We thought we may be able to spare you from any more 2016 predictions. However, a piece by Blake Morgan via Forbes.com was just too good to pass up. We also share with you a quite unexpected piece from the brilliant new modern marketing column at PCMag on what we can learn about great CX from retail companies that survive, as well as a piece from Micah Solomon on mobilizing your employees as your best customer advocates. There is also a piece from Charu Sabnavis [business-standard.com] on delivering superlative CX, and finally Steven Van Belleghem [mycustomer.com] tells you why you are getting "customer focus" all wrong. Enjoy!
Building a Customer Service Initiative–With the Help of Your Employees [micahsolomon.com]
Want to know how to get your company to think like a customer? Look no further than this brilliant blog post by industry great, Micah Solomon. He challenges you to mobilize your employees as an army of consultants, and even gives you the two steps you need to do it on your own. It doesn't get easier or better than this.
5 Predictions Shaping the Future Of Customer Experience For 2016 [forbes.com]
Blake Morgan does not disappoint with her 2016 customer experience predictions. She terms 2015 as the year of disruption saying, "In 2015 the world's largest taxi company owns no taxis (Uber), the largest accommodation provider owns no real estate (Airbnb), the most popular media owner creates no content (Facebook), the largest telecom operator owns no telecom infrastructure (Skype and WeChat), the world's largest software vendors don't write the apps (Apple and Google) and the world's largest movie house owns no cinemas (Netflix)." She goes on to say that today's CEOs need to understand the power of treating customers like they are guests in their home, rather than unwanted annoyances, and she is right. Here are those predictions for 2016. Enjoy!
10 Tips to Create Great Customer Experiences [PCmag.com]
This is good news! PCMag's new modern marketing column just kicked off, and it's good news because their first piece includes these 10 tips on how your business can learn from leading retailers about how to create great customer experiences. Brent Johnson writes about how even though retail stores, like Borders and now Barnes & Noble, are dying. There is a lot we can learn about customer experience from the ones that are surviving or rebounding.
Why we're getting "customer focus" all wrong [mycustomer.com]
You may nod your heads in recognition or simply laugh, but we are sure you can relate to this piece by Steven Van Belleghem. He says that when he does his keynote talks and workshops around the world, he will sometimes ask a room full of business leaders whether they think their business is "customer-focused." Inevitably, the vast majority - 80% of CEOs in fact - will agree and when quizzed further many will happily talk about why the customer is so important to them and explain actions and initiatives they have taken to make sure they offer good service to customers. And yet, he then goes on to question why a recent study revealed that only 8% of customers believed that companies they buy from are customer-focused? "Are these CEOs fooling themselves into believing they put the customer first? Or maybe we are using the term "customer focus" in the wrong way?" He asks. It's all in the details. Read on to see why.
Delivering superlative customer experience [business-standard.com]
Quoting Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, who famously declared, "There is only one boss, the customer, and he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else." Charu Sabnavis says that clearly an organisation derives its competitive advantage not from superior products, processes, or technology, as these lend themselves rather easily to duplication. What distinguishes the winners from the losers is customer experience of course and Sabnavis will tell you how to make it superlative.
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We hope you enjoyed this week's CX Buzz, be sure to respond in the comments or tweet us @NICE_CX.