Second To None

What’s Your Product DNA?

By Kerry Colligan

Ford Motor company logged a $2.7 billion profit in 2009. It nearly doubled cash reserves. It gained market share for the first time since the mid-nineties. It paid out profit sharing checks.

Chances are you didn't.

There are a host of reasons for Ford's success in 2009, but chief among them is a commitment to listening to customers. Their self-titled "Product DNA" criteria describe features and benefits that improve customer experiences and grow the bottom line.

Product DNA is a fantastic... Continue Reading

When Customers Stop Talking—What To Do To Break the Silence

By Kerry Colligan

This week, Peter Bregman wrote in his HBR blog that silence is the worst kind of feedback because it is ambiguous and generic. His frame of reference is organizational behavior and interpersonal communication but it seems the same silence applies to customer feedback too. Ambiguities and generalities abound in customer feedback. It's just plain hard for most customers to express their views in sufficient detail to be useful at a managerial level. As I've suggested previously, it is easier... Continue Reading

Be specific to get C-level buy in

By Kerry Colligan

According to Foundations of Listening, a book recently published by the Advertising Research Foundation, listening to consumers discuss brands via social media channels isn't ready to replace the old system of "asking" via survey research. (See the Ad Age article on the topic.) The planning/strategic implications of that finding are clear and known to most marketing/market research managers. But, I have to think the dual tracking of consumer opinions hurts C-suite buy in.

Many customer... Continue Reading

Why Taco Bell’s 350% More Calories Isn’t Working

By Kerry Colligan

Taco Bell's Drive-Thru Diet is getting a lot of virtual ink. Ad Age ran a piece about increasing traffic that includes extensive commentary with clear good vs. bad tones. Folks cite the campaign as either smart and timely or inauthentic, favoring the latter.

Brand authenticity is about how customers perceive what you tell them and what you actually do. "Diet" feels inauthentic because on the one hand, few of us associate the drive-thru with weight loss. Yet, our collective ephemeral... Continue Reading

Your favorite 3 posts of 2009

By Kerry Colligan

Back in March, we started this customer experience blog to ask questions and to observe and comment on interesting program strategies and outcomes. We've covered a lot of ground: from restaurants to the auto industry, social media to organizational design. This week, we review three of your favorite posts from 2009.

1. Customer Experience Execs: Are Your Mystery Shops ‘Constructively Negative’?

Innovative managers continue to push traditional mystery shopping programs into new spaces by... Continue Reading

Customer Satisfaction 2010 Is About Revenue

By Kerry Colligan

Be honest. You're looking forward to closing the books on 2009. As much as you're focused on optimizing holiday performance, it's been a tough year. I'll bet you can use a fresh start.

Customer satisfaction programs took a beating this year. Our collective work integrating social media outlets has just begun, and customer sampling debates continue to percolate as more online services hit the research market. (I hate to even mention consumer spending or the looming end to government... Continue Reading

Going “Craig’s List” on Your Customers

By Kerry Colligan

Some estimates put annual revenue north of $100M at Craig's List. There are no display ads or affiliates. No user groups, or social networking strategies. And if you haven't been to Craig's List lately, don't worry... it hasn't changed.

The default online classified ads, CL maintains the desired customer experience by diligently doing very little. The experience on Craig's List is a sea of blue links, but according to web ranking company Alexa, CL is #11 in overall popularity among US web... Continue Reading

5 Ways to Mess Up Perfectly Good Customer Feedback

By Kerry Colligan

Perfectly good customer feedback comes in many shapes and sizes. Customer satisfaction survey instruments take many forms, most of them somewhere between adequate and exceptional. Focus groups, one-on-one interviews, social media. Even 3x5 mailers all do the trick. Yet, whichever collection mechanism you choose, there's a decent chance you (or your organization) won't capitalize on that data.

Why?

Because it's hard to close the loop on customer feedback. A recent Harvard Business Review... Continue Reading

Customer Experience Execs: Are Your Mystery Shops ‘Constructively Negative’?

By Kerry Colligan

A study published in the November Journal of Marketing attempts to answer two important questions applicable to mystery shopping programs:

1. Are shoppers who expect to evaluate service delivery inclined toward "constructively negative" evaluations regardless of the actual experience?
2. What can be done to reduce the negative bias of survey respondents?

In brief: 1) No. 2) Give them something to think about.

According to the study, when cognitive loading precedes the customer... Continue Reading

Customers Getting Great Things from Kohl’s

By Kerry Colligan

Kohl's is one of the only retailers to show sustained growth this year. Q3 earnings rose 21% on increased sales volume and better margins resulting from inventory management changes and a marketing focus on exclusives like the Vera Wang line.

Managing the brand on both the operational and marketing fronts—as Kohl's is doing—is the core tactic behind delivering authentic brand experiences. As you might expect, Kohl's stock price is up 50% this year. What's more, a soon to be released... Continue Reading