touch points Archives - Dennis E. Gilbert

15
Jun 20
-

Brand Experience Impacts and the Unexpected

Tags : brand marketing sales service touch points

At the car wash, the grocery market, and the restaurant you have an experience. What are customers feeling from your brand experience impacts? Are you sure about every touch point?

The valet at the 5-star hotel, the guy sweeping up cigarette butts in the parking lot, and the janitor plunging the clog in the bathroom.

An incredible waitress, a kind flight attendant, and the nurse at the doctor’s office.

A fast-food voice on the intercom, the hardware store clerk, and shipping verification from an eBay purchase.

All of these things, no matter how big or how small they may seem, are part of a brand experience.

Unexpected Experience

Many people believe that your brand sits entirely on the hands of the graphic artist, the photographer, or a clever press release.

Indeed, all of these things matter. They matter a great deal. Yet, often, your brand is about unexpected touch points.

Businesses want to train their sales team, the customer service team, and managers. These are not the only people or places where your brand is exposed.

Where is your brand exposed?

Everywhere.

Brand Experience Impacts

What is the weakest link in your business? It may be a touch point where your brand is exposed.

What employee teams are not customer facing? Who is in the backroom, the warehouse, or on the R&D team? They’re still building your brand.

Who answers the phone, responds to social media, or sends email messages? To the customer, in each of those moments, that is what they know as your business. Not the CEO, not the beauty of your website, and certainly not the marketing speak in your mission statement.

The impacts of your brand are loud and clear.

They’re often developing from human interaction.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

16
Feb 18
-

Customer Service Follow Through and Bowling

Tags : follow through moments touch points

It may seem that we are a society of quick hits and then run. Nearly anything in business, in marketing, or running your errands is about speed. A quick hit, then you’re gone. Is customer service follow through still important?

Impressed with Service

In many of my seminars related directly to customer service I will ask participants to think about a time when they were impressed with the service they received. Not when things went wrong, not the time they were so angry that they vowed to never return, but the opposite.

Perhaps surprisingly it is often hard for some people to remember the “wow” moments as compared with the bad moments. Eventually though, people can often come up with something. The best customer service is often a surprise. It jumps out at people and creates a lasting unforgotten impression.

Trends for Speed

Nearly everyday someone tells me about the importance of customer service. Certainly, that is most likely because of the work that I do, but it is also an indication that something is missing. People are feeling forgotten, hung out to dry, or worse, that they do not matter.

Perhaps businesses feel it is about the speed. Once the task is completed, it is on to the next. Time is money and our value comes from speed.

Bowling Party

I remember when I went bowling as a kid. One of my friends Dad’s was teaching me how to bowl. He said, “You have to shake hands with pins as you let go of the ball.” At first, it seemed silly, but it became a metaphorical example that I would continue to think about forty years later.

In bowling, we have to continue through with our throw. We don’t just stop our swing when we let it go. When we are first learning it seems appropriate to just chuck it, and hope to avoid the gutter, after all anything after the let go seems like a waste. It is the quick hit and we’re done.

Follow Through

Following through is important though. Certainly, we won’t guide or steer the ball once we have let go, but it is the motion of our throw that guides the path after the let go. If we plan to stop the swing of our arm at the moment we let go we’ll have a much less effective throw.

The same is true for every sales transaction, every customer interaction or touch point. If you let go at the moment the job appears to be done, if there isn’t any follow through, if you are focused solely on the task and then stop, it is not as effective.

When you let go, make sure you continue with the follow through. It will improve your score.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

06
Sep 17
4

What About Generous Customer Service?

Tags : customer service free generosity touch points value

The unwritten rule today may be to give as much value as possible. Give, and give, and give, until you feel like you can’t give anymore. Generosity, like beauty, may be in the eye of the beholder. What about generous customer service, do you deliver, who says?

Generous Customer Service

Of course, we have all already figured out that getting something for nothing is probably costing someone something. Most often today, something given as free when it is on the edge of a transaction is really the underlying hope for reciprocation. As both vendor and customer, we understand.

A free baseball cap isn’t really free, it comes with the assumed obligation that you will wear it or perhaps gift it forward. The same is true for the free t-shirt with a business logo, or the stickers, magnets, or wall calendar. Everyone seems to understand, or else they really don’t care.

In our attempt to give a lot, establish the return visit, and create loyalty are we hurting our customers? Is every touch point about giving?

Do You Want It?

It might be the 24-inch long cash register receipt for the purchase of a single item. The request to go online and fill out a survey or get a coupon for a product we may want to buy on our next visit.

Could it be the extra flyers, brochures, and the new catalog that comes in the brown box, did you pay shipping and handling charges? Is free shipping really free? Perhaps but most people recognize that somehow that is built into the cost. It is an attractive gesture though.

What about the club card, the interest free loan, or the buy ten and get your next one free on your next visit?

Is It Generosity?

Are all of these things of value to us, or do we really just want the best price with quality and value that meets our expectations? Do we get what we pay for?

Do you deliver generous customer service?

Says who?

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

30
Aug 17
-

Empowered Customer Service Culture?

Tags : culture customer service empowerment rules touch points

Managing the customer experience doesn’t work well when the restrictions are high. Often organizations claiming to focus on customer service really only have a plan for the small problems. Big problems must move up the often-unavailable organization hierarchy. Do you have an empowered customer service culture?

What limitations does your organization set? What does the front line team understand? Is the purpose clear?

Rules and Policies

It doesn’t take long to have a well-intended rule create more of a problem rather than a solution. The longer the organization has been in business or the more transactions that have occurred you’ll often find more rules. Rules are limitations, limitations that may cause the loss of a customer.

“I can’t return your merchandise for cash. I can only give you in store credit for items that aren’t marked down or shown with a 30% off tag.”

“That bolt, washer, and nut are covered under warranty. I can’t just give you another one. We’ll have to send it back to the manufacturer.”

“Sorry about your fender bender, especially on a brand new car. Certainly, we will cover it with your insurance policy but you’ll have to install used parts. It’s in your policy that way.”

Empowered Customer Service

Does your organization believe in customer service empowerment? What are the rules, policies, and procedures?

Policy on customer service actions are often set to protect the margin of the sale, the sale to your valued customer. Are your executive team rules or a lack of empowerment creating too much red tape? Are you sabotaging the customer experience?

Certainly the business has to protect its bottom line but at what cost? Small businesses (big ones too) lose customers every day because of poor or misunderstood front line decisions.

Your front line is a touch point. Any touch point with a customer represents all that your business is, and all that it does.

Protect the Customer

You’ll always need to protect the business, but you’ll also need to look out for your customers.

Train the front line well. Empower them to make reasonable adjustments, allow flexibility, and have someone immediately available to manage transactions beyond reasonable parameters. Keep in mind that internal organization dynamics set external tone.

You’ve attracted the customer and made the sale. When your brand promise is tested, be sure that it works. It may begin or end with an empowered customer service culture.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

29
Aug 17
-

3 Common Problems With Your Best Customers

Tags : customer service ego needs touch points

It is often easy to find people complaining about their customer service experience. Do you understand how customer expectations determine the results of any touch point? Do you understand this about your best customers?

Let’s start with two simple definitions:

Customer expectations. What your customer expects, not what you tell them it should be, not what you think it is, and certainly not what is in the fine print of an agreement or contract if it disagrees with what they believe it to be.

Touch point. In this case a touch point is any time a customer interacts with you or a representative of your organization. It might be a person, a website, a telephone, or an email and many other scenarios. Any time your organization has contact with the customer.

So many people and businesses believe that they completely understand customer service. Perhaps they do, but do they practice it?

Problem Areas

Let’s consider a few common problems:

Time. You make an appointment. Either you must in order to do business or you do it because your own schedule is tight. It is not okay for either party to break their promise on the time commitment.
Needs. What you want to sell and what your customer needs might actually be two different things. Likewise, what your customer believes that they need and what they actually need may be two different things. Understand needs.
Ego. Ego is the killer of more deals and more business than any other is. Both parties, vendor and customer, may have a problem with this. Who wins? The customer must win, if they don’t the vendor loses despite what they might think or feel in the moment. If necessary lose your attitude or ego, or else lose your customer.

Your Best Customers

Some customers seem to have high demands, they also may value your business because you meet or exceed their expectations. Don’t misjudge this relationship. A customer who feels insulted by your lack of concern for their high demands may very well be a customer lost.

Every touch point with your customer you have a chance to make a difference, or not.

How do you treat your best customers?

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

09
Feb 16
2

Leading Sales Across Generations – Boomers to Millennials to Gen Z and Back.

Tags : customer millennials relationships selling touch points

Are you responsible to sell across the five generations active in our workforce today? Surprising to some, nearly every professional has some sales responsibility, from selling themselves, to selling project ideas, and of course to include those who occupy full time sales positions. It is important to keep in mind that a one size fits all model created by a boomer without consideration for gen Z buyers will struggle just like a smartphone app developed by gen Z may not be ever be downloaded by a traditional.

I don’t want to confuse medium with message, brand promise with value proposition, or the nature of transactional sales as compared to consultative sales. What I am offering are three general characteristics to keep in mind when reaching across any of the five active workforce generations.

Anticipate conditions of satisfaction: To suggest you “put yourself in their shoes” may seem to be over simplifying things, but that should probably be one of your first objectives. Assuming what you are selling reaches across all generations, consider what differences will exist and what will reduce concerns or refusals. Make every attempt to view your product or service through their lens. Think gen Z selling a tablet computer to a just retired traditional.

Understand relationship parameters: Connecting with the customer and building relationships will vary. Gen Z may be thrilled to explore communicating through a follow-up text message while earlier generations may believe in eye-to-eye, face-to-face, handshakes and hard copy signatures. Always consider every customer touch point from brick and mortar buildings, to websites, to personal interactions. The value of touch points are critical, a gen Z will expect to see your website on mobile, while a traditional may expect a personal visit. Build the relationship their way, not yours.

Never waste their time: What constitutes a waste of time? It may depend on the generation. A meeting with a traditional that incorporates background and theory of the goods and services (which takes more time) may feel like a very appropriate and well invested use of time. On the other hand a 30 second elevator pitch may be all a millennial or gen Z needs to hear. This doesn’t suggest who is correct or who makes better decisions but it does suggest there are differences. Seek commonalities by considering how time is valued across the generational continuum.

A boomers satisfaction in an automobile purchase may be very different from gen Z. A real estate (home) purchase by traditionals may be very different as compared to millennials. Methods for consultative sales versus transactional sales should be carefully considered and will definitely impact your approach. Mediums, branding, and value propositions also need careful consideration and if you’re spanning all generations be sure to seek commonalities not just develop a focus on differences.

As with everything related to selling, communicating, or working across the generations there are variances in personal style regardless of the generation and in many cases there are variances from day-to-day, or even across weeks or months since schedules, job pressures, and even amounts of sleep may condition both personal and professional interactions.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker, and coach that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is the author of the newly released book, Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at DennisEGilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

Tag Archives: touch points

Jun 20

-

Unexpected Experience

Brand Experience Impacts

Feb 18

-

Impressed with Service

Trends for Speed

Bowling Party

Follow Through

Sep 17

Generous Customer Service

Do You Want It?

Is It Generosity?

Aug 17

-

Rules and Policies

Empowered Customer Service

Protect the Customer

Aug 17

-

Problem Areas

Your Best Customers

Feb 16

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