitored, analyzed, and tweaked to deliver the right customer experience. Follow-through is a bitch, we know, especially with tight budgets and not enough staff wearing too many hats. But we don’t foresee channels shrinking any time soon, so executives everywhere have to figure out how to cope with the new reality: customers are in charge. So get used to it, and get ahead of them. (Tweet Score: 29)