Search results matching tag 'Enterprise'

EODB Assessments and Anniversary

christina.sullivan — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:45:00 GMT

I can't believe that I have been blogging a year! I'm not a super-blogger by any means and certainly don't have the volume of posts that most bloggers do, but I'm pretty proud that I've stuck with it a year. It has been challenging, interesting, and a very positive experience overall. So, here is to 1 year. The goal for the next year is to post more and collaborate more with other bloggers in my subject area.

I've been toying with the idea for quite a while to develop an assessment that companies can use to evaluate how easy they are to do business with at a more detailed level and from a customer's perspective. I have tons of survey data that includes “How easy is it to do business with (X company)”?; however, very few actually break "easy" down into components

I've reviewed the Forester's Customer Service Innovation Framework and Self-Assessment http://www.forrester.com/Research/Document/0,7211,47688,00.html and think Natalie L. Petouhoff has done an excellent job of defining 150 best pratice capabilities. Although I like her framework, I'd like one that could be applied to any business process.

A former boss of mine, Jerry Wittig, developed a draft assessment that I think could provide an excellent starting point. It had the following categories which could be rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest score and 5 being the best. The idea is that the customer of company X would rate their company interactions based upon the following categories and sub attributes:

Effortless - less time, fewer steps, fewer decisions

Comfortable - friendly relationships/dialogs, free of embarassment

Informal - fewer worries, less rules/constraints

Unforced - per my timeline, few demands

Rewarding - high benefit for effort, unexpected pleasures

Jerry passed away some years ago and I'd like to think his legacy and work continues. What assessments have you seen/used for assessing ease of doing business? What other characteristics do you think should be included in such an assessment? Send me your ideas/comments.

Positive Earnings Announcements and Focus on Customer Experience

christina.sullivan — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:09:00 GMT

As I receive blog alerts about “Ease of Doing Business” and “Customer Experience”, I’ve been watching the comments regarding the latest Forrester customer experience index (CxPi) Survey which indicates Apple came up with a “good” rating at 80% while Compaq/HP came up with a 63% to 66%, and Dell came in at the bottom of a “poor” rating with 58%. Read Bruce Temkin’s blog on this subject at http://experiencematters.wordpress.com/2009/04/17/apple-beats-windows-in-customer-experience/ . Of course, I’m not happy with the Compaq/ HP rating as my job focuses on making interactions with the customer easier, but I also have insight into customer improvements HP is working on and know sometimes there is a lag between improvements and the results seen in surveys. Other than being distracted by all the comments posted to Temkin’s blog, the other thing I noticed was the large number of Q1 earnings announcements this week and the mention of customer experience. Take a look at Amazon, JetBlue, Stamps.com, Yahoo, and even the newcomer, Chipotle, comments:

“We remain heads down focused on driving a better customer experience through price, selection and convenience. We believe putting customers first is the only reliable way to create lasting value for shareholders”. (Amazon Q1 Earnings)
“During the quarter we continued to enhance our customer experience. We introduced free premium movies for our customers traveling to the Caribbean and we continued to test the sale of food onboard our aircraft. Our goal is to provide our customers with products and services they value, especially at a time when customers are carefully managing their budgets”.(JetBlue Q1 Earnings)
“Second in our 2009 plan, we are going to continue optimizing our business model and our overall customer experience in several ways.”(Stamps.com Q1 Earnings)
“Yahoo is focusing on having a Wow! experience for all of its users around the world.” (Yahoo Q1 Earnings)
“These benefits are apparent throughout our business model, and in nearly every facet of the customer experience. For example, we're providing better customer service and better food while improving the cost of labor and food and reducing our G&A expenditures.” (Chipotle Q1 Earnings)

Is it a coincidence that these companies had strong performance and positive earnings? I think not. I’m pleased to see that those focusing on improving the customer experience are reaping the rewards.

Putting Customers First

christina.sullivan — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 21:59:00 GMT

In a previous blog, http://www.communities.hp.com/online/blogs/ease-of-doing-business/archive/2008/11/20/disneyworld-does-it.aspx, I referenced 5 steps for ease of doing business and improving customer experience. Although very simple steps, the challenges of the enterprise business doesn’t always allow for these steps to be followed as the rule and are sometimes the exception. Although HP follows this, I’m sure not every company adheres the most important rule:

Rule #1: Put the customer first

A recent study performed by the CMO Council and sponsored by Satmetrix entitled, “Giving Customer Voice More Volume,” reveals only 29% of the 480 senior marketers surveyed say their companies rate highly in their ability to handle and resolve customer problems or complaints.

Additionally, the study citied that “Customer listening, learning and leveling are critical qualities that need to be part of an institutionalized corporate culture, the CMO Council said. Yet, survey data demonstrates that most companies treat customer interactions around service situations and incidents only as problems that need quick resolution:

Just more than one-third (38%) of companies gather customer insight from customer engagement situations.
Less than one-third (32%) look for ways to turn problems into new sales opportunities, and only 15% introduce new products or services to further monetize the relationship.
Less than two in 10 (17%) use customer interaction opportunities to identify and cultivate potential champions and advocates.

Putting the customer first starts with actively engaging the customer. It includes not only listening but taking action on customer feedback. But, more than merely a reactive process to customer feedback, “putting the customer first” means that anytime a new procedure, policy or process is considered, the first critical question is “how will this impact the customer”? It requires the discipline of taking the customer perspective in every improvement effort or strategic initiative. It has to be a mindset and a way of life for the company to be successful and authentic with their customers.

During this economic climate, when the focus is on cost-cutting, putting the customer first can be a challenging concept to get buy-in and to implement. Companies that understand “customer first” or the “outside-in view” will be the ones prospering in the aftermath. Who will step up to the plate? Time will tell.

Let me hear your comments. What companies do you think put the customer first? I’d love to hear your examples of companies that are living by this rule. Send them my way.

Help Needed

christina.sullivan — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:30:00 GMT

What do customers want to make it Easy to do Business With? I recently reviewed a study that indicated the most important attribute for Enterprise Customers in the IT Industry is quickly receiving help during the ordering and purchasing process. Obviously, the easier we make it for our customers to order the less likely they will need to request help. But, if they do need help, it is important to provide a variety of options to customers ranging from online mechanisms inclusive of chat features, support line phone numbers to talk to real people, to assistance from individual sales representatives. There is no one-size fits all for Enterprise customers (or any customer for that matter). What has been your company's most satisfying "assistance" received during the ordering or purchasing process?

Focusing on Enterprise Customers

christina.sullivan — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:24:00 GMT

While we bloggers always appreciate comments to our posts, I’d like to clear up a misconception about this blog. For all the folks that have posted comments related to consumer support issues, I wanted to let you know that I’m unable to publish them because they are not relevant to my focus: Enterprise customers. However, take heart, I have referred your issues to the appropriate organizations for resolution. Reading the various comments has been an eye-opener, so I thank you for submitting them. Would any Enterprise customers like to comment on their experiences? I’m looking forward to hearing from you.