E-consultancy - David Jackson's Blog

People make the difference in customer experience

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:15:00 UT

I�attended a conference on customer experience organised by the Henley Centre for Customer Management �last week,�which raised a number of issues that I�thought worth sharing.

You don�t care about your customers if �

Mon, 3 Nov 2008 10:00:00 UT

As a supplier of software for measuring the customer experience, I take heart from the plethora of commentators that stress the importance of delivering an improved customer experience as consumers tighten their belts.

Their actions, or lack of them, suggest that too many online companies do not believe this. Do you pass the test?

Successful surveys for hard times

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 08:15:00 UT

In hard times, winners will sharpen their customer experience to focus on what matters most to customers and feedback takes on a crucial role; but only if it provides actionable results.

Happy staff = happy customers. Right?

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:00:00 UT

It has long been believed that to deliver high levels of customer satisfaction, a company needs to have satisfied staff.

But is this true?

Customer retention - you cannot be serious

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:30:00 UT

Retention is high on the agenda for companies struggling to make money from cash-strapped consumers, but their words and deeds are not always in tune.

Research from analytics company SPSS suggests that customer retention tops the concerns of executives, with 34% claiming it is their number one priority.

This compares with 8% rating acquisition as their�top concern; a remarkable turnaround from last year, when acquisition was rated most important by 40% of participants.

Marketers don�t care about customers

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:33:00 UT

With economic slowdown in the news everyday, you could be forgiven for thinking that knowing your customer � the foundation of good marketing � is keeping marketers awake at night.

That doesn�t seem to be the case.�

Online customers care about customer care � do you?

Thu, 22 May 2008 06:00:00 UT

We have all walked away from a supplier because�it has�failed to provide the level of care we expect.

New research shows the growing importance of customer care and the role that the internet plays.

Seurat�s lesson for marketers

Tue, 20 May 2008 08:30:00 UT

It seems that many marketers still struggle to build a rich picture of their customers.�

They could do worse than study the works of Georges Seurat, the famous French impressionist painter of the 19th century, whose techniques have interesting lessons for today�s 21st century marketers.�

Do standards equal service?

Mon, 19 May 2008 08:00:00 UT

The British Standards Institute (BSI) has just launched a standard addressing customer satisfaction, quoting research it commissioned to support the launch suggesting that the great British public is less than happy with much of the service they receive.�

But will a new standard help?

Staff first, customers second

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:20:00 UT

The fiasco that was the first�month of Heathrow�s Terminal Five is a salutary lesson for any company introducing a new product or service.�

I sympathise greatly with the customers that have been delayed, lost luggage and generally experienced a level of service that few would wish on their biggest enemy but my real sympathies are reserved for another oft overlooked group � the staff.

How to retain customers in hard times

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 08:30:00 UT

It's doom and gloom, according to many of the economic commentators, but now is not the time to take your eye off the customer experience ball.�

When things get tight, a company needs any edge it can get and retaining the customers it has is one way of minimising the impact of any downturn.�Here are�a few things to�try to hang on to those most valuable of assets � your customers.

A test: Is your company paying lip service to customer experience?

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 08:19:00 UT

From reading the business press it would be fair to�assume that customer experience is high on the agenda of many business executives.�

But is that really the case or are too many senior managers just talking the talk and not walking the walk? Is your company one of those that is just paying lip service?�

Read on to see if your company passes this tongue in cheek test.

Does loyalty count?

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 07:52:00 UT

Many companies have invested heavily in the past twenty years in loyalty schemes, particularly in the retail and travel markets.

But recent research has suggested that this has had little impact - with only one in four UK consumers professing strong loyalty to their favourite brands.�

More interesting are the regional variations the research uncovers, with strong loyalty at 33% in the Tyne Tees area but only 20% in Scotland.�Why is this?

Six ways to improve online experience

Fri, 25 May 2007 07:12:00 UT

There has been much discussion and comment recently about the quality of online customer experiences.�Even small companies, run by specialists in their chosen field, need to provide a good online experience if they are to capture a share of the rapidly growing online spend.�

Here�s my novice's guide to improving the quality of your online experience...�

Introducing the 'Chief Listening Officer'

Tue, 15 May 2007 07:30:00 UT

God provided a great model for communication when he gave us two ears and one mouth.�But marketing -�the function that leads�customer dialogue - tends to focus on outbound communication.�

In today�s web connected world, is that still an appropriate model?

2007: The Year of the Customer?

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 11:26:00 UT

A number of reports have declared that 2007 is �the year of the customer�.� For many it is because every year is the year of the customer.� For others, it is because they are jumping on the latest fad.�

Being customer focused is a challenge, but many have succeeded.� In the blog post I'll�reveal ten lessons from companies that have achieved award winning Service Excellence.

New Year: New Customer Management?

Wed, 3 Jan 2007 09:48:00 UT

First, a Happy New Year to the E-consultancy community.�I was delighted to be asked by E-consultancy to write a blog about customer management.�I am a passionate believer in providing customers with a great experience and, like many people, the start of a New Year is a good time for looking forward. I want to use my first blog here to kick off a discussion, so here�s a starter for ten.

2006 was the year when Web 2.0 generated a following in the business community.�I think 2007 will be the year when it really starts to change how those companies think about managing their customers.