Practical Ways to Enhance Customer Experience
Sometimes, things just aren't obvious. In this article in the Guardian, the author highlights some "Captain Obvious" moments of truth in the customer experience - as in, make it easy for your customers to find you. There are a few gems in here, mind you - like personalizing appreciation post-purchase, and skipping the faux-reward for something more compelling. At the end of the day, a thoughtful team, provided with resources to make a difference, will give you a substantial competitive advantage.
IHOP Does a Sweet Job - Creating Customer Love
As a Canadian, I don't have nearly enough access to breakfast. What they serve - sweet and greasy goodness - is just a treat each time I'm visiting the United States, and I admit I actively seek out IHOP. What I didn't realize is that IHOP has a robust customer experience platform with a goal to secure customer love and word of mouth marketing. Their program has short-, medium- and long-term goals and respective measures, all of which address a goal to create a consistent dining experience. As this article explains, IHOP has implemented measurement processes which prompt review of people performance, experience perception, quality and consistency. These domains seem totally appropriate for great customer experience metrics.
Get Predictive! Experience Marketing Focuses on the Personal
It's true, as this article states, that experience marketing has emerged from the shadows rapidly, and dominates a lot of marketing thinking in 2015 (and, likely, beyond). This is because we are becoming more and more savvy at capturing customer information and integrating it into one source - permitting a more nuanced customer view, and enabling, with some savvy technology, some predictive next steps. This article reminds us of the growing need for CMOs and CIOs to be on the same team, to create a single view of each customer, to bring smart technology to bear on the personalization of the customer journey, and on building customer relationships that last for life. Solutions are out there, and we no longer have to cobble together various pieces that don't like each other to get close to the customer using technology.
