Second To None

BOSE: Delivering on its customer service values

By Jeff Hall

Just over a year ago I was the lucky recipient of a BOSE iPod SoundDock (with continued thanks to my generous Second To None staff ). It had been on my wishlist of coveted, somewhat indulgent items for the office and travel, including a Kindle and iPhone. Admittedly I've become somewhat addicted to having the SoundDock playing music in the background throughout my workday — and the small remote control is handy for muting tracks when the phone rings. A few weeks back, in a rush to pack... Continue Reading

The Cycle of Reciprocity

By Kerry Colligan

A recent Ad Age article urges marketers to take note of the "cycle of reciprocity that good service delivers".

A customer's relationship to your brand is fluid and dynamic, changing and evolving according to how successful your brand is in delivering a consistent and intentional customer experience appropriate to customer desires and expectations.

Establishing customer-centric listening posts can deliver rich and relevant insight to not only improve service delivery, but to increase its... Continue Reading

How do you know if your customers are about to defect?

By Kerry Colligan

Ad Age recently offered three ways to tell if your customers are about to defect (here):

1. Determine the warning signs.
2. Track and monitor changes to warning signs.
3. Develop a trigger-based engagement strategy to address behaviors in real or near real time.

Many brands end up focusing on the wrong warning signs because of an overly insular approach. Determining the warning signs that influence behavior is about seeing your brand from the customer's perspective.

You may think a... Continue Reading

Price-based customer service

By Kerry Colligan

Merchandising has always been the name of the game for grocers working with razor-thin margins and highly fluid inventories. Customer service is the difference maker.

Yet, according to a recent National Grocer's Association survey (here), only 24% of consumers want their grocery store to have the best customer service.

Two things the study doesn’t say:

I suspect the other 76% will take their business elsewhere if customer service slips.
Most consumers are looking for increased value. In... Continue Reading

‘Skip the Experience,’ Savor the Double Capp with a Value Infusion

By Kerry Colligan

The Wall Street Journal recently published a column under "Microtrends" titled "Value is the new green".

The author quips: consumers who trade down are choosing to "skip the experience and savor just the [product] and save [their] cash."

True enough, consumers are trading down from expensive preferences to more frugal alternatives, creating new competitive marketplaces and opportunities for responsive brands.

Applebee's and TGI Friday's now compete with Burger King and Carl's Jr. There... Continue Reading

Bond between customer experience and loyalty increases

By Kerry Colligan

On 3/11/09, Bruce Temkin of Forrester Research presented "The Current State of the Customer Experience". Like much of his blog, Temkin’s main point is that customer experience is a critical component of brand strategy regardless of economic conditions and the path to improving customer experience must be a focal point of everyone in your organization.

This slide is of particular interest. As you can see, using purchase intent as a surrogate, the correlation between customer experience... Continue Reading

Trouble integrating Voice of the Customer data?

By Kerry Colligan

You're not alone. In a recent study published by the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council, many execs admitted that their organizations were falling woefully short in their basic use, optimization and integration of voice of the customer intelligence. The challenges identified were varied, albeit not surprising.

• Limited availability of the information across organizational stakeholders
• Lack of systems to inform and track customers online social behavior and its effects
... Continue Reading

Study: 84% of CMOs say positive customer experience helped their brand

By Kerry Colligan

A recent CMO Council study (here) shows:

• 83% of CMOs surveyed say customer experience is essential or increasingly important to driving brand advocacy and business performance.
• 84% say a positive customer experience and word of mouth have helped their brand or business grow. 

Stinting on service in tough economic times may be costly mistake

By Kerry Colligan

We are pleased to share with you the latest thinking from McKinsey & Company on why today’s environment is just the time for a more precise focus and continued investment in your brand’s customer experience. While many executives are scrambling to save costs anywhere, if customer service falls victim to budget cuts, it can be a costly mistake. Read more here. 

Consumer satisfaction uptick reflects focus on service

By Kerry Colligan

The Q4 American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) was recently published. According to Claes Fornell, head of the ACSI, the 1.3% gain in the retail sector and the 0.9% uptick overall speaks to a commitment to customer service but does not signal an end to the recession. The reason, he says, is that this recession has had a profound effect on consumer spending, largely because of access to cash/credit.

For the short-term, Fornell acknowledges that "the power of ACSI alone to predict... Continue Reading