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Winners Keep Winning

 

Customer satisfaction results for 2010 are off the presses and the verdict remains….about the same as 2009.  Amazing how the same companies keep popping up as offering the finest customer service and building loyalty year after year.  In reviewing Business Week’s Customer Service Champions and Satmetrix’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) winners the brands that are expected to be on those lists are there in force – USAA, Apple, and Amazon have star billing once again.

What makes these brands so enduring and endearing to their customers is their focus on the customer experience.  Despite a challenging economy in 2009 these brands continued to invest in bringing only the best solutions and services to their customer base.  Not exactly an exercise in astrophysics, just old fashioned caring for your customers.

Passion for products, innovation in design, belief in doing the right thing for customers and employees are the hallmarks of these perennially successful companies.

Strong leadership that puts customers first secures commitment to advocacy for these outstanding brands.

Over the past few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to visit a number of business units for a client to determine why some are building advocacy with their customers at twice the rate of others.  Although our findings are not yet complete the trend is very clear and is determined by 3 foundational components:

1. Leadership – a focus on customers and employees that puts productivity and efficiency in the background as a result versus a task

2. Engagement – constant and continuous interaction with customers and employees at a personal level

3. Teamwork – evidence that every member of the business is operating with the same goals and objectives in mind supporting one another in every way available

My experiences consistently point to challenges in building a customer centric culture come from a deep seated focus on productivity metrics.  Building relationships both internally and externally yield higher returns in the long term than driving down cost per interaction. 

Build a team that is committed to their customers and to each other.  Next year you may make the Customer Service all-star team.

March 22, 2010 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment