Experience is the next Corporate Battleground

This is the type of headline I love. 


"Customer Experience: The Next corporate Battleground".


Absolutely.


Brand organisations are starting to catch-on that it isn't enough anymore to focus all effort on traditional marketing. 


As the article says, they need to build an experience so extraordinary that it differentiates them from their competitors and inspires people to become advocates...


To do that they need to build an operation that delivers fabulous brand experiences at every stage of what I call the path to purchase.


The article mentions Apple and Zappos. Two brands organisations that dominate all articles about successful organisations that get it.


Take a look at my previous posts on what these organisations do to win.


Zappos focus on WOWing consumers
Apple understand the importance of in-store delivery and delight.

Apple, Disney and Google are top experience brands

I borrowed the idea for this chart from the recently published Best Brand experiences study (Jack Morton).


It highlights the different types of brand experiences that can influence a consumer.


It matches fairly closely the experiences I write about on the path to advocacy:


Notice - discovery experience
Choose - digital experience
Buy - shopping experience
Use - product  experience
Loyal - customer experience
Fan - community experience


The key point is that brand organisations need to consider the experiences they are delivering at all touchpoints. They then have to ensure that they are consistent, differentiating and ideally delightful.


That is how brands win consumer loyalty and advocacy.


Check out the  study to see why the following brands appear in the top ten

1. Apple
2. Disney
3. Google
4. Microsoft
5. Mercedes
6. Coca-Cola
7. Sony and IKEA
8. BMW
9. Amazon
10. Louis Vuitton

Also check my previous posts showing which brands win in other similare studies: 

Beyond Philosophy: Most admired customer experience - Apple, Amazon and Zappos
Nunwood: Top 100 brand for customer experience (UK) - Amazon, John Lewis and Virgin

Brand purpose is vital to ensure organisation is in sync

This is a good post [Jakara Globe] that spells out why it is important to have a clearly defined vision and  mission.


This quote says it all:


"One of the most important and often overlooked factors that separate industry-leading iconic brands from the pack is their guiding corporate mission and vision."


If a brand organisation's vision is based on how to value and treat consumers (which most are) it is a recipe for success.


If everyone in a brand organisation knows how they should engage with consumers in a considered and consistent way, particularly if the focus is on delighting them (such as brands like Singapore Airlines, Apple and Zappos) then every brand experience their consumers have is more likely to lead to improved loyalty and potentially advocacy.


A winning force for sustainable sales success.

When brand organisations say “sorry” it can be extremely powerful

I hate it when dealing with a brand organisation when they don’t say sorry if it clearly is the appropriate action. Instead they usually focus on protecting themselves...often it is the customer service people who regard it as a personal duel and an opportunity to prove how clever they are....

This is short-sighted and wrong.

They overlook the fact that consumers are far more likely to change their mind, view your brand positively and maybe even tell their friends (advocacy is a very powerful force) if it says ‘sorry.’

While on face value it might cost a little bit of money it is a great strategy to differentiate vs competitors.

The blogsphere is littered with stories where brands have got it wrong and suffered - see examples on a previous posting about Dell, Apple and Comcast.

I was very interested to see an article on Inc.co about recent research undertaken by the Nottingham school of Economics.

They asked hacked-off eBay customers whether they would prefer some sort of monetary compensation or a simple apology....the overwhelming response was a preference for a straight apology. (Check-out the report.)

Richard Branson understands the power of an apology. There is a great story about how he handled a letter of complaint.

It isn’t rocket science or difficult. It just requires a change in attitude and culture.

If you work at brand organisation I suggest you look closely at the brand experience your customer service department is delivering and work out how to improve it...saying sorry occasionally. It will potentially be more effective than most other forms of brand communication.

Delighting consumers is the key to business success

I talk a lot about the power of delighting consumers.

I believe if a brand can deliver a brand experience that over-delivers and delights - the consumer is more likely to buy again and may be even talk about your brand. (Many studies demonstrate that word of mouth is one of the most influential touchpoints).

Seth recently wrote an interesting blog about the paradox of promise in an age of word of mouth.

It is worth a read and he references a really useful MBA chart (above).

It is challenging but simple.

Brands need to be really smart about the promise they make and, when it comes to advertising, they must only talk about what their brand will deliver.

Then they must ensure the deliver what you promise every time.

Failure to do so will, at best, stop consumers buying again and, at worst, make them angry. Angry consumers can create a serious headache given that social media is like word of mouth on steroids (an excellent quote from the popular ‘What The F**k is Social Media’ slideshare presentation). Check out my previous article about United, Dell and Comcast

The best brands deliver every time and also work out how to delight.

This is not easy but it is worth the effort.

A good start point is to assemble all the key stakeholders who are involved in delivering brand experiences across the whole path to advocacy.

Align on a definition the brand experience you can deliver consistently.

Then ensure the organisation is in-sync and focused on delivering it.

This is what winning brand organisations do time and time again. [Think Apple, Zappos, Virgin]

10 things you hate to hear when talking to a brand organisation

BNET UK recently posted a list of the 10 most annoying customer service phases (below).

Sadly, the list will be all too familiar to most of us

Why don’t brand organisations focus more attention on the brand experiences being delivered by their call customer service staff?

It isn’t complicated.

....an organisations that operates a service department with motivated staff who are empowered to deliver a brand experiences that delights the consumers will win.

... an organisation with unmotivated staff who work to a company policy/script will not.

If you want to win in this space take a look at brands like Zappos, Joie de Vivre and Apple.

They get it.

• They delight consumers.
• These delighted consumers buy again and become advocates.
• Their business results speak for themselves.

BNET’s list:

1. If you’re not completely satisfied…
2. Sorry, you’ve called the wrong number…
3. Your call is important to us..
4. Please listen carefully. Our menu has changed.
5. To be honest..
6. Sorry about the wait..
7. It shouldn’t be like that..
8. That’s our policy..
9. I can’t do that..
10. We’ll call you back..

Brand success starts with motivated employees

Running a successful hotel isn’t easy. I have stayed in many that are terrible… but (sadly) few that are excellent.

I recently saw an interview on Bloomberg with Chip Conely (CEO and founder of the Joie De Vivre boutique hotels in California).

It sounds like he has created a winning organisation that has loyal consumers who actively advocate the brand (a pretty good measure of success).

He says it is all about the employees; and how happy employees are great for the consumer and great for the company. His inspiration was Maslow ‘Hiercarchy of Needs’ (above) .

A challenge he has is to motivate 1000+ cleaners that clean the loos 5 days a week! He achieves this by working out how to provide recognition and meaning to their lives (stuff at the top of the pyramid).

He also looked closely at companies like Apple and South West Airlines. (Brands I frequently eulogise about.)

A key step he then took was to change the company culture by firstly changing the mission statement to “Create Joy” and secondly by training everyone on how to find simple moments to give joy to the customer.

I love this kind of stuff.

If you work for a brand organisation that is serious about delighting the consumer then maybe you should watch his interview and/or buy his book.

How to make a consumer feel when they open the packaging

The usage stage of the path to advocacy is important.

The first part of it is the often described as the ‘second moment of truth’ (the first moment being in store).

This moment can provide a good opportunity to deliver a WOW brand experience.

Some brands get this wrong (think anything in a plastic moulding)

Some brands get it absolutely right (think Apple).

The film above is a fun parody of the affect you should be achieving when the consumers opens the box for the first time. If you can do this you are far more likely to cement the consumers' view that they made the right brand choice.

They may even tell their friends about it.

If you can do that and build advocacy you will have a winning brand.

Apple and Disney deliver some in-store magic

In a recent post I talked about Disney’s plans to revamp their stores with help from Steve Jobs from Apple. I have also posted before about how Apple are the masters of retail (among other things).

I guess regular readers will not be surprised given that this blog is all about celebrating brand organisations that get the importance of designing & delivering winning brand experiences that delight consumers.

Anyway, I came across a post at Retail Customer Experience that highlighted 5 lessons from the Disney/Apple story:

1. Product knowledge isn't everything. It is also about new and exciting retail experiences...be on the lookout for great ideas outside your own product category.
2. Even great companies get stuck. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, advice or coaching from a wide range of professional and personal backgrounds.
3. Experiences are tough to copy: Experiences are not only difficult to replicate, but also they allow you to command a premium for that very same product or service.
4. Retail should be fun: We need to bring the joy back to shopping.
5. Innovate in downturns:

These are great tips that all retailers should consider if they are looking for ways to get customers to buy again and may be even advocate to their mates.

Disney improve in-store brand experience

Disney are masters of creating brand experiences that delight consumers.

At their parks they deliver magical experiences that kids remember and talk about.

Apple are also masters of brand experience

Their shops are a delight for consumers.

The fact that Disney are working with Apple (Steve Jobs is on the Disney board) to revamp all their stores is a really smart move.

Stores improvements include:

• Theatres where kids can watch clips.
• Interactive displays.
• Role-play costumes.
• Speak to characters via satellite
• Touch screens where parents can book a Disney Cruise.

Their goal is simple: “It’s about making this an experience rather than just picking up a toy,

A spokesman for Disney said:. “You have to build a brand experience that’s enriching enough in its own right, but also amplifies that experience after they leave the store.”

I am confident they will get it right.

Other branded retailers should watch with interest.

Brand organisations ignore angry consumers at their peril

In years gone by brand organisations could ignore unhappy consumers.

When they delivered a bad brand experience, e.g. poor product performance, rude customer service, etc, it didn’t matter too much because consumers could do little about it, other than tell a few of their friends and stop buying.

If they got lucky their story might have got media exposure through newspapers or a TV consumer programme.

Fast toward to today and the things are completely different.

The digital age has put the consumer firmly in control.

The web is littered with examples of brands that have suffered because they have delivered bad brand experiences that have so incensed consumers they have found ways to use social media to get the attention of a wider audience.

Here are some infamous ones:

Dell ignored Jeff Jarvis’s complaints until he posted a ‘Dell Sucks’ blog. A large anti-fan club was born. [I’ve written about this before.]

United Airlines ignored complaints from an upset passenger who had watched his guitar being badly handled by baggage handlers. He posted a video and on YouTube got over 5 millions of hits. [see YouTube video]

Apple took no notice of early consumer complaints about broken glass covers on their newly launched Nano, until his consumer blog post generated massive backlash that they could not ignore.

A Comcast engineer was recorded fast asleep on a couch while on hold waiting for engineer support which has also had huge volumes of views and comments. [see YouTube video]

Last week there was a news story about how a disappointed holiday maker was ignored by Thompson Holidays until his ‘rant blog’ beat them on Google searches.

These ‘head in the sand’ stories always follow the same pattern:

Step 1: The brand delivers a bad brand experience (e.g. poor product delivery).

Step 2: The organisation compounds the problem by delivering further bad brand experiences (e.g.poor customer service, ignoring the problem, etc)

Step 3: The bad brand experience story spreads quickly across the world (via social media) turning millions of consumers off the brand.

Twitter has turbo-charged the speed and scale at which this type of story spreads. (See previous posting.)

Any brand organisation that permits these types of problem is likely to incur significant unwelcome extra costs to the business trying to put things right.

It is therefore vital to have people and processes in place that knows how to prevent this type of problem.

Better still, have people and process in place that know how to WOW consumers so they talk positively about your brand.

Brands with more advocates than competitors will win.

A winning customer service strategy will deliver brand experiences that delight.

This post by Cardell Insights Group provides some really useful tips about how brand organisations should handle customer service (Provide basic information that consumers can easily access on the web; For anything else invest in good human customer service people; Use metrics other than call times or first time resolution).

There are a few other success drivers out there:

• P&G principle that: ‘The Consumer is Boss’ drives everything they do.
• Zappos core values includes: ‘Deliver WOW through Service'.
• Apple state that: ‘Service is Marketing’ and ‘Solving Problems is an Opportunity.’

Why is it that so many brand organisations are spending effort and money on making a Brand Promise but ignoring the opportunity to Delight consumers?

I think it is pretty simple.

Any time a potential or existing consumer calls (or drop-in) to chat, enquire, buy, complain, etc, regard it as an opportunity to delight them...show them you care...apply some magic...make them feel loved.

This is a sure way to accelerate consumers down the Path to Advocacy.

Apple vs HP. Apple don’t always win

I have posted before about Apple’s brilliant in-store experience and how they get that customer service is key. Apple focus a lot of effort on ensuring they deliver great brand experiences, particularly in-store.

However, it seems Apple does not always get it right.

I read an article by Innovation Playground that described how the customer service brand experience delivered by HP was significantly better than one handled by Apple.

This indicates to me that HP understands the benefit of looking after current users and investing in doing stuff that can turn them into fans, and potentially advocates. 

Is Jeff Jarvis right to say ‘your customers are your ad agency?'

I have just started reading an excellent book called ‘‘What Would Google Do?’ by Jeff Jarvis.

In chapter 3 there is a section called ‘Your customers are your ad agency.’ In it Jarvis says: “Customer service is the new marketing,” citing Dell and Google as evidence of the vital role customer services plays in building a successful brand.

I think he is half right.

There is no doubt that customer service is a critical stage of the consumer path to advocacy. Delighting consumers must be the goal. However, it is not the whole story, particularly for a lot of low involvement brands (Fast moving package goods, financial, white goods, etc).

The brand promise (to get noticed and encourage trial) is a start-point for these brands.

Then there is brand delivery (at 1^st and 2^nd moment of truth) which also has to be brilliant [read previous posting about Apple stores and service is marketing].

If you are working in a brand organisation look for others involved in delivering brand experience and find ways to work with them to break-down silos. It is a business imperative in this new connected world to ensure all parts of the Brand Promise, Delivery and Delight (PDD framework) are joined-up.

Microsoft takes some control of the ‘first moment of truth’

I was interested to hear that Microsoft is planning to open its own branded stores.

A spokeswoman has said that the company is targeting "a small number of high-profile experience stores in a few major cities around the world."

They say “they want to create deeper engagement with consumers and continue to learn firsthand about what they want and how they buy,"

This is a good plan.

No doubt mindful of Apple’s retail successful this indicates to me that Microsoft recognise the power of brand experience and the benefits of taking control of brand delivery at the first moment of truth.

They will have some challenges, given a weak economy and the fact they don’t make PCs, however, they have recently been building their expertise in this space. They set-up a store-within-a-store concept in various major store groups and created "Microsoft Gurus” borrowing from Nordstrom's personal-shopper concept, to help people select specific products to suit their needs.

It is a bold move but one that I hope they can make work.

All brands should look at whether they are achieving winning brand experiences at the delivery stage of the Brand PDD framework. If they are not they should fix it as it’s a vital step on the consumers path to advocacy. 

Apple understand the importance of in-store Delivery and Delight

There is a superb article by Peter Blackshaw about the brand experience you get when visiting an Apple store, and how the "service is marketing" mantra pervades every aspect of the experience.

Apple really are masters at delivering and delighting because they fully understand the effect it can have on driving consumer advocacy.

These are some of the key lesson from Apple’s approach:

• Service is marketing and may well be the easiest way to engage consumers.


• Solving problems is an opportunity to deliver a powerful brand experience that can reassure, show compassion (for the pain and frustration) and delight consumers.



• When employees ‘walk the talk’ (through showing passion and evangelism) credibility goes up -- and credibility drives persuasion.
  

It is powerful stuff.

Marketer’s should make a point of visiting an Apple store to get a real feel for the brand experiences being delivered..then reflect on how they could re-apply what they learn to their business.