Crack The Customer Code

Why is it so hard to be prepared for the service failures that every organization experiences from time to time? Today we explore proactive customer service and how to be ready when things blow up. What's your customer service doomsday plan? No matter how great your customer service team is or how thoroughly you’ve mapped and improved the customer journey, something will go wrong. Are you prepared for the situation that turns it all upside-down? You need to consider two things: A proactive customer service strategy that allows for worst-case scenarios A “doomsday plan” for how you will recover from a customer service disaster Adam and Jeannie share some great stories about customer service gone awry and how some brands were not prepared. Mistakes will happen. Are you prepared for the worst? A great recovery can actually help strengthen customer loyalty. So the next time something goes wrong, will customers rave about your stellar response or will they publicly hate on your brand?  This episode explor

You only have one chance to make a first impression with a potential customer or client. Sylvie Di Giusto is an expert on personal branding and making great impressions that last. The science of first impressions The average person makes about 3,000 impressions per day. How is that possible!? Our guest Sylvie Di Giusto explains the many ways we can make an impression when we don't even know it's happening. Are you ready for this? What can you do to turn those fleeting impressions into advantageous connections? Sylvie explains that 11 crucial judgments are made in about 7 seconds when you make a first impression. What's the one thing people remember about you? What will they remember about your organization? Sadly, they are much more likely to remember the things you don't want them to. And you don't just need to make a first impression that is good, you must make one that also stands out. Sylvie says, "You never know who you're going to meet, or who you're going to be next to..." So how can leaders like

Cause marketing is a broad, nuanced topic. But when it’s done well, it can create a rewarding experience for customers and forge great relationships with your brand. What makes cause marketing effective? Adam and Jeannie share some great examples of companies that are raising awareness for and donating to nonprofit cause on behalf of their customers.  From car dealerships to online merchants, companies across industries are leveraging the power of cause marketing. But cause marketing has become very common. So common, in fact, that many cause marketing campaigns go unnoticed by customers and rendered essentially ineffective. Can cause marketing still help your brand forge customer loyalty and help improve your brand image? The answer is yes! But you have to be willing to put your heart into the project and go beyond the generic “10% of proceeds goes to [worthy cause]” banner on your product or website. Adam and Jeannie outline the key elements of a cause marketing campaign that grabs attention and become

Customer perception is a difficult thing to understand, and even harder to change. Do customers see themselves in your brand image? Lessons on Changing Customer Perception Are your real customers properly represented in your marketing? What if 13% of your qualified customers never noticed your brand simply because they can't identify with how you present who your customers are? Customers will buy from those who create an emotional connection, and one of the first steps is making sure they see themselves reflected in the marketing materials you present them. Katie Driscoll's organization, Changing the Face of Beauty, has combated the idea that people only want to see "traditionally" beautiful people in advertising. She has had a tremendous impact on the way some major brands represent their customers, particularly those with disabilities. A viable segment of just about any market, children with disabilities are a prime example of a group that tends to be grossly under-represented. Katie shares how inclusi

It’s EASY to talk about improving customer service. It's a lot harder to actually do anything about it! Why is it so hard to create a real strategy around putting the customer first? Are you really improving customer service? Making a big deal about becoming "customer–centric" through new options and features but neglecting to deliver what customers actually need to be happy is not really walking the talk. Jeannie and Adam see this happening in many industries, and a few companies are getting away with it (for now). But let's face it: Many organizations don’t have the luxury of cornering consumers with hefty contracts and limited competition -- like cable or utility companies can. Most organizations have to compete, and few have developed raving fans so loyal that they are willing to tolerate subpar customer service and frustrating experiences. It's dangerous to assume the complacency of your customers translates to loyalty, or that your revolutionary product or service alone will keep customers from explo

Mana Ionescu, President of Lightspan Digital, shares tips and insights on keeping up with the changing landscape of social customer care. Social Customer Care with Purpose In today’s marketplace, as Mana explains, few organizations can thrive and compete without a presence on social media. But what does that mean for customer care? Mana shares some valuable insights for smaller organizations who need to provide a better level of care on social channels without a dedicated social media team. Many organizations are making the same mistakes over and over again. Mana outlines some of the common pitfalls of social customer care and what to watch out for.  Are you ready to tackle customer care on your social channels? Are you sure!? Listen in and Mana will help you decide what your organization can realistically do TODAY to provide top-notch social customer care without breaking the bank. Mana Ionescu, President of Lightspan Digital Mana and her team focus on driving traffic to clients’ websites and building

2016 is going to be a wild but shaky ride. Hold on tight! Where’s the next hairpin turn for your organization? Adam and Jeannie have some customer experience predictions to help keep you in your seat. Customer Experience Predictions The landscape of customer experience improvement has changed a lot over the past year. New tech means more robust service solutions and new ways to connect with customers. Hooray! But be warned: It’s a two-way street. Better tech also means greater expectations from customers. They will put that new tech to the test, expecting better service, seamless cross-channel experiences, and unprecedented levels of customization. And as social customer care goes mainstream and loses its status as an “alternative” form of communication, customers have more power than ever to tarnish your brand when things go awry. Did you know that 89% of companies are expected to compete mainly by the experience they provide for customers this year? That’s a tall order if you’re not looking ahead to what

What will you do to make 2016 the best year yet for your customers? New Year. New Customer Service Resolutions. Adam and Jeannie discuss some of the resolutions they believe every organization should have to make 2016 better for all their customers through improved service and proactive experience design. Destroy the silos! Make things easier! They sound so simple. Get some inspiration to improve your customer’s experience today and throughout the year. Related Content Jeannie’s post, 5 Ways to Create a Better Customer Experience for 2016 Adam’s post, You Need Customer Service, No Matter How Good Your Experience Episode 050, 50 Pieces of Customer Service Advice Sponsor message: Develop Your Customer Experience Mission Do you know how to deliver the superior customer experience you visualize? We can help your team become a force for positive change, starting with a customer-centric mission. The Customer Experience Investigators™ at 360Connext specialize in helping companies across industries and aroun

Crowdsourcing is one way companies are reaching customers before developing products or services. What do you think about this modern way of including customers? Is crowdsourcing the way to innovate? Crowdsourcing: Tapping into the collective knowledge, creativity and in some cases, funding, from the community. What happens when you let your customers into the process before you are ready to introduce new products/services? You get ALL the ideas, and that has its own set of challenges. What are the best ways organizations are crowdsourcing innovation? Is crowdsourcing the answer for you? Adam and Jeannie discuss the pros and cons of soliciting ideas from the community and transparently sharing what might work and what might not. Related Content MyStarbucksIdea.com IdeaStorm community Jeannie’s post, The 5 Deadly Sins Against Customer-Centric Innovation Episode 072, Matt Phillips: Innovation Expert Sponsor message: Develop Your Customer Experience Mission Do you know how to deliver the superior cust

Aaron Walker, veteran entrepreneur, has built his business around mentorship and used his vast experience to mentor leaders in many industries. Aaron has a great story and shares how he walks the talk, while leading others to do the same. Expert Advice on Growing Your Business Aaron tells us the exciting story of his background in entrepreneurship, which started at the age of 13. (What!?) That’s right! We don’t want to spoil this amazing story for you, but building businesses has been Aaron’s passion for decades, and in this episode, he passes on some of the leadership skills he has accumulated during his years of experience. How do business leaders and managers become great coaches and mentors for their people? Aaron shares key points from his time-tested process with us.  What dreams do you have for your team? Aaron explains why it’s OK to dream big, and how boosting morale can translate to measureable results. Aaron also gives us some expert advice for entry-level professionals and front-line employe

Who doesn’t like playing games, and winning!? Companies across many industries are learning how to gamify the experience for their customers. How can gamification improve the experience for your customers? Can You Gamify The Customer Experience? Gamification: applying the principles of games like variable rewards and real-time engagement. Can you use this to improve the customer experience? Gamifying your customer’s experience can be rewarding for both the customer and the company. Fitness wearables have helped gamify personal health data. Coca-cola recently rewarded customers for recycling and encouraged the behavior they wanted. MIT gamified the ice cube! It’s everywhere. Reward the behavior you want to get from your customer, and they connect your brand with a sense of accomplishment and gratification. Win/win! Can you gamify the experience in a meaningful way? Is it always the answer? Adam and Jeannie have a lively discussion about how gamification could be the answer to boring interactions. Related

Denise Lee Yohn, author of  Extraordinary Experiences: What Great Retail and Restaurant Brands Do, discusses the concepts of restaurant and retail stand-out experiences. Unique Opportunities in Restaurant and Retail Experiences Denise has researched and made sense of what really makes an experience profitable, sustainable and special in retail and restaurant environments.  The best brands stand for some people, but not for others. Shoring up emotional loyalty and advocacy is an important piece of the proactive experience, especially before a crisis happens. Using examples from Red Bull, Chipotle and others, Denise discusses the best ways to provide something special for customers in these environments. Denise Lee Yohn, Brand-Building Expert Denise is the author of the bestselling book What Great Brands Do: The Seven Brand-Building Principles That Separate the Best from the Rest (Jossey-Bass). She frequently appears in national media including FOX Business TV and USA Today. She is a regular contributor to

What if you don’t have a budget for lots of perks to create a positive workplace culture? Are there ways to hack culture to make the workplace positive and fun? Hacking Your Workplace Culture Money is often the fourth motivator for workers. The Workforce 2020 report shows how workers today want non-traditional benefits as well. A great culture with happy employees is a key component of delivering the right experience for customers. So how can workplaces today compete with innovative employers like Zappos, when the budget is not necessarily at a Zappos-level? Decide what is universal and what needs to be personalized for each employee. Adam and Jeannie discuss the best ways to listen to employees and what they want and also how to deliver small but powerful perks to keep employees happy and excited to deliver a great experience. Related Content Workforce 2020 Report, Do men and women value the same benefits and incentives at work? Bestselling book, DRiVE: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us Ep

Matt Phillips is the President of management consulting firm, Phillips and Company. Matt helps us all understand breakthrough innovations and experience. Innovation Improves Customer Experience What is expected in the experience offered to customers and what should be unexpected? These are some of the questions Matt poses when considering innovation. Matt talks about luxury hotel experiences, futuristic customer service robots, and ice swimming in Finland.  What are the best ways to innovate? Matt has been tackling this question for more than a decade, and he has great stories to share. Listen in to hear how the future is changing, and how you can innovate for it. Matt Phillips: Innovation Expert Matt Phillips is president of management consulting firm Phillips & Co. Launched in 2003, their area of expertise is Breakthrough Strategy - the development of innovative new products, services and experiences. Their clients include Paramount Pictures, Dell, Hyatt, Bath & Body Works, SC Johnson, major ad agenci

Seeing the game live used to be enough for sports fans. Now, stadiums are designed to be a multi-screen experience. How are experiences changing for sports fans, and how are the champions delivering victories? Connected Fans Mean More Experiences What is the product of sporting events? With millennial fans desiring connectivity as a key part of the sports event, modern stadiums have to deliver an experience for those fans who are as interested in uploading selfies as connecting with their favorite team online. Is this an indicator of what people want next for their experiences? 1 in 3 college students claims Internet connectivity is as important to them as air, food, or water! Delivering a connected experience is critical to providing a superior customer experience. There is a 50/50 split on uploading and downloading, meaning it’s just as important to participate in the game in a different way, such as viewing instant replays on mobile devices, as it is to upload photos to social networks. Are you deliver

In honor of Thanksgiving, we’d like to share what we’re thankful for in this episode of Crack the Customer Code! We hope we can inspire you with some great stories of how some unique companies have thanked their own customers. From bold and big acts of gratitude to simply saying the words “thank you,” expressing appreciation is always timely, no matter the season. The Power of Gratitude Giving your customers something unexpected is a wonderful way to say "thank you." Listen in to hear how organizations ranging from property managers to online auction sites have delighted customers simply by saying “thanks.” And THANK YOU for listening, sharing, and being a part of our Crack The Customer Code community. We’re lucky to have you! Related Content Adam's blog, 7 Inspirational Customer Service Stories Adam’s book, Be Your Customer’s Hero Jeannie's blog, 5 Customer Appreciation Tweaks Customers Will Gobble Up! Jeannie’s blog, Several Ways to Thank Your Customers    Take care of yourself and take care of yo

One of the things customers hate about customer service is finding it. How can customer care be embedded into the entire customer journey? Adam and Jeannie discuss the innovations that are making this more of a reality for customers and companies alike. Offer More by Embedding Service Instead of forcing customers to hunt for the right phone number, the right support department or the right email address, what if the right customer support option was just waiting for the customer where and when they need it? Like Amazon’s pioneering Kindle Mayday video support, there are many ways to offer this type of embedded experience. But what does that mean for customers and their feeling of control? Many won't want strangers popping up on video on their screen! Adam and Jeannie discuss the pros and cons of this type of innovative customer service. Gartner reports 100 of the 500 largest global businesses will introduce video-based chat for customer-facing interactions by 2018. This is definitely the future, are you re

Annette Franz, creator of the CX Journey blog, gets into the nitty gritty of what makes a customer journey map a powerful tool for any organization. Customer Journey Maps Get Real “Do I need to track all thousand steps?” Different customers have different customer journeys, so what are the best ways to really map their journey? Annette Franz tackles the complex process of customer journey mapping by simplifying it. In this episode, Adam, Jeannie and Annette discuss the changing ways organizations can get the best information about their customers, so impactful changes can be made. There are quick wins to be had, but you have to know how to find them! There are so many different frameworks for journey mapping, how do you know where to start? Annette dissects ways to explore the customer’s journey and to learn about who your customers really are. Are you ready to dive in? Listen in to hear many great tips to start or continue your journey mapping. Annette Franz: Customer Experience Expert Annette Franz

Providing a secure environment for customers is more than just protecting data. What can we do to help everybody feel secure with every transaction throughout the entire journey? Customer Security as a Service Security is often overlooked as part of the true customer experience, but it’s a critical part to consider. Consider not just handling the minimum level of security to avoid liability. Consider how to help your customers feel reassured they are secure. If humans don’t feel secure, everything else is ignored. It’s impossible to enjoy an experience if you don’t feel safe. Digital experience has its own set of challenges, and reassurance is key. In many restaurants around the world, the restaurant patron never watches his or her credit card walk away with the server. Instead, the server brings the card reader to the table. This is the moment in the journey when providing this reassurance assuages fear of credit card fraud. Find out what Virgin Hotel did to help women business travelers feel secure g

Jill Salzman, creator of The Founding Moms, joins us to discuss global networking and the inception of the world's first and only online and offline meet-up and resource network for mothers. Real Women Making a Difference When asked why membership community building is so important, Jill replies that it's a matter of identifying the need in a community and attempting to fill it. While Founding Moms' meetings began in person with just a few participants, the demand was so great that Jill has expanded to both offline and online group meetings, providing the opportunity for participants to pool resources, network, and offer advice as they build their businesses. As the creator of the only networking community that invites members to bring their children as they learn more about optimizing their business, Jill has built an accessible, loved, and trusted brand. Tune in to hear her customer service advice, network design, brand story, and how to juggle life as an entrepreneur. Jill Salzman: "Helping Moms Get D