The customer 4th edition by Chartered Institute of Customer Management

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FORTH EDITION

Unlocking Brand Consistency, Reliability and Predictability Promoting Service Excellence Culture in 21st Century Africa.

New Dispensation And Good Customer Service A Primer On Zimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

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FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

EDITORS NOTE

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FORTH EDITION

Unlocking Brand Consistency, Reliability and Predictability Promoting Service Excellence Culture in 21st Century Africa.

A Primer On Zim’s New Dispensation And Good Customer Service

ASSISTANT EDITOR: CYNTHIA TAPERA

Editorial PUBLISHER

Chartered Institute for Customer Management Global (CICM) CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

EDITOR: BENSON MUKANDIWA

Ricky Harris ricky@cicmaglobal.com CICM CHAIRPERSON

Professor Estelle VanTonder CHIEF EDITOR

EDITORS NOTE “UNLOCKING BRAND CONSISTENCY, RELIABILITY AND PREDICTABILITY PROMOTING SERVICE EXCELLENCE CULTURE IN 21ST CENTURY AFRICA.”

Benson Mukandiwa benson@cicmaglobal.com MARKETING EXECUTIVE

Nicole Jofrey SALES TEAM

Liseli Nare Timothy Mupotsa Claude Mateta Patrice Habinshuti Fredrick Joaki Hector Wulf Fasili Boniphace Tinashe Karimanzira Gamuchirai Makedenge

There are much more important elements in customer service than creating delight and wowing the customer. Customers want and need a sense that the service they receive will be excellent each and every time they visit the vendor or company. Consistency, reliability and predictability are the cornerstones of creating long term relationships with customers, and customer retention and customer loyalty. Hence our theme for the issue is

DESIGN AND LAYOUT

+263 (04) 253960 email: info@cicmaglobal.com We strive to promote customer service excellence in the twin fields of customer experience and call centre management in Africa by bringing readers the best and latest business thinking as well as touch points. It is our firm commitment that everyone, whether advertiser or reader will gain by investing in The Customer magazine.

CICM Global (pvt) Ltd All information is supplied without liability. Although the publisher has taken all precautions to ensure that the information is correct at the time of publication, the publisher and agents do not accept any liability, direct or indirect, for material contained in this publication. No part of this publication may be reduced in any form or by any means without prior written permission of means without prior written permission of the copyright owners. For all your info and enquiries Email/ Write Editor, The Customer Magazine: benson@cicmaglobal. com, info@cicmaglobal.com

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The Customer

Customers expect that you will treat them in a consistent way and that you will do what you say you will do each and every time. By acting in accordance with these wants, you provide the customer with a sense of security and confidence in you personally and in the company. This builds loyalty. There is little doubt that African customers now want more from the brands and company employees they deal with, than they did several decades ago. Part of the reason is that global society continues to become faster, and more

Benson Mukandiwa CMgr MCMI (Chartered Manager)

www.cicmaglobal.com

Unlocking Brand Consistency, Reliability and Predictability promoting Service Excellence Culture in 21st Century Africa.

harried and stressful, and people have become less patient, particularly when making purchases. Convenience and speed are wanted, even demanded. Curiously, though, while customers want more from brands in terms of customer service, they don’t actually expect more. Thus there is a situation that we call the Customer Expectation Paradox that influences how customers behave during customer service exchanges, and generally makes providing customer service more difficult. If you are wondering why customers want more, it’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation. As brands have been less able to compete on pricing, they moved into providing more flexibility in some areas (for example, returning merchandise). Customers “got used” to this flexibility and started considering it as a “right”. The more brands provided, the more customers wanted. Because of the Customer Expectations Paradox, providing customer service has become more difficult and challenging. Often, customers expect they are going to be treated in ways they do not want, because that’s what they are used to. They aren’t happy going in, because they expect the worst. In line with our theme for the issue we have a number of articles in this issue that revolve around the art of managing customer expectations; to enhance the ability to create brand consistency, reliability and value for the customer whenever they come into contact with a brand. I hope you enjoy this edition of The Customer magazine. Wow, service experience, whether it is reactive or proactive, should always be personal and personalized in the 21st Century Africa.

THE CUSTOMER

CONTENTS

In this Issue FRONT 3

EDITOR’S NOTE

INSIDE 6

CEO WELCOME NOTE

BOTSWANA TO ENGENDER EFFECTIVE

CUSTOMER SERVICE IN PUBLIC SERVICE 10

A PRIMER ON ZIM ’S NEW DISPENSATION AND GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE

CHARGING MORE FOR A BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE

CUSTOMER CENTRIC LEADERSHIP

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE DRIVE

CUSTOMER WISHES FOR 2018

5 CUSTOMER SERVICE MUST DO’S FOR

2018 26

GIVING IT YOUR BEST SHOT

HAPPY 25TH BIRTH DAY, TEXT MESSAGING

CCAZ CONTACT MASTER CLASS WITH ROD JONES IN PICTURES

KEY THINGS EVERY CUSTOMER WANTS

YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO NETWORK WITH INFUENCERS

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The Customer

16 22 26 36

NAMIBIAN UNIVERSITY IN A

WHOSE JOB IS IT ANYWAY?

LOVE LETTER 4

GLOBAL FIRST

UNLOCKING THE PARADOX

ZIMBABWE HAS A LONG WAY

THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

LACK OF APPRECIATION

TO GO TO BECOME A BPO

ERRORS YOU NEED TO

OF POLICY, HURTS GOOD

DELIVERY DESTINATION

AVOID IN 2018

CUSTOMER SERVICE IN

THE HUNTER, THE FARMER

ZAMBIA

AND THE SHEPHERD

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The Customer

WRITING A “ KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF” SERVICE CULTURE PLAN

WELCOME NOTE

CEO WELCOME NOTE Welcome to this edition of The Customer Magazine! IF YOU LOOK AT COMPANIES LAUDED FOR THEIR SUPERIOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, YOU ALMOST ALWAYS FIND THAT THOSE COMPANIES CREATE A CULTURE THAT SUPPORTS EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE.

tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not that they simply train their employees in customer service skills. What they do is ensure that customer service is interwoven into everything the company does. Customer service excellence simply becomes the way things are done around here.

RICKY HARRIS - CEO

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The Customer

WELCOME NOTE

In fact, the way things are done around here is a good, simple description of organizational culture. With respect to customer service, a customer service culture involves a set of beliefs, values, and action options that are communicated to a l l members of the organization, so they can be used to guide and mold interactions and decision-making regarding customers. The best way to understand this is to look at two companies in the retail industry, one with a culture that supports e xc e l l e n c e in customer service, and another where the company’s culture is oriented towards immediate or short term monetary gain. Company A interweaves the idea of providing excellent customer service in everything they do. Their sales staff are not paid on commission, but paid a basic salary, and the staff is taught that it’s more important to keep a customer (and keep a customer happy), than to make a one-time sale. Most of us are familiar with such companies. Go to Company A (that has a customer service oriented culture), and you’ll get questions answered before and after the sale, not be pressured to commit to a sale, and a focus on providing you with good information at all times. In addition staff will spend time before, during and after sales to help you. Go to Company B, however, and you’ll find staff disinterested in you if you indicate you are just looking,

Unlocking Brand Consistency, Reliability and Predictability promoting Service Excellence Culture in 21st Century Africa.

a hesitancy to spend time answering questions, and much less effective post-sale customer service. Henceforth our theme for the issue is “Unlocking Brand Consistency, Reliability and Predictability promoting Service Excellence Culture in 21st Century Africa.” Lastly I am forever grateful for the unfailing support that CICM has received from all key stakeholders; this includes our advertisers, contributors; corporate investors; the editorial team and my fellow Executive Committee members. It is indeed a great privilege for me to serve the institute and the customer service /call centre industry.

RICKY HARRIS

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Ceo

The Customer

B O T S WA N A

BOTSWANA TO ENGENDER EFFECTIVE CUSTOMER SERVICE IN PUBLIC SERVICE

BOTSWANA is one of the several countries in sub-Saharan Africa that has a taken an appreciation of the importance of effective customer service in the public sector. BY THE CUSTOMER WRITER

B O T S W A N A

n this respect, the Botswana Government through its Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM) is seeking to establish a Customer Service Movement (C MS), which will essentially inculcate a customer-centric mind-set within the country’s public sector. “A Customer-centric mind-set will facilitate the engagement and delivery of service that focuses on customer satisfaction. The CSM will be spearheaded by the Customer Service Champion (CSC) in the office of the Director of Public Service Management. This movement is set to provide leadership direction that will transform the current Public Service culture to a world-class service experience for the general public,” says the DPSM. But the problem is that the noble initiative – which will

likely bring about positive customer service culture in the country’s Public Service – was originated in 2014 yet three years down the line the CMS is still largely a pipe-dream. Notwithstanding the challenges that might be dogging the DPSM in its implementation of its version of CSM, the idea is a brilliant one. In this contemporary era, it is increasingly critical for players in the public sector to focus more on delivering good customer service. Why? Well, simply because customer service is now very important to the success of any business regardless of sector. Consumers now generally receive increasingly high levels of customer service from private sector companies as they strive to differentiate themselves. Hence they now expect public sector bodies to deliver the same. The concept of a Customer Service Movement was developed by one Australian retailer Josh Oakey on the basis of the need to improve customer service in his field. He writes of the rise of CSM on his blog:

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The Customer

B O T S WA N A

“The CSM was born from my years of work in retail outlets, as a sales representative and owning and operating a high-end service business…which my wife and I still operate to this day! “The concept of the CSM was to assist businesses to develop their customer service by providing a high-end customer experience for all of their customers, clients and really anyone who interacted with their business either online or in person. “I have always been a believer in giving your prospective customer information first to allow them to make a decision, and not forcing a sale down their throat!” writes Oakey. Josh’s idea was that many retail businesses in Australia were not getting the most of their customer service strategies, especially with regards to the effectiveness

According to DPSM, their targeted CSM has a slightly broader perspective: “This (the transformation of Botswana’s current Public Service culture to a world-class service experience) will be done by improving factors that drive customer satisfaction in all Public Service Centres in Botswana. “All the three key elements of a successful CustomerCentric Culture which are People, Process and technology will be reviewed and improved to make them more relevant to serve Public interest.” The sooner Botswana’s CSM comes to fruition, the better.

of social media platforms like Facebook, for example.

Hammer & Tongues

ONLINE SHOPPING

“Keep Calm & U nwind With Online S hopping...”

www.hammerandtongues.com FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

COVER STORY

A PRIMER ON ZIM’S NEW DISPENSATION AND GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE THE CUSTOMER WRITER

T Z I M B A B W E

YPICALLY a political dispensation is a significant era in a certain political time that is characterized by its unique-ness. Political dispensations have their own demands and expectations! In November 2017, Zimbabwe witnessed the ushering in of a new dispensation when Emmerson Mnangagwa took over the helm of the nation as its president from predecessor Mr Robert Mugabe. A lot of Zimbabweans celebrated the inauguration of the new president, but what many might have missed was the inauguration of a new way of doing business. In his inauguration speech, the new president set down the marker for how players in both the public and private sectors should go about their businesses. “Above all, we must always remember and realize that we hold and run this country in trust. It belongs to the future generations whose possibilities must never be foreclosed or mortgaged as a result of decisions of expediency we might selfishly make today…,” articulated President Mnangagwa. “Our system of economic organization and management will incorporate elements of market economy in which enterprise is encouraged, protected and allowed just and merited rewards while gainfully interacting with strategic public enterprises run professionally and profitably, all to yield a properly run national economy in which there is room and scope for everyone.”

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The Customer

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The Customer

C O V E R

S T O R Y

‘Brand Zimbabwe’ can be improved if we uphold good customer service. This is particularly critical for the country insofar as the consumer services industry is fast emerging as the future of global business. For the Sub Saharan African region for example, the consumer-industries are anticipated to account for at least half of the continent’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and Zimbabwe just cannot be left behind. Zimbabwe’s customer-facing companies and service providers have generally lagged behind in terms of implementing effective customer service strategies. Imperceptibly, President Mnangagwa outlined the key aspects of good customer service. The president spoke about holding “the

Above all, we must always remember and realize that we hold and run this country in trust. country in trust”, which basically speaks to caring. When a company or organization cares about its customers, it should show them that they are on their side and if something goes wrong, the objective is to make it all right

again. Compassion is key to effective customer service! The idea of “future generations” and “decisions of expediency we might selfishly make today” speak the mantra, “The customer is king.” Everything in business and is based on the customer, alluded to as the citizenry. And “market economy” as well as “enterprises run professionally and profitably” is the hallmark of firms that have appreciated the value of effective customer service. So the omens are looking very bright for Zimbabwe going forward, especially in respect of customer service.

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The Customer

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2 FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

BETTER CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Charging More

For A Better

Customer Service Experience

BY SHEP HYKEN

It’s almost a given that every company has some form of a customer service department. Even the smallest companies – with just one solo entrepreneur – will act as if they have a customer service department. Why do people reach out to the customer service department? Because they need help, have a question, or want to make a complaint.

o, understanding that, why would a company choose to deliver an a m a z i n g customer service experience to just some of their customers and not to every customer? (That’s a rhetorical question, by the way.) This

bill that had an error on it. The offer to get better support usually has promises like less wait time, extended hours and, as mentioned earlier, a support rep that is based in the U.S. (or from whatever country you’re calling from). Why should that be an option or an add-on feature? This should be automatic.

question comes on the heels of reading the customer service policies of some companies. Unless you’re willing to pay for better support, all you’ll receive is minimal and mediocre support.

reputation. Being known for your service earns you a reputation in the marketplace that can give you a competitive edge. Charging for these services can erode that positive experience. And you really don’t have to charge more, because customers are willing to pay more for good service. The stats and facts prove that a large majority of customers – as high as 90 % – would be willing to pay more if the company provided better service. So, rather than charge for each time a customer calls, build it into the price of your product.

There are some companies that will only give you email support – unless you pay more and upgrade your customer service experience with phone support. Or, there’s the company that wants more money to speak to a U.S. based customer support rep. Then, there are the companies that make their customers pay for each and every support call. I recently read about a cable company that charged a customer to resolve an issue with a monthly

Customer service can make, or break, your

cause a customer to be unlikely or unwilling to call you with a problem. Even if they resolve the problem on their own, there is likely a level of stress and frustration the customer will experience in doing so, which may cause them to buy elsewhere in the future. And if they don’t call you, you won’t hear the complaint or get feedback that you need to fix problems and create a better experience for future customers. Customer support should not be a feature your customer must pay more for. It should be baked into the price of a product, and be part of the total positive experience the customer has with you and your company. Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker and New York Times bestselling business author. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

Finally, you want and need feedback. Charging extra for customer service may FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

CUSTOMER CENTRIC LE ADERSHIP

Customer Centric Leadership: Are You Investing in the Organizational “Ecosystem” or Your Personal “Egosystem”? BY IAN GOLDING

In last month’s column, I asked the question, ‘Are you a Leader or a Follower?’ The question was a precursor to defining why Customer Experience needs good, strong leadership. You will need to read the article to determine if you agree! This month, I want to ask three connected but altogether different questions: 1. What do you do if the organization

you work for or with does NOT have strong customer focused leadership? 2. How can followers become leaders in that case? 3. How can a CEO become a stronger customer focused leader, assuming he or she realises the need and is willing to try? All too often, I and people in my networks are interacting with people in leadership roles who are not demonstrating what it

really means to be a leader. Not only are they failing to influence their people to understand what it is they stand for; and what it is they should be following; they are also failing to invest in developing and maintaining the required ‘ecosystem’ to enable success for ALL stakeholders – the customer, the employee and the shareholders AS WELL AS themselves. I use the word ‘ecosystem’ intentionally.

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The Customer

CUSTOMER CENTRIC LE ADERSHIP

Craig Lee, say at an event celebrating CX Day in Dubai last month. “Leaders talk about developing an ‘ecosystem’, but too many of them are spending almost all their time investing in their own personal ‘egosystem’!” It is fair to say that this statement resonated r a t h e r strongly with the audience. Whilst it could be considered a r a t h e r facetious comment, it is interesting that almost everyone in the audience seemed to agree. It does appear that too many people who are in leadership roles are too focused on their own personal gain, rather than the good of the entire organization. Let me bring us back to the three questions I posed at the beginning of this post: 1. What do you do if the organization you work for or with does NOT have strong customer focused leadership? This is a more common scenario than those who are fortunate enough to be immersed in a customer focused environment. However, even if you are in this situation, not all hope is lost. To be a committed Customer Experience Professional, you must be driven to doing what is right for the organisation – even if your leaders are seemingly at odds with this. If you are going to succeed, then you MUST be prepared to leave all emotion at the front door of the workplace and operate in a world based on hard, cold, facts. Customer Experience is a fact-based methodology. If leaders are more interested in massaging their egos, than dealing with the truth, then it is important to make the truth plain for all to see – not in an insensitive,

‘bull at door’ manner – but in a constructive, sensitive, empathetic manner. I do not want readers to think that I am suggesting many non-customer centric leaders are bad people – to the contrary. Yet for a leader who may be more interested in personal gain, rather than the collective benefit of all stakeholders, it is important to help them understand how being m o r e customer centric WILL benefit them A N D everyone e l s e . Allowing a leader to understand w h a t customers and colleagues really ‘feel’ and ‘think’, without humiliating, or embarrassing them, but highlighting how they can seize on opportunities to benefit from changing things, can help to change the tide. 2. How can followers become leaders in that case? However, where strong, customer focused leadership is lacking, it is often important to invest more attention lower down the organization than at the very top. Many of the ‘follower’ community in companies that lack vision, direction and any sense of leadership, need to be given the confidence to drive customer centric change themselves – from the bottom up. Very often, from middle management downwards, the overt passion, enthusiasm and desire to put people first (both customers and colleagues) is almost palpable. However, until people are given the belief – until a fire is lit – that makes them realize they do NOT need to wait for permission to do the right thing, they are at risk of ambling along in a variety of different directions. I have always said to members of teams I have managed and Customer Experience Professionals I have mentored – if you are

There are painfully few Level 5 leaders on our planet.

According to various dictionaries, the general meaning for this word in a business context is, ‘a complex network or interconnected system’. Any capable or effective leader should constantly be investing in the development of the ecosystem that surrounds them – with the right people, skills, behaviours and collaborations – the best leaders in the world are not afraid to surround themselves with people and networks that are even more capable than them. There is no better description of this than Jim Collins excellent and renowned perspective on ‘Level 5 Leadership’: There are painfully few Level 5 leaders on our planet. To get there, it is necessary for a leader to have developed the other four levels. By Level 3, a leader is already building their ecosystem – by Level they are mobilizing it to achieve results – by Level 5 they are able to rely on the ecosystem to look after itself. Why do so few leaders make it to Level 5 – or seem to be unable to get there? The answer is perhaps explained by something I heard a friend and fellow CX Professional,

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The Customer

CUSTOMER CENTRIC LE ADERSHIP

doing the right thing for the right reason – what have you go to lose? It takes courage to be a leader – and I strongly believe if you are able to unlock the backbone that exists in all followers, they will have the belief to do amazing things that have a tangible effect on themselves, the customer and the whole organization. 3. How can a CEO become a stronger customer focused leader, assuming he or she realises the need and is willing to try? Being a CEO is not easy – I say that as a CEO of a tiny business!! I can only imagine how difficult it must be to have the weight of shareholders, media, employees, customers, investors and sometimes even governments on your back – all the time. However, if IO

take you back to Jim Collins model, to be a Level 5 leader would mean that you have personal humility and professional will. To become a stronger customer focused leader, it is necessary to acknowledge that you do NOT know everything. It is necessary to surround yourselves with others who may have the answers you do not. It is necessary to listen – and listen regularly – to your people and your customers. It is necessary to admit when the wrong decisions have been made. It is necessary to demonstrate to your people that you believe they CAN do what is right. It is necessary to let your people know that you TRUST them. It is necessary to make it abundantly clear what you want the organization to achieve AND what you expect

Customer Experience Drive AS A REFERRAL STRATEGY FOR CUSTOMER SUCCESS

BY THE CUSTOMER WRITER

he customer experience can drive business success more than many presume. Over half of companies now consider customer service a differentiator, and the new competitive advantage. It isn’t easily replicated, helps differentiate a company, along with other benefits, including word of mouth and referrals. “70% of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated.” – McKinsey

While you strive to exceed expectations with customers, it can be what you do next that further drive growth. Only about a third of businesses request reviews, yet 7 in 10 customers indicate they would provide one if asked. Why the disconnect? Many business owners either cite fear of negative reviews, don’t want to encourage negative opinion or state they don’t have the time or tools. “80% of companies say they deliver ‘superior’ customer service; however, only 8% of people think these same companies deliver ‘superior’ customer service.” – Bain & Co. If you ensure a superior customer experience, you contribute to reputation

from everyone in it. It is necessary to recognize people when they do great things. It is necessary to coach and guide people when they need to develop – not to chastise them when they make mistakes. It is important to let your people take the lead – as much as it is to show them the way in the first place. I am sure you can add to this list or ‘necessary’ things – please feel free to do so by commenting on this article. It may also be prudent to share it with leaders in your network – especially those who may be investing too much in their ‘egosystem’, rather than the organizational ecosystem!

management. By doing so, you’re in a better position to request online reviews with positive sentiment. It’s a cycle where the customer experience not only pays returns with loyalty but also referrals, word of mouth and sales. Much like a positive review, the negative ones are also earned. We tend to look for validation in some decisions, and it’s no different when it comes to a purchase. These signals can help with the confidence in our decisions, and online reviews are now trusted by 88% of consumers’ as much as personal recommendations. As Dr Robert Cialdini, author of the best-selling book Influence has suggested, social proof is one of the main critical elements to create influence and trust in the minds of others. In one study by Harvard, it was found that the Yelp effect has a significant influence on restaurants, where each rating star that’s added on a Yelp review often translates to anywhere from a 5 percent to 9 percent effect on revenues. Online Reviews can have enormous influence, with some sites like TripAdvisor having an impact on the tourist industry of entire countries. These reviews are usually for hotels, restaurants, and other attractions. According to Laurel Greatrix, Director, Global Communications at TripAdvisor, users post nearly 300 reviews per minute. That’s over 400,000 per day or about 155 million reviews per year. In another study (Conversation Index – Bazaarvoice) where the variety ranged from CPG to hardware to apparel, it was found that

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE DRIVE

adding a single review to a product page can provide a 10% lift in orders, and to go from 0 reviews to 30 reviews can provide a 25% lift in sales. Furthermore, product page visitors that interact with review content also demonstrated an increase of 58% in conversion rate, along with 62% more revenue per visit. Whether it’s more art than science isn’t clear, but there are a few things that help when it comes to getting more reviews, once you have optimized your customer experience. Timing is important, so you want to request shortly after a sale. The longer you leave it, the colder the opportunity becomes. Realizing people are busy and a few follow up reminders can be necessary also helps. But it comes down to earning it, requesting, and sometimes requesting again. It might be consumers feel obligated when asked for a review. Cialdini often cites the rule of reciprocity, where people sometimes feel indebted to return a favour. Psychology aside, give a little and get a little in return. The customer experience and personal connections can create reciprocity in unparalleled ways. Online reviews have a number of benefits,

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

from helping consumers on the fence about doing business with you to improving your local search results. M a r ke t i n g opportunities aren’t limited to paid channels, with many of them being in control of businesses and d i r e c t l y contributing to overall growth and sales. Over 80% trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, and many say it helps them to trust a business more. With nearly 9 in 10 consumers of the opinion that reviews are worth reading, businesses only stand to improve their bottom line when utilizing this strategy.

If you copy others, you run the risk of being so generic you’re almost irrelevant. But when you differentiate your business on specifics that a re valued, you begin to build equity. While difficult to measure, its customer experience and reviews, when properly managed and paired, that c r e a t e enormous opportunities for businesses. When you start to connect the dots, it brings the importance of customer experience to a whole new level.

80% of companies say they deliver ‘superior’ customer service; however, only 8% of people think these same companies deliver ‘superior’ customer service.

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The Customer

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The Customer

C U S T O M E R

E X P E R I E N C E

BY CHANTEL BOTHA

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

WISHES FOR 2018 What does 2018 hold for consumers and the people who design experiences for them? 22

Every year I venture to make predictions look at trends and guess what consumers will think, feel and do. This year is different. I am not going to predict or assume. I am instead going to express my wishes for consumers and the people who design for them. In 2017 we saw more mobile, more virtual reality, more augmented reality but we also saw more reality. We saw corporates struggle to

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

C U S T O M E R

adapt their legacy systems, integrate the myriad of operating systems that enable client service and product administration. We experienced more complex products and digital solutions. My wish for customer experiences in 2018 is simplicity and de-cluttering. Corporations need to focus on the killer question they are attempting to solve for consumers. What is your killer question?

You are important” and our customers should meet you and see how hard and how proud you work.

Remove the noise from the system. All the hooks, the communications aimed at driving traffic, and start driving real value. My next wish is for experiences to be meaningful in 2018. On a recent trip that a fellow customer experience professional, Ian Golding, made to South Africa, we went to a steak restaurant as were taken through the kitchen of the restaurant into the meat refrigerator to learn more about meat. This experience for me was meaningful since it paid tribute to the cooks and the cleaners who served out food with such precision and care. It sent a message to them to say, “You are important” and our customers should meet you and see how hard and how proud you work. For you that have never worked a grill, it is hot, there are flames, things go wrong at times, and it demands your full attention. Plus most of the people earn a living that would not see them buy the meat cuts that they serve place after plate. My next wish for 2018 is for kindness. I wish both service assistants and consumers to be kind. Often when I am asked to do something, and I do not have the time or capacity, I am filled with guilt and answer in a not so kind way. I have rewired myself to smile first and then say no with love and kindness. Sometimes in service, we cannot do what the customer wants, but we can be understanding and kind, those things are free. FORTH EDITION |

My wish for brand warriors is to make 2018 the year of purpose. We engage with so many people that are in roles where over time they have become stuck, and they have no idea how to come unstuck. They have become so c o m fo r t a b ly, safely miserable in their stuck-ness. They can no longer imagine fi n d i n g an opportunity or a role or a brand that they would want to jump out of bed for in the morning. When I look at these m a g n i fi c e n t people who have become stuck, it happened gradually over time. Like the story of the frog not realising that he is boiling as the water temperature had increased so slowly that it was almost not noticeable at first. So we separate from our passion and sometimes our values over time and it happens in such a distracted, slow manner that we open our eye one day and wonder, “How did I get there?”

The Customer

My wish for people in service roles is that they get back to the art of the craft in 2018 and become true artisans of connection. I genuinely believe this is what the world needs most is for us as humans to become connected again. Not in the Facebook way of having 800 friends who wait for someone to post an embarrassing picture or comment how skinny I have become. Or a Whatsapp group with strings of emoji’s that has no depth and don’t feed my soul. I mean connected in a caring way where we know more about each other, where we take soup to someone who is sick or read to someone who is blind or sit with someone who is lonely. I don’t think social media is going to get us to restoring the care and trust that we need for the next generations to be genuine, proudly and confidently human amidst a robotic workforce that can become citizens of the world and transcend cellular and geographic boundaries.

E X P E R I E N C E

For the designers of customer experiences, I challenge you in 2018 to design these fantastic wishes into your experiences. Craft connection, kindness, meaning, and purpose unto every interaction between a human and a human and a human and a system. Create communication that tells a story. Create websites that engage and are attractive to consumers. Leave your brand ego at the door when you design and strip your logo off and design so consumer know you and feel you in every interaction. Weave your experience essence into every interaction, so consumers feel it under their skins. Be deliberate. Be distinctive. Be unique. Be emotive. Weave the brand DNA into every experience and light the passion in every brand ambassador’s heart to connect authentically in non-perfect, non-standard but authentic ways. My last wish is for abandoning all stupid rules that are no longer valid in 2018! Evaluate the rule book, consult with the corporate police whether it is legal, compliance, brand and leave no stone unturned to understand the rules and the boundaries, the organisational protocols that formed and evolved over the years demanded certain things which no-one likes but no-one challenges. Become a ninja of exposing the rules without reason and meaning and the ones that make it hard for people to be genuinely human and to make authentic connections with customers. To give you one example, I worked for a brand that was not allowed to apologise or use the word sorry in their conversations since it was accepting liability, but there was no formal rule… everyone assumed that they would be marked down, or penalised in some horrible way if they humbly apologised to customers. Let 2018 be the year you stand in your integrity and do the right things for your brand and your company. Be genuinely and magnificently human!

I wish for customer experience design to become an art in 2018.

CUSTOMER SERV ICE MUST DO’S

5 BY SHEP HYKEN

CUSTOMER SERVICE MUST DO’S FOR 2018

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

CUSTOMER SERV ICE MUST DO’S

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been reading about predictions and trends for 2018. It got me thinking about the actions we must take to be competitive. Regardless of your industry, everything has changed about the way we do business. There are some businesses that claim they’ve done things the same way for years, decades, even a century. They claim they do business just as their fathers and grandfathers did. Nothing has changed. I disagree. Take a taxidermist, for example. Things have been the same in this business for over 100 years, stuffing and mounting animals. The owner claims nothing has changed… Except for today, he has a website, a Facebook page, and a mobile phone. None of these was around when his great-grandfather started the business. Much has changed.

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

A business must keep up with the times. If they don’t, they will be disrupted and find themselves either playing catch up or worse, shutting down altogether. With that in mind, I’d like to share five customer service tips every business must do to stay competitive in 2018: Embrace the changing expectations of your customer: This one I’ve touted every year. The customer expects more than ever. They no longer compare you to just your competitors. They compare you to any company they like doing business with. So, be prepared to keep up. Personalize the experience: The concept of personalization has been around for a long time. Make recommendations that are specific to each customer. Whether you invest in sophisticated software that tracks and analyzes customer data, or you simply remember them when they walk

through your doors, recognize your customers want and expect you to give them a personalized experience. React quickly, especially on social media: When a customer needs support or a question answered and they email it to you, they don’t want to wait two days to get a response. They don’t want to call and be put on hold for an hour. They want a resolution now. If you don’t already offer good self-service solutions that will get customers their answers immediately, at least be able to respond to them in a reasonable amount of time, not hours or days. Don’t let technology pass you by: Invest in the right technology to drive a better customer experience. The high cost is no longer an excuse. Many software solutions have come so far down in cost that even the smallest businesses can afford them. Stay up-to-date with the solutions available to you that can help drive a better customer experience. Be more convenient than you’ve ever been before: If you want to separate yourself from your competition, be more convenient. How easy are you to do business with? It could be extended business hours, more locations, or an easy-to-use website. The company that makes it easier and more convenient for the customer wins. There you have it, five ways to deliver a better-than-ever customer service experience. Are there more ways? Sure, there are! I’ve written books on many, many more ideas, tactics, and strategies. But, these are what I’d call “keep-up-withthe-times” types of tips. So, go out there and take care of the customer like you never have before. That’s what it will take to make 2018 great for your business. Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling business author.

YOUR BEST SHOT

BY JOHN TSCHOHL

GIVING IT YOUR

BEST SHOT THE ONLY PERSON YOU ARE DESTINED TO BECOME IS THE PERSON YOU DECIDE TO BE. — RALPH WALDO EMERSON I have trained trainers and employees all over the world and have taught them to

believe in themselves and their abilities. I have written several books to spread the word about service strategies and the effect it has on your company, your employees, your customers and your bottom line and one of

my favourite sayings are by the late Zig Ziglar… You can have everything in life you want if you will just help other people get what they want. The biggest difference I’ve noticed between

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

YOUR BEST SHOT

successful people and unsuccessful people isn’t intelligence or opportunity or resources. It’s the belief that they can make their goals happen. What you believe influences the way you interpret events, how you feel, and how you behave. And much of the time, those beliefs turn into self-fulfilling prophecies. You weren’t an accident. You weren’t mass produced. You aren’t an assembly-line product. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on the Earth by the Master Craftsman. Max Lucado, Best selling author Use a skill called “acting as if.” According to Jack Canfield, co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul and author of The Success Principles, by acting “as if,” you will become the kind of person who is capable of creating the kind of success you want – and this will trigger your subconscious mind to find creative ways to achieve your goals. You will start noticing anything that will help you succeed. Best of all, you will start acting on these opportunities, because you will have the confidence that your efforts will yield great results. You are a “Brand”. Write down all your positive attributes. Ask parents, ask siblings, ask friends what they like most about…you. That’s you, that’s “Brand You”. Now, just act like it and dress like it. Be confident and behave as if you are a savvy person. That doesn›t mean you need to be a phoney;

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

instead, behave in a way that follows these simple concepts: Belief – Believing in yourself is all about being sure that you are going to do what you want even if others stand against you. Remember, it’s your goal, not your brother’s, not your best friend’s, not your parent’s. Don’t waste time focusing on what others think, it’s what you believe so take control and use positive thinking daily and watch yourself becoming more successful and getting closer to the prize. Dedication – It’s part of your make-up. It’s part of the way you do things. Remember that all successful people have been dedicated to what they are doing. So should you. Write it down and look at it every day. Focus – It’s a focal point that you aim for. For example, the object in target shooting is to aim for the centre. The same standard applies to success. Successful people call these centres their goals. Skill – It’s the right combination of skill sets in order to be great. In order to be successful in whatever you have chosen as your path to make a difference in the world. If you are going to be the best on the rodeo circuit, you will have to have mastered the skills necessary to stay on that horse and how to get back up without fear and get back in the saddle. I constantly remind employees and clients that it’s about your life, it’s about succeeding in whatever you choose to do. It can be anything you can dream of. It’s about taking

chances, being proactive and ready. Great things are not going to happen to you unless you believe it, see it in your mind and focus on that goal. Keep your eye on your goal…your prize. The success you will enjoy will be because you have helped other people get what they want. Plus you will recommit to the people and passions important in your life. Repeat after me…. “I believe in myself. This confidence has made the difference for me again and again. I didn’t need intelligence or opportunity or resources. Just a simple belief in myself.” -- John Tschohl

John Tschohl is a professional speaker, trainer, and consultant. He is the President and founder of Service Quality Institute (the global leader in customer service) with operations in over 40 countries. John is a self-made millionaire traveling and speaking more than 50 times each year. He is considered to be one of the foremost authorities on service strategy, success, empowerment and customer service in the world. John’s monthly strategic newsletter is available online at no charge. He can also be reached on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

HAPPY 25TH

THE CUSTOMER WRITER

HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY, TEXT MESSAGING! 28

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

HAPPY 25TH

Advisory Front-Office Omnibus Survey identified that in 2017 just over 40% of American firms were deploying SMS as a channel, with similar levels of scale in the UK, Australia and Canada. As demand for the commercial use of texting rises among consumers, enterprises need to get smart in how they deploy this medium in a customer-facing fashion. The days of exclusively using SMS for outbound notification are over. Today, enterprises need to engage customers who want to interact via text in a more conversational manner. This will involve investments i n a n a l y t i c s , a r t i fi c i a l intelligence and automation. Without access to this trifecta of technologies, enterprises will be unable to seamlessly interact with their end-users through text messaging. Nor will they be able to incorporate customer buying patterns or position prospective offers in query responses. Further, this is no longer simply an SMS discussion. With more consumers adopting digital messaging services such as WhatsApp, texting technologies will need to be multifaceted in terms of engagement platform. But so many enterprises face major pressure around their captive contact centre budgets: the Front Office Omnibus Survey indicates that in 2018 roughly 60% will see their investment capacity shrink or flatten. In short, spending on new technologies and processes will be limited. Thus, third-party providers need to aggressively market their own text message capabilities to enterprise prospects. With a still-strong base of SMS users, and the advent of instant messaging a reality, being able to support consumers using this medium is a major advantage. This means that outsourcers will need to have made the right investments in the technologies and processes that drive consumer loyalty via texting. Half-baked solutions will quickly find themselves thrown to the side. However, vendors that bring on board the right text-based inputs and market them effectively will be in a very competitive position.

Consider today’s current customer experience environment and the role that SMS plays. “

n the wake of upheavals in global affairs last week, an anniversary of sorts went largely unnoticed. However, savvy contact centre players will have noted the quartercentury milestone of the humble SMS message. Notwithstanding the legacy of text technology globally, it is safe to say that this text messaging still poses challenges for many firms in regard to both best practices and technologies. However, without at least some expertise in how best

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

to engage end-users using this evolving medium, enterprises place themselves at risk of losing consumer loyalty. For many, twenty-five years may not seem like so long ago. It only seems like yesterday that Mario Lemieux was leading The Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup, Will Smith was more wellknown as the Fresh Prince of Bel Air a n d W h i t n e y Houston was topping the charts. But, conceptually, that the typical contact centre of the day was running on voice alone seems almost Jurassic. In fact, when engineer Neil Papworth texted “Merry Christmas” to Vodafone director Richard Jarvis on December 3, 1992, it kicked off a quiet revolution in how end-users would seek to interact with enterprises from which they buy products and services. Consider today’s current customer experience environment and the role that SMS plays. Text messaging has achieved strong levels of penetration among enterprise contact channels across major demand markets. The most recent Ryan Strategic

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

CUSTOMER WANTS

THE CUSTOMER WRITER

KEY THINGS

EVERY CUSTOMER WANTS

he same customer may be

pockets of their life and use those experiences

to retain customers today is no simple task.

different at different times,

to judge every other sales exchange.

Not only are customers different, the same

but there are four key service

Customers also have more choices than ever

person can be different at different times. The

drivers that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll want

before and therefore rely on their service

business traveller may enjoy the convenience

almost every time.

experience as a key gauge of product and

of Holiday Inn on a weekday but find the same

The landscape of customer loyalty has new

service excellence. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s customers are

property ill-suited for a weekend getaway

contours: Customers get terrific service in

much smarter buyers and figuring out how

with a spouse. Nonetheless, below are four

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

CUSTOMER WANTS

key loyalty drivers that fit most customers

spread to more than 400 stores around the

everything. They want all their senses to be

most of the time when it comes to most

world in 16 years. Customers will care when

stimulated. Product features have become far

services:

given a chance to share. Give your customers

more titillating than functional; some extras

an opportunity to put ‘skin in the game.’

have become more valued than the core

1. UNDERSTAND ME: I change all the time – knowing about the

offering. Attracting shoppers’ loyalty these 3. PROTECT ME:

days requires that customer service itself be

customer takes more than simply sending out

Eliminate anxiety and worry. The value

an attraction. In other words, what’s the free

a survey. It means positioning every customer-

proposition includes the product or service,

prize inside your company’s service

contact person as a vital listening post able to

along with the price and the experience

experience? Look for simple ways to treat

gather valuable intelligence about shoppers’

involved in receiving it. These givens, like the

customers like today is their birthday. Loyal

ever-changing requirements and provide

air we breathe, are taken for granted unless

customers act as a volunteer sales force,

early warning about consumer issues. It

removed. Customers assume banks will be

championing your business to others at home,

involves a number of customer-intelligence

safe, hotels comfortable and hospitals clean.

work, in their social circles – and even around

gathering tools – social media, suggestion

These taken-for-granted attributes are the

the globe via recommendations on social

boxes, and even the good old note-pad on a

very ‘air’ of customer service. For example, a

media. And because they feel committed to

checkout counter saying ’Please tell us one

recollection of a restaurant’s gourmet meal

you and see emotional and business value in

way we can improve our service to you.’

will be totally overridden by a nightmarish

the relationship, they typically will pay more

instance of food poisoning if the establishment

for what they get from you because they are

failed to pay attention to routine health

convinced it’s worth it. The formula for

practices. Create your own inspection team

creating and sustaining customer loyalty

to quality check your service.

comes from understanding, inclusion, trust

2. INCLUDE ME: Make me your partner Customers’ loyalty soars when they discover they can be active participants in the service experience. Dealers

and joy. Incorporate these four features into 4. SURPRISE ME:

for Build-A-Bear Workshop have seen their

It tells me you care. Today’s customers want

interactive build-a-stuffed-toy experience

to sparkle and glitter; a cherry on top of

your customer experience and watch the admiration soar right along with your bottom line.

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE WORLD

YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO NETWORK WITH INFLUENCERS TILLY DAVIES

THE FOCUS GROUP

leaders, industry experts and the most

businesses to turn customer experience into

successful customer service organisations,

customer success.

with the aim of sharing knowledge and

Guaranteed, CEW 2018 is going to deliver

insights, and guide companies to successfully

an outstanding experience, where delegates

design, develop and put into action their

will have an opportunity to learn from industry

Customer Success Programmes.

best practice leaders, while also having the

Customer Experience World is recognised as the leading conference event for global

chance to network with like-minded innovators.

business leaders and executives. CEW2018 is CEW2018 brings together people and companies from all over the world, who are leaders in cutting edge customer success programmes. Part of coming to a top event like CEW2018, is the opportunity to network with influencers who are trailblazers in customer success strategies. Venues are carefully chosen for delegates to interact during the breaks when synergies and connections can lead to lasting business relationships. CEW2018 will bring together thought

strategically placed to focus on leading-edge customer success strategies and best practices. It offers an exclusive and practical environment for like-minded executives to share knowledge and learn from one anotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experiences. The mission of customer success is to build proven value faster, for both customers and companies alike. In a world of tight margins and extreme competition, customer success is one of the key factors in driving profitability and growth. CEW2018 will provide the

ADDITIONAL VALUE: THE MASTER CLASS

A bonus for those delegates who wish to dive even more deeply into the Customer Success story, a Master Class will discuss and detail various components of an effective Customer Success Management programme. Attendees will take home a far deeper understanding of a customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desired outcome and how to provide an awesome experience with every interaction and touch point within their business.

answers, insights and knowledge to enable

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

NAMIBIAN UNIVERSIT Y

Namibian University In A Global First

THE CUSTOMER WRITER

O MUCH has been said about applying effective customer service principles to higher educational institutions. So much so that some ‘experts’ have even suggested calling students ‘customers’. Case in point: Ricky Boyd from the University of South Carolina in an academic advising journal piece entitled ‘Customer Service in Higher Education: Finding

a Middle Ground’ wrote: “In the business world, customer service is a prized commodity as it directly impacts the bottom line. Given the struggling economy, traditional higher education institutions are dealing with decreased revenues and searching for ways to do more with less. “One way for colleges and universities to accomplish this objective is to place a renewed focus on meeting or exceeding the expectations and needs of their customers, namely their

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

NAMIBIAN UNIVERSIT Y

students. One could argue that the meteoric rise in student enrolment at for-profit institutions is a wake-up call to traditional colleges and universities and an indicator that students are seeking educational opportunities in outlets that meet their customer service needs.” But little has been said about Universities playing the role of key drivers of the effective customer service agenda in countries. Few….no….only one institution of higher

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

learning has actually done anything practical about it. In 2015, the Nambia University of Science and Technology (NUST) scored a first when it launched the Customer Service Association of Namibia (CSAN), under the auspices of the Harold Pupkewitz Graduate School of Business (HP-GSB). The Association has since become the driver of customer excellence in Namibia, a country that had prior to the CSAN had become so

associated with poor customer service. NUST moved to cover a gap that is typically covered by private associations, or even at times governments themselves. Namibia’s CSAN was the brainchild of the University’s HP-GSB, and its director at the time, Professor Grafton Whyte, said the lack of importance attached to customer service has motivated the School to make a contribution towards the attainment of customer service excellence in the country.

ERRORS

TEN CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

ERRORS YOU NEED TO AVOID IN 2018 While good customer experience can build loyalty, not every effort to improve CX leads to success. Today, site guests expect like never before from your site as they think about the customer experience against the pioneers from various divisions like Amazon, Facebook, Hub Spot or Uber. However, regularly there are normal defects in how websites are composed which implies they don’t meet the customer expectation and your communication goals. Customer experience is not just for E-commerce Normally, the concentration of E-business used to concentrate on getting the deal

through compelling promoting. However, client encounter (CX) is a key point for the online business. We’ve seen the ascent of Chief Customer Officer (CCO) from new businesses to worldwide multi-channel retailers like House of Fraser, as associations perceive the need to make a signed up client encounter over their channels. Amazon broadly even went so far as to put a void seat in each gathering to speak to their client… In the meantime, in-house UX groups have developed rapidly, from a customary UX/UI outline unit sat inside IT or web-based business, to a more develop CX group covering ranges of abilities including client conduct,

investigation, client look into, UX plan and CRO (transformation rate enhancement). Today, for most internet business destinations, it’s not any sufficiently more to give a practical website; clients request a high caliber of administration, with esteem characterized in various ways. Without somebody taking responsibility for and guaranteeing that the business has an unmistakable estimation system for the following execution and featuring issues, sites trade off their development. As per Gartner‘s report, Critical Capabilities for Digital Commerce, the computerized client encounter is a key differentiator for your

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

NAMIBIAN UNIVERSIT Y

association. Dynatrace‘s Worldwide Digital execution Benchmark Report found that in-house advertisers report a normal elevate in offers of 19% by customizing web involvement. With internet taking a consistently developing offer of retail deals, it’s basic that web-based business groups comprehend CX and how to apply for great work on figuring out how to give the ideal client encounter. Here are 10 basic, however viable courses for business to turn irate, baffled, or disappointed clients into upbeat clients. 1) NOT TRAINING YOUR STAFF PROPERLY: It doesn’t make a difference whether you have two or two hundred representatives, you should prepare everybody in the specialty of client benefit. Clients and customers won’t endure inconsiderateness, inaccurate data, or aloofness with respect to your staff. Not setting aside the opportunity to altogether prepare ALL workers — from the base to the best — is a noteworthy slip-up made by an excessive number of private ventures. 2) TRYING TO WIN THE ARGUMENT WITH THE CUSTOMER: It merits recollecting that it requires five times more exertion and cost to increase one new client than it does to keep up one current client. With regards to prevailing as an entrepreneur, it truly is genuine that “the client is constantly right.” If you endeavor to win a contention, however, lose an unfaltering client, you are rebuffing yourself and your business with lost income — and, likely, guaranteeing awful audits on destinations like Yelp. 3) BEING INACCESSIBLE TO THE CUSTOMER: In the event that you need to see rehash business, you should be reachable by your clients. In the event that individuals think that it’s hard to contact the client benefit division or address a supervisor, they may not return. Numerous organizations, particularly on the web, endeavor to keep up a separation from their clients, however, this frequently reverse discharges by sending individuals elsewhere where they’ll get the one-on-one consideration they are searching for. 4) STANDING BY YOUR POLICY: Regard each client connection as a chance to construct an individual relationship — this is one of the ways private ventures can sparkle where an enormous, faceless partnership can’t. While the store assistant who is frightened to lose his activity can state “Sorry, that is our arrangement,” client benefit agents and supervisors ought to have the capacity to discover approaches to twist strategies to manufacture positive client connections. The expression “In the event that I do that for you, I’ll need to do it for everybody,” is one of the speediest approaches to lose clients.

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

5) FAILING TO KEEP THE PROMISE: On the off chance that you guarantee a client that something will be prepared by Thursday, at that point it ought to be prepared by Thursday — no special cases. On the off chance that you can’t respect your duties regarding a client for reasons outside your ability to control, don’t rationalize; the main words you have to recollect are “We’re sad,” moved down by an additional push to fulfil the client. 6) KEEPING POOR CUSTOMER’S RECORD: On the off chance that you continue alluding to “Mrs. Johnson of Jackson Avenue” as “Mrs. Jackson of Johnson Avenue,” you can make sure that she won’t keep on doing business with your organization. While any business can commit an error, reliably incorrectly spelt names and comparative foul-ups don’t urge customary clients to return. 7) GIVING CUSTOMERS RUN AROUND: Ensure your private company has an efficient framework set up to manage clients. When somebody calls your organization for enabling, they to anticipate that an administration agent will be the first or second individual to whom they talk. Individuals don’t care about being passed starting with one individual then onto the next on the telephone, or, if in a retail store, sent starting with one office then onto the next. Passing the buck is likened to passing the client on to your rival. 8) SENDING CANNED RESPONSE: Since email is indifferent, numerous organizations send a framed letter or a canned reaction that answers 10 regular FAQs, none of which may apply to a specific client. Different organizations essentially overlook client grievances trusting the client will just overlook the issue. These are email cop-outs or reasons for not giving satisfactory client administration, and they shouldn’t occur. It is exceptionally straightforward for a client delegate to react to every request in an auspicious manner. 9) FAILING TO LISTEN TO CUSTOMERS: Client benefit agents regularly don’t listen intently to clients — particularly when the client is vexed about something. In this manner, they regularly react with an answer that does not coordinate the issue. Client relations agents should be prepared, especially in the specialty of tuning in and notwithstanding taking notes. 10. FORGETTING THE BASICS: Now and then, the littlest thing can make a client’s involvement with your private company a positive one. “It would be ideal if you “Thank you,” “We’re sad about the bother,” et cetera are basic however much-refreshing expressions that cost nothing, require little exertion, and win huge focuses with clients when they are baffled or furious.

THE HUNTER

BY CHUCK MCMAHON

THE HUNTER, THE FARMER, AND THE SHEPHERD

t sounds like the beginning of a bad allegoryâ&#x20AC;Ś or maybe a good one. The first two are terms we often use to describe the difference between new sales efforts (bringing in new logos), and client up-sell efforts. The third is a category that we often confuse with the second term (Farmer),

but putting a Shepherd into a farmer role will kill your crops, while putting a Farmer into a Shepherd role will kill your cost of service (COS). Knowing what role you need for your Client Service team to fill, and staffing that team with the appropriately skilled individuals is critical to your success in maximizing the value of your client base.

THE HUNTER They study their prey. They research, observe, compare and investigate their target; all this before setting foot into the woods. They select the right type of ammunition, the best angle of approach (upwind, downwind?), the best time to hunt and even the right clothing to wear. All of this (and more) HAS to happen because they know that their target is agile.

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

THE HUNTER not… The crops must be tended to and protected; they must be harvested when ready. The cows and sheep must be fed and watered; the sheep shorn; the cattle cared for. Without work and attention the farm dies out and the Farmer loses not only the new crop, they also lose the farm. Your client service team needs to engage with their assigned client base on a regular basis. They should be aware of and involved in any escalation that their client requests. They should know your products and systems as well as (if not better than) your lower tier support teams. They should know your complete product set better than your sales team. Your sales team can focus on a singular product that they find to be most successful in closing initial business. Your client service team needs to be able to spot any need that your client has that your products can address. To succeed as a Farmer in business you must know both your crops (clients) and your tools (product). Client service sales focus on the client first and the product second. They start by understanding what the client’s objectives are, what their goals are, where they are succeeding and where they are failing. Then they develop a plan to deliver the products your company has that can help them succeed. This is also why it is so important to capture the feedback and observations of your client services teams to inform product improvement, product development, and support processes.

They may have only one shot at bringing home the trophy. Your sales team goes through hours, days and sometimes even years of preparation to be ready for that first meeting. They know which of your products are most likely to bring success to the prospect and they go into that meeting fully prepared to deliver a winning business case that illustrates the value of signing a contract with you. THE FARMER Occasionally mocked by the brash Hunter, the Farmer approaches each day with opportunities already in place. The crops are in the field, the sheep are in their pen and cattle are foraging in the field. All they have to do is sit back and wait for the crops to bear fruit, the sheep to offer up their wool, and the cattle to bring in the milk - right? Of course

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

THE SHEPHERD The Shepherd has a flock to maintain. They need to feed it, protect it and watch over it. They are not looking for new crops to try, they are not straying from initial purpose – tend the sheep and gather the wool. Is there any place for a Shepherd in client services? Yes – there are actually two scenarios where a Shepherd can provide value to a company: 1. If a company has only one product that they are delivering to their clients, then the Shepherd is extremely valuable in making sure that they are receiving what they signed up for. They are also an important point of information regarding client satisfaction and product needs. 2. If a company decides to have their sales department continue to focus on upsells to the client base, then the Shepherd can provide valuable support and an escalation point as needed.

The danger is if you are a company that needs a Farmer and you hire a Shepherd. If you have multiple products (or multiple levels of a service) and your client service teams are not bringing in sales, then one of two things is likely wrong: You have Shepherds instead of Farmers, or your product set does not align with the common client (perhaps you are selling Network Security and Knitting Classes). A SUCCESS STORY I was asked once to build an account development program for a company that had multiple technical services and hosted applications to offer. Up until that point they had been using their sales team to continue to sell into the client base. Client up-sells accounted for about 13% of total sales, and new sales had been slipping. We built a team of Farmers to take over the accounts completely from the Hunters. The Hunter that brought in the account would still receive a cut from any add-on sales, but the account managers (Farmers) were now completely responsible for the care and development of the client and new sales. What were the results? Both new sales and add on sales went through the roof. Total sales exploded to an approximate 300% increase year over year, and up-sells went from 13% to almost 50% of total sales. Why? The new sales team (Hunters) were able to focus completely on pursuing fresh game (new logos) while the Farmers (account management) were completely in tune with their client base and able to clearly articulate business value of new product because they knew the client and had a strong trust relationship with them. Occasionally I would hire an account manager that seemed to handle escalations very well and their clients loved them, but they were not bringing in new sales. At that point I knew I had a Shepherd. In those cases we would look for an opportunity to move them into more of a pure support role. SUMMARY While this exact alignment may not work in every scenario, the principles behind it will. If you understand the makeup of your products and your client base you can create a plan that ensures that you have the right teams focused on the right parts of the business. Don’t ask a Hunter to Farm or a Shepherd to Hunt. If you do… the village goes hungry!

A C C O U N TA B I L I T Y

THE PARADOX OF ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE WORLD OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE,

WHOSE JOB IS IT ANYWAY? BY THE CUSTOMER WRITER

I absolutely love it when people share things

explain why to let me share the story with you

scenarios and phenomena that many people

with me that I have never come across before.

- I hope you find it amusing and enjoyable

experience on a regular basis:

It is why I am so adamant about calling myself

too:

Lack of accountability

a ‘specialist’ - not an expert - as I spend my

This is a story about four people named

life continually learning. Every day; every

Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.

Lack of Responsibility

week; every month; every year; I enjoy

There was an important job to be done and

Finger Pointing

continually evolving my specialism - through

Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was

Blame Assigning

practical application and through acquiring

sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could

All of these scenarios will not only have a

knowledge.

Lack of Ownership

have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody

significantly negative

In the past year, someone shared a story

got angry about that because it was

organisations ability to operate effectively,

effect

with me that I found highly amusing. Having

Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody

they will also have a severely detrimental

conducted an online search, I am unable to

could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody

effect on the Customer Experience. This is

confirm where this story came from, or who

wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody

why anyone who aspires to be an effective

its creator was. The story this lovely chap

blamed Somebody when Nobody did what

Customer Experience Professional must have

shared was not only amusing - it highlighted

Anybody could have done.

a demonstrable working knowledge of how

a very significant issue that is afflicting most

The story could be summarized in any

to influence organisations to ADOPT an

organisations around the world. Before I

number of ways. It certainly brings to life

approach to Customer Experience and to take

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The Customer

A C C O U N TA B I L I T Y

ACCOUNTABILITY for the actions required to

practice, the outcome painted by the story

have the ability to deliver the experience they

create, evolve, sustain and embed it.

shared at the beginning of this post, seems to

want their customers to have with good ‘cross-

The definition of ACCOUNTABILITY that

be far more common than not. Over many

functional governance’. It is IMPOSSIBLE to

makes the most sense in a business context

years - perhaps since the beginning of time

achieve the desired Customer Experience until

is the one derived by the ‘RACI Model’ (a

- organisational behaviour appears to have

or unless an organisation can break down the

responsibility assignment matrix tool):

descended into chaos - with finger pointing

walls and silos that exist within functions -

A person who is ACCOUNTABLE is the one

and the apportioning of blame being far more

until EVERYONE across the organisation

ultimately answerable for the correct and

prevalent than a clear understanding and

recognises that the responsibility for delivering

thorough completion of the deliverable or

execution of accountability and responsibility.

the Customer Experience is a collective one.

task, and the one who delegates the work to

If a business has an aspiration to be

So the next time you are in a situation where

those responsible. In other words, an

sustainably customer-centric, it can only be

Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody

‘accountable’ must sign off (approve) work

achieved with good governance - a plain and

come up in the conversation, share this little

that ‘responsible provides’.

simple understanding of who does what - and

story with them. If it can have the effect of

when. When I talk about governance, I do not

making people stop and think about their

mean bureaucracy. I mean absolute clarity of

behaviour - it will be well worth it. Customer

Those who do the work to achieve the task.

the role EVERYONE plays in delivering the

Experience is Everybody’s job - we need to

These definitions as not complicated. Yet in

Customer Experience. Businesses will only

make sure they know that!

The definition of a people who are RESPONSIBLE is as follows:

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U N L O C K I N G T H E PA R A D O X

UNLOCKING THE PARADOX; All Customers Are Not Created Equal

THE CUSTOMER WRITER

Inspirational books and armchair advisors often make the mistake of taking simplistic memes and applying them to real-world sales organizations. We’re told that “the customer is always right,” and are encouraged with inspirational words on how even the smallest customer has value to the organization. This is generally true. But the bigger question is, how much value, and is that value worth cultivating? Will there be an acceptable ROI for selling and servicing for any given customer? Most companies have limited resources with which to interact with customers and must be able to make difficult decisions as to how much attention to devote to each one. There is a valid argument that even the smallest customer should receive good service, especially in the age of social media, where any client, no matter how small, can create a big backlash if they feel they have been disserviced. Within that framework, however, a company

must realize that their customer-directed resources are limited. While no customer should be ignored or dis-service, the reality is that those resources sometimes need to be ruthlessly allocated, especially in this age of relentless demands for productivity. This can be done effectively through a disciplined approach to customer segmentation, based on how likely any given customer is to contribute a measurable impact on growth and/or profitability. CREATING CUSTOMER SEGMENTS

All customers are important – but not all customers are equal. Servicing the customer really begins with understanding who they really are and where they are going as an enterprise, and that involves data collection – and that data has two purposes. First, data helps to better understand the customer, what their needs and goals are – information which helps provide better services and offerings, and an

understanding of what value the organization can bring to the customer. But second and perhaps more importantly, that data includes information on customer size, growth rate, profitability, and their standing in the marketplace, which helps the company better understand the value of the customer to the organization. An analysis of that data can then be used to create a relative index of customer attractiveness. This analysis ultimately segments customers into four quadrants, which can be easily represented graphically along an X-Y axis, where X equals profitability and Y equals’ growth, with customer size in bubbles plotted on the field. The quadrants are formed by placing lines drawn at universe averages, thereby defining the four customer segments below. QUADRANT 1: INVEST (Upper right…High Growth; High Profitability). Your highest potential customers, with the largest bubbles delivering the greatest sustainable growth. It

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The Customer

U N L O C K I N G T H E PA R A D O X

is this group that you migrate a disproportionate amount of resources to, sales and otherwise. QUADRANT 2: SOURCE (Lower left… No-Low Growth/Low Profitability). This group of customers represents a segment that can be tapped to redeploy resources to other areas. They are the least attractive, and therefore cost-to-serve should be minimized, or the customer potentially dropped altogether. QUADRANT 3: NURTURE (Lower right… Low Growth/High Profitability). These customers have all the right tools to make a major impact if growth profile is accelerated. Focus on driving consumer/end user growth to this emerging group. QUADRANT 4: MAINTAIN (Upper left…High Growth/Low Profitability). This group is already growing faster than average, though it is either less profitable, less capable, or both. The quickest fix in this group is to optimize assortment, drawing in more profitable items into the distribution. Supplemental scoring may include other

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

attributes, such as how collaborative the customer is to work with, whether they are growing in market share, how well they adapt to new product introductions, and how developed their e-commerce businesses are. Once Customers are tagged, it not only guides structure and coverage metrics, but also all manner of allocated resources, including customer service levels, trade promotion, brand activation, data investments, and planning intensity which can all be modulated. And now the flywheel really starts to turn Organizations employing this customer triage have seen impressive results…growth and profitability accelerate; customer satisfaction by those who truly matter increases and the enterprise is clear as to where and how to focus. And sales ROI expands, as the same amount of effort and resources pre-segmentation, now returns at a higher rate. In essence, this approach objectively defines

a company’s go-to-market and customer development strategy. And this strategy is broadly applicable, both to a retail or B2C environment and in a B2B distributor environment as well. Segmentation of the customer base adds a great deal more precision to any customerfacing organization, but the addition of digital, self-service, and e-commerce tools also greatly expands the potential to serve more customers than would otherwise be possible. Creation of an e-commerce engine could yield potentially limitless sales – although those engines must still be continuously tweaked and adapted towards increasingly specific demographics (segments) on a continuing basis, in response to a constant flow of new data. With the right tools, segmentation here can be real-time versus static, reflecting the customers’ purchasing behaviour and changing demographics.

A P P R E C I AT I O N

LACK OF APPRECIATION OF POLICY, HURTS GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE IN ZAMBIA THE CUSTOMER WRITER

POLICIES are created to give guidance, but their effectiveness is indifferent to the extent of citizens’ knowledge of their existence and what is included in them. National policies and/or frameworks on consumer protection are typically guided by the 1985 United Nations (UN) Guidelines for Consumer Protection. These guidelines encourage governments to take into account the interests and needs of consumers insofar as consumers often face imbalances in economic terms, educational levels, and bargaining power. Zambia has had a competition and consumer

protection enforcement mechanism in place since 1997. However what the country lacked was a policy to guide or at least give consensus on what effective customer service (or lack thereof) looks like. To this extent, the Zambian government put in place a national policy in this respect in the latter part of this decade. But it seems there is little appreciation of the Policy and Regulatory framework governing Competition and Consumer Protection in the country, which has seen a general continuance of poor customer service in the country.

It’s not like there is any company or organization which deliberately sets out to under-deliver to its customers. But poor service tends to emerge from the sum of all the decisions along the way that negatively affect the service outcome, despite anyone›s best intentions. And critical in this ‘decision-making’ is knowledge (or lack thereof) of important policies. The lack of knowledge on the national policy on consumer protection has been Zambia’s problem over the years. Centre Coordinator for Consumer Unity and

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The Customer

A P P R E C I AT I O N

Trust Society (CUTS) International Lusaka Mr Simon Ng’ona – in his blog – has elucidated some of the issues cornering good customer service in the country. “What is apparently graving is the poor customer service culture being offered by most public and private sectors players in Zambia. Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) International Lusaka, a consumer body working towards balancing the interest of both producers and consumer welfare, has observed with regret the continued increase in a number of consumer cases hinging on

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

poor customer services. Whereas there has been another customer or consumer concerns by most customers and consumers seeking CUTS’ support and guidance, poor customer service seems to be the most common, a situation which cannot go without policing…. “As for the consumers or customers, valuable advice for them here is not to accept substandard services sitting down. They are also encouraged to avoid putting up unwarranted claims. It has been observed that some section of consumer or customers tends dupe business with false claims in order to

suffocate business. This is a mockery of private sector development. “It should be recognized as being of the utmost importance that everyone involved; consumers or customers, private sector players as well as public service providers take time and understand the existing Policy and Regulatory framework governing Competition and Consumer Protection and avoid being victims of breaking the law.”

LOVE LETTER

E V O L 4 R E LETT OYO

BY RODRICK MAZ

This becomes the 4th of the ‘Love Letters’ to ‘Dear Corporate’. A series of artistic pieces meant to convey customer concerns over customer service in a generally unique manner. In this unique feature, ‘Customer’ is siting the service irregularities within government service centres and offices. ‘Government Enterprise’ is thus a cousin of ‘Corporate’, at least in this piece by Mazoyo.

Dear Corporate Hello my lover, hello my sweetness. I hope this one finds you well and if you are not, please communicate, your pain is my pain too. A sudden disappearance of your services and products is something I do not desire at all. In as much as you need my wallet healthy, I need you fit, to serve my needs. I know you tell your peers I am Naggy, but you and I know the nature of both our anatomies and our relationship. I must be kept happy. Lover, for the first time, you can breathe a sigh of relief. This one is not for you, it’s for your cousin, mwana mukomana mukuru wekwa babamukuru (The eldest son of your father’s older brother). His name is ‘Government Enterprise’ and I know many deem him untouchable. Many, but of course not me. Definitely no one needs to explain to you my abilities. You know me, I am The Customer.

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The Customer

LOVE LETTER

My lover my first issue is on the physical evidence,

workers deliver service to me. ‘Customer is king’ is not

the space from which your ‘senior cousin’ serves me.

a mantra for only you dear ‘Corporate’, but for your

Why is he stuck back in time? Old, dull, tough looking

cousin as well. My importance to you is equally the

wooden furniture is now a thing of the past. We are

same to him. What differs are the dynamics of our

now in the era of light, space and air. Poor lighting

relations only. If he wants to know more on this, he

and ventilation in government service centres must

may consult me directly (I know this will not happen,

never be taken as an acceptable standard. What

you are too protective and jealous… Anyway, I don’t

happened to trying to please me as l consume service?

blame you, I am just unapologetically, gorgeously

Things must change! Moving from your own spaces

attractive. Don’t laugh, it’s true.)

to your cousin’s mustn’t feel like a lapse in time. Both

The fact that your cousin is senior to you and closer

of you must just serve with excellence, you are in a

to be the heir of your village throne must not make

way one after all!

him act like an entity from the stone-age. He must

Dear ‘Corporate’, your cousin ‘Government

‘prop-up’. Unattended websites filled with obsolete

Enterprise’ must, after attending to the ambience in

information must be addressed. How do you think I

his serving halls, closely review and control the

feel being greeted by a 2016 Christmas message whilst

punctuality and management of time by his employees.

I am looking for information on the next farming

Those employees just need a pinch of awakening dear.

season or my current bill?

At an office inscribed, “operating hours: 8am – 5pm”,

We are in 2018 and the presence of a neat, well

just after 7:59am, I expect all counters to be open and

organised and fed website cannot be over-emphasised.

ready to offer me a service. Watching his employees

Every relevant information including downloadable

dust tables, make coffee and gossip after 8am is so

files must be readily available for me.

annoying and of such bad taste. Waiting between 1pm

I know you may have excuses because he is your

and 2pm whilst they have lunch should be ridiculed

senior, I also know you may say I am yours and not

and abolished immediately. A lunch-time rotational

his....well remember, in Africa, you marry a wife not

schedule will go a long way to ensure that there is

only for yourself, but for the whole clan. In the same

someone at the counters or in the office to serve, at

context, my demands must be attended to in the same

any given time. Closing counters on me? For an hour?

wholesomeness. Your cousin must pull up his socks.

Seriously?

I need great experience and nothing else.

Talk of those that extent lunch and tea breaks whilst

Serving with passion, being punctual, improving the

I wait helplessly. The last time I checked, time was

ambience in service centres and feeding & updating

precious, it was equated to money. I haven’t received

relevant electronic communication channels such as

the memo communicating the change of that notion

websites timeously, are my simple requests.

up to now. The worker in the government servicecentre must be punctual, period!

Go on lover, pass the message. You survived this one, but next time I am back on your case.

Your cousin, as senior as he is, must also check on the basic attitude of his frontline representatives. Why should someone look like I am bothering them when

Yours with over-flowing love, supported by dollar votes,

I want to pay my bills? Why should I be treated like a menace when all I want is a national identity document? Doesn’t he pay them after all? Don’t they pledge to serve not only me, but the entire state with unquestionable patriotism?

The Customer

Serve with a smile should be the everyday hymn. Passion should be a major ingredient of how his

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The Customer

U N L O C K I N G T H E PA R A D O X

THE CUSTOMER WRITER

ZIMBABWE HAS A LONG WAY TO GO TO BECOME A BPO DELIVERY DESTINATION “What’s the next location for offshore delivery?” This is a question that is frequently asked of analysts who cover the outsourcing sector. But, the global environment is not as simple as visiting Baskin Robbins and selecting from thirty-one flavours – the right elements need to be in place before a decision to invest can be made. Despite recent and positive changes, Zimbabwe has a long way to go in proving its value in offshore BPO. Outsourcers and their clients need to be confident that the country ticks the right boxes for quality, and can deliver affordable contact centre provision

in a competitive environment, before considering an investment of any scale. Anyone who has followed Zimbabwe’s recent history will be optimistic at the shift away from the reign of Robert Mugabe toward a more transparent, open society. However, as this evolution takes hold, BPO providers interested in pioneering services from Zimbabwe should consider a number of realities. One albatross is the country’s infrastructure. Concerns abound over the reliability of its energy supply, and while some improvements in its telephony networks have

been recognized in recent years, a great deal of further investment is needed. Equally worrying for BPO providers is the atrocious state of the Zimbabwean economy, which for years has been hindered through poor management, crippling foreign currency restrictions, and hyperinflation. At least in the short term, the need for a sea change in how Zimbabwe’s finances are handled will be essential to restoring the country’s competitiveness. There is certainly room for improvement. In fact, The World Economic Forum most recently placed the country at a

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

U N L O C K I N G T H E PA R A D O X

brutal 124th out of 137 in its index of economic competitiveness. If Zimbabwe is to attract outsourcing investment, developing a stable, business-friendly climate is essential. BPO providers need to be cautious when potentially attractive delivery destinations emerge on the world stage. While exotic at first, once due diligence is completed, things may not look so rosy. Take into account the avalanche of interest in Cuba following the Obama Administration’s efforts to thaw relations between the two countries. The inability of the Cuban government to drive new outsourcing investment by establishing the right commercial environment was rightly called out by Nearshore Americas founder Kirk

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

Laughlin in a hard-hitting editorial some months ago. But, each country is unique, and Zimbabwe is not Cuba. In its favour, Zimbabwe has a legacy of commercial culture and entrepreneurship that transcend its former government. Business and leisure visitors frequently speak of the customer service mind-set found in the country. This is an essential building block for international front-office positioning. Its growing level of internet penetration, historically strong education system and English-language pervasiveness are also prospective selling points to outsourcers interested in exploring the country’s longterm potential. The efforts of a growing

number of local BPO upstart providers to fashion a domestic industry is also encouraging, as is the presence of a national contact centre association. Going forward, it will be imperative for Zimbabwe’s new government to enable the BPO sector by way of sound economic management, and by making the right infrastructure investments. If it is serious, it should also dialogue with BPO industry stakeholders. Providers and enterprises should watch closely for such initiatives, as these would mark the first clear signs that Zimbabwe may indeed become the next big thing in contact centre offshore delivery

S E R V I C E C U LT U R E P L A N

BY ROD JONES

THE DO’s AND DON’Ts OF BUILDING A NEW CONTACT CENTRE

“Most new contact centre failures are because of too little knowledge and too much misguided enthusiasm.” Rod Jones

hen word comes down from the boardroom, “We need a call centre”, a ripple of excitement will often flow through the organisation. New career opportunities! Sparkling new technologies! Plush new offices! Instant Customer Delight! It should be easy. No. It’s definitely not easy. It’s hard. Very hard.

Sadly, the problems start at the executive level. Often, only one or two board-level executives who may have some vague idea that a call centre or a contact centre may help the organisation to win market share; to generate incremental revenues; to win customer loyalty. The next steps are often to pass the project to C-level IT executives or IT senior managers. And this is definitely the completely wrong starting point for a successful contact centre project. With all due respect to our colleges in IT: Technologies enable great customer service. Technologies enable contact centre to function effectively and efficiently. It’s the strategies, the processes and the

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S E R V I C E C U LT U R E P L A N

people that decide the outcomes. When those three components of success are perfectly in place, bring on the most appropriate technologies! Don’t Rush It It was Napoleon Bonaparte who so wisely said, “Men, horses, and cannon are useful in battle, but strategy and planning win wars.” And for starting a new call centre or contact centre, there’s no such thing as too much planning. Pulling together the wants and needs of each of the divisions or business units within the organisation is a massive task. The Phased Approach The development and deployment of a truly successful contact centre will be achieved when certain activities take place within the framework of a series of disciplined, logical and clearly defined phases. And within each phase, there are specific deliverables. Phase One – Develop Executive and Management Knowledge Phase Two – Extract and Record Existing Operational Knowledge Phase Three – Develop the Business Case and Get Executive Sign-off Phase Four – Develop the Operating Model & Fu n c t i o n a l Requirements (Including technology specifications) Phase Five – Deployment. (Premises. Fit-out. Procurement. Systems Integration. Installations. Staffing. Training etc. Phase Six – Optimisation A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing It was the English author, Terry Pratchett who said, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

Senior managers tasked with developing and deploying a modern contact centre need a great deal more knowledge and information to be able to effectively plan and implement the project. – but it’s not half as bad as a lot of ignorance”. The most expensive and career-damaging new contact centre disasters almost always have their roots in too little knowledge and too little information. Rash, emotionally driven business decisions seldom have good outcomes. PHASE ONE Developing Executive Knowledge The modern contact centre industry will soon be 50 years old. It is now a well-matured global industry that has produced a massive body of knowledge, much of which has become freely available. Few executives or senior managers have the time nor the inclination to read through contact centres books nor to spend many hours searching for on-line information about setting up and operating a successful operation. Much of the

strategic knowledge necessary to make astute board-level decisions can be obtained from specific articles and white papers or from short, powerful boardroom presentations and keynote addresses. Executives may engage as a group or one-on-one with appropriate specialists or trusted advisors. Developing Managerial Knowledge Senior managers tasked with developing and deploying a modern contact centre need a great deal more knowledge and information to be able to effectively plan and implement the project. Whilst much of this knowledge is generic and can be learned from any of the many books and publications that are available, and from thousands of websites, knowing what to look for and where to find the appropriate information, is a huge challenge. A good starting point is my 2-Day “World Class Contact Centres – Operational Best Practice” seminar. In this intense and highly interactive seminar, I engage with participants as we work through over twenty modules dealing with all the most important aspects of the modern contact centre. Topics covered include Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and its evolution into what is now referred to as Customer Experience or Cx. I also discuss the many ways to measure customer satisfaction (CSat) and the relationship between CSat, Customer Loyalty, Lifetime Value and Revenue. I spend a lot of time explaining how the different call centre technologies work, how they can add value to the organisation, and what is considered being ‘best practice’ when deploying these.

FORTH EDITION |

The Customer

Committed to providing delightful customer experiences, NORED announces its Support Tariff , a special tariff for all NORED customers who are registered Pensioners and People Living with Disabilities. To qualify, make sure that: • The electricity meter is registered in the name of the applicant • The electricity meter has a maximum of 15 Amps • The electricity meter is limited to 50kw/h per month The benefit will only be to one electricity meter per person

0800 000 100

S E R V I C E C U LT U R E P L A N

The seminar explores the human aspects of the modern contact centre. Participants learn about specific contact centre organisational structures, roles, responsibilities, job descriptions; about contact centre competency profiles and how to recruit for success. Managing, motivating and retaining the workforce is another important module, as is the critically important topic of quality assurance. Impeccably designed and documented business processes are critical to the success of any contact centre; particularly in the initial design phase. A module in my seminar teaches participants exactly how to design processes using a globally recognised methodology and freely available process mapping software. Accurate budgeting and on-going financial management issues are critical to the success of any contact centre. A module in the seminar teaches the fundamentals of Activity Based Costing and how to construct credible budgets and financial models. The final seminar module deals with how managers can assess, audit and benchmark the contact centre against globally recognised best practices. This ensures that the operation

is constantly under review and refinement. PHASE TWO Extract and Record Operational Knowledge Assuming that the executive team and the managers assigned to develop the contact centre project have gained a basic understanding of the key strategic and operational principals of a contact centre, the next phase will be to fully develop the business case. To achieve this, a great deal of in-depth information and knowledge about the organisation’s existing operations will need to be gathered and well documented. Gathering information and acquiring contact centre knowledge in a generic sense, is relatively easy. Books, websites and my seminars can do that. But, building the business case for any specific organisation, requires a considerably more in-depth and contextual facts and information. In most cases, the specific information needs to be ‘extracted’ from many parts of the organisation, and typically from executives and senior managers possessing unique knowledge and experience relating to their

specific role, division, business unit or department. Most of this knowledge and information is not documented and is largely anecdotal. Knowing what information and knowledge to ‘extract’ and how to record and document is the speciality of a well-seasoned and experienced contact centre consultant. PHASE THREE Develop the Business Case and Get Executive Sign-off As mentioned earlier in this article, executive support is vital to make sure the overall success of the contact centre project. The starting point for the project team tasked with developing and operating the contact centre, is therefore to develop the appropriate reports and documentation and to make sure that the boardroom signs-off on the key strategic issues. These will typically include: A common view of the potential role of contact centre within the organisation and the opportunities that the new business unit can or must provide. An understanding of the issues and risks associated with fulfilling these opportunities. An understanding of what is involved in

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S E R V I C E C U LT U R E P L A N

Query / Contact Types: What types and categories of interactions and questions or queries are expected? Access Channels: What other channels will be available to address customer issues? e.g. Telephone, website, kiosks, mobile, SMS, chat, social media, retail agents, etc. Service Level Objectives: What resources will be required such as people, technology, and data? Organisational Processes: What types of organisational policies, processes and practices should be established? What already exists and what needs to be developed?

Rod Jones facilitating at the recently held CCAZ Contact Centre Mastercalss in Harare Zimbabwe achieving a vision for a formal corporate contact centre strategy. The formulation of working principles that would underpin such a contact centre strategy. Draw high-level estimates relating to the cost of establishment and on-going operations and/or expansion of the proposed contact centre. PHASE FOUR Develop the Business Model Clearly defining the Business Model for the proposed contact centre is critical for the successful operation. It helps the management team to clearly identify the operation’s mission, the business goals, and the performance drivers that the operation needs to focus on to achieve these goals. Mission: Identifies how the call centre supports the company’s goals and strategies. Determines what the company needs from the call centre in the long term. Business Goals: Represent short-term to midterm goals.

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The Customer

Defines what the company needs from the call centre right now (12-18 months) Outline specific outputs that the call centre needs to produce Performance Drivers: Represent processes and behaviours that help the call centre achieve the company’s business goals. They must be clearly defined and must be measurable They represent the controllable measures that actions in the call centre affect Develop a Customer Access Strategy A key element of the Business Model and the Functional Requirements Specifications will be the development of a detailed Customer Access Strategy. Included in this document should be the following considerations: Customer Profiling: Who are the customers? What are their needs? How can those needs be best served? Customer Communication: How will the organisation communicate with its customers?

Processes Sound and thoroughly assessed, tested and well documented business processes are the heart and soul of an effective, efficient contact centre. Processes are vital to the planning of a new operation. Identifying and then mapping and documenting the dozens of individual processes that will or may interface with the new contact centre can often take many months. The following are some of the most important reasons process design and mapping is a critical element of the project to develop and deploy a new contact centre.To establish roles and responsibilities. Defining required skill sets & training Defining business rules. Defining escalation procedures. Monitor efficiencies. Cost control. Forecasting and capacity planning. IT and system design and integrations. Reporting and management information/ analytics. Document requirements. Standardisation. Training, skills development. Succession planning. Disaster recovery and business continuity. The People Issues It is a huge mistake to think ‘anybody’ can work in a modern contact centre. It is a very stressful, micro-managed environment where every aspect of staff engagement is monitored. Often, contact centre staff are required to work inconvenient or even downright unpleasant shifts. Yet, for many organisations,

S E R V I C E C U LT U R E P L A N

in the interests of providing exceptional customer service, shift work is inevitable. The early stage involvement of an executivelevel human resource specialist (for example, the HR Director) will make sure that all levels of management are fully aware of the disruptive impact that the contact centre will have on the entire organisation. Whilst there will be some exciting new opportunities for some staff, others will feel threatened. Change Management is an important part of planning. Systems Integration Modern organisations have become incredibly dependent on many different technologies. Many of these have been integrated with one another to meet specific operating and business objectives. How these different systems will have to integrate into contact centre technologies can pose massive challenges for the organisation’s IT team. For the contact centre development team, it is important to make sure that senior IT managers are brought into the planning discussions at the very outset of the project to ensure that vital integration issues are an integral part of the overall planning.

Functional Requirements Based on the strategic matters covered in the executive-approved Business Case and the key issues in the Business Model, the management team will be in a position to develop the Functional Requirements document. This document will clearly set out and document the operations and activities that the contact centre must be able to perform. Examples of what the Functional Requirements document should contain include: Descriptions of data to be entered into the system or used by the systems in the operation of the contact centre. Descriptions of operations performed by call centre Descriptions of work-flows performed by the operation Descriptions of system reports or other outputs How the system meets applicable regulatory requirements Where the contact centre operations will be located Detailed specifications of each of the technical

components required to fulfil the operational requirements and how these are to be integrated into existing organisational systems. PHASE FIVE and SIX Procure and Deploy the new Contact Centre Optimising the contact centre These important topics will be discussed in future articles in this publication. © Copyright reserved. Rod Jones December 2017 About Rod Jones Rod Jones is a specialist consultant and strategic advisor with over 35 years of practical experience building and operating contact centres. His ‘World Class Contact Centres’ seminars have been attended by over 4,500 delegates in 13 countries. Based in Johannesburg, Rod focusses on assisting developing the African contact centre and BPO industry. www.rodjones.co.za rod@ rodjones.co.za

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The Customer

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www.cbagroup.com CBA is regulated by the Central Bank of Kenya.

time for more.

Get Office 365 in the cloud from Liquid Telecom Cloud computing accelerates every aspect of your business but it only works as well as the infrastructure supporting it. As an official Microsoft CSP partner, Liquid Telecom Zimbabwe can combine the performance of Office 365 with our award-winning fibre network. Not only can you get Office 365 installed within days, but you can now pay the monthly licence fee along with your Liquid Telecom monthly fee – here in Zimbabwe. So you can access all the Office 365 tools virtually anywhere on almost any device. Whether you’re working online or off, from your computer, tablet or phone, we have your business covered. Contact Liquid Telecom today on 08677 030 000 or cloud@liquidtelecom.com to see how we can accelerate your company along your digital journey.

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