I’m a huge fan of author Daniel Kahneman. His first book, Thinking, Fast and Slow is a great CX resource, even though it’s not about customer experience per se. The most valuable takeaway for CX pros is probably “The Peak-End Rule.” As Kahneman explains the concept, you can approximate how someone feels about an experience overall by averaging the peak point of emotions and how the experience ends.
His signature example is a colonoscopy. With that cancer screening, subjects who received a positive test result after the procedure rated the experience lower than those who received a negative result. That unwelcome news at the end of the experience led patients to recall the entire experience as worse, even though, rationally, the procedure was the same regardless of the outcome.
(All CX leaders should familiarize themselves with the Peak-End Rule. But I’m not gonna lie: Kahneman’s book is a tough read. However, it will make you a better CX leader if you invest the time and focus to tackle it.)
The Peak-End Rule is a terrific guidepost for CX, and Kahneman cites great research that applies to many of our clients. It works well for customer experience. Much of the time.
Conventional wisdom holds that a great employee experience promotes a great customer experience. That – combined with a growing body of evidence that the traditional 40-hour workweek may not be the most effective or healthy model – has inspired me to institute a four-day workweek for all Heart of the Customer team members. [Insert blaring trumpets here!]
As a data-driven organization, we’re starting cautiously. We’ve committed to this new schedule on a 90-day trial basis for now, from mid-June through Labor Day. We won’t make the change permanent until we can gather enough data to reliably gauge the impact on our company and our clients.
But we have every reason to believe that this trial period we will be a success. Read more
https://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/printed-calendar-4-day-working-week-showing-weekend-days-red-new-approach-productivity-1.jpg6751200Jim Tincherhttps://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/hotc-logo.pngJim Tincher2022-06-23 05:00:152022-06-22 13:29:23Will a Four-Day Workweek Boost EX & CX?
To gain (or maintain) traction in the marketplace, it’s no longer enough to offer great products and services. Customer expectations have risen in modern commerce, and to meet those high expectations you need to have a deep understanding of your customers’ wants, needs, and goals. Even – especially? – when your customers are other businesses. B2B customer journey mapping is an effective way to get at those valuable insights…and accomplish much, much more. That’s why it’s become a cornerstone effort for any organization that seeks to stand out from the crowd.
The data is clear. Putting customers at the center of how you do business pays off with customers who buy more (and more often), stay with you longer, and recommend you to their contacts and colleagues. Read more
As Heart of the Customer’s CX Practice Lead and a long-time marketing research practitioner, I’m always focused on gathering the most accurate data to answer the problem at hand. Why are sales lower than anticipated? Why is the customer retention rate lower than projected for certain product lines? What can we do to make it easier for customers to work with us?
Back when I was first developing marketing research methodologies, I considered how to gather data as quickly, accurately, and cost-effectively as possible.
Internet-based surveys were relatively easy to conduct and could get me results fast…as long as I had access to email addresses. But with response rates less than 1.5% – on a good day! – I worried about non-response bias. Read more
https://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/wepik-202252-20621.jpg6281200Nicole Newtonhttps://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/hotc-logo.pngNicole Newton2022-06-03 05:00:032022-06-03 02:15:25Qualitative Research: Are Your Teams Up to the Task?
I’m going to channel my inner Steve Harvey and imagine we’re playing a CX-themed Family Feud:
One hundred CX Leaders were surveyed and asked, “How can you quickly show tangible value from your CX program?”
And the survey saaaaaays…Close the loop!
Over the past six weeks, I have talked to a lot of CX professionals/nerds/geeks/leaders. That includes practitioners at Fortune 100 companies, people in Finance, and a variety of others. Over and over, I heard the same refrain from smart, well-intentioned people in programs struggling to show value. They lamented that are just not able to get the attention of the people they need to reach. That, in turn, means they can’t get the budget to make significant strides. Read more
https://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/senior-pretty-woman-smiling-proudly-confidently-making-number-one-telemarketer-concept-scaled.jpg10671600Shawn Phillipshttps://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/hotc-logo.pngShawn Phillips2022-05-27 05:00:252022-05-27 03:58:35Survey Says: Close the Loop!
Of course, the results vary significantly depending on the selected business problem, journey, and customer selected – three of our five questions. Two similar organizations can have very different outcomes based on how they answer the question.
We CX folks love to discuss measurement. If you want to fill a room at a conference, just put the word “metric” in your session title, and you’re good to go. Mention “Net Promoter Score” or “Customer Effort Score,” and you’ll need to order more chairs. That’s because we spend so many of our waking hours – and for some, sleepless nights – trying to figure out how to measure CX impact.
The role of measurement in CX success was one of the most evident takeaways from our hundreds of hours ofinterviews with CX leaders.
Customer journey mapping lays a strong foundation for the success of your customer experience initiatives. But only if it’s done right. So having a research-backed customer journey mapping process is critical.
Unfortunately, that’s where most journey mapping initiatives go wrong. Almost two-thirds fail to drive action. That’s not all that surprising, since most neglect to include a change management approach.
https://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/customer-journey-mapping-process-scaled.jpg9001600Jim Tincherhttps://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/hotc-logo.pngJim Tincher2022-04-29 05:00:252022-04-29 05:12:07The Customer Journey Mapping Process That Drives ROI
Managing a B2B experience isn’t more or less difficult than managing a B2C experience. It’s just different…and more complex. The need to understand multiple levels of your clients drives that complexity and is critical to a successful B2B CX strategy. You have to analyze the journeys of decision-makers, influencers, and users, as well as how each of those journeys impacts your client’s ongoing loyalty.
You don’t have to think about these. That is, as long as you’re okay with being among the 3 out of 4 who can’t show impact from their work. But if you’re a true Change Maker, these are the types of issues that might keep you up at night.Read more
https://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/mature-woman-using-virtual-screen-full-scaled.jpg10561600Jim Tincherhttps://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/hotc-logo.pngJim Tincher2022-04-22 16:09:102022-04-22 17:17:16B2B CX Strategy Trends That Should Be On Your Radar
At Heart of the Customer, we recently had a software client who wasn’t winning as many sales as they expected. We mapped their customers’ pre-sales journey and found that the company was laying out their best practices, but prospective clients were ignoring them.
They just didn’t consider our client a trusted authority.
It’s common problem facing CX pros. You see your customers making “bad” choices, such as not making the best use of your company’s products or services. So you create communications to share the recommended approach.
But you just can’t get customers to change their behavior.
https://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/rearview-diverse-people-hugging-each-other-scaled.jpg11461600Jim Tincherhttps://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/hotc-logo.pngJim Tincher2022-04-14 05:00:312022-04-22 17:24:56Unleash the Power of Social Proof
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The Peak-End Rule’s Missing Piece
/in Customer Journey Mapping, CX Program Strategy/by Jim TincherHis signature example is a colonoscopy. With that cancer screening, subjects who received a positive test result after the procedure rated the experience lower than those who received a negative result. That unwelcome news at the end of the experience led patients to recall the entire experience as worse, even though, rationally, the procedure was the same regardless of the outcome.
(All CX leaders should familiarize themselves with the Peak-End Rule. But I’m not gonna lie: Kahneman’s book is a tough read. However, it will make you a better CX leader if you invest the time and focus to tackle it.)
The Peak-End Rule is a terrific guidepost for CX, and Kahneman cites great research that applies to many of our clients. It works well for customer experience. Much of the time.
But… Read more
Will a Four-Day Workweek Boost EX & CX?
/in Driving CX Culture Change, Employee Experience/by Jim TincherAs a data-driven organization, we’re starting cautiously. We’ve committed to this new schedule on a 90-day trial basis for now, from mid-June through Labor Day. We won’t make the change permanent until we can gather enough data to reliably gauge the impact on our company and our clients.
But we have every reason to believe that this trial period we will be a success. Read more
Unsung Benefits of B2B Customer Journey Mapping
/in B2B Journeys (or B2B2C), Customer Journey Mapping/by Nicole NewtonThe data is clear. Putting customers at the center of how you do business pays off with customers who buy more (and more often), stay with you longer, and recommend you to their contacts and colleagues. Read more
Qualitative Research: Are Your Teams Up to the Task?
/in CX Program Strategy, Surveys & Feedback, Voice of the Customer/by Nicole NewtonBack when I was first developing marketing research methodologies, I considered how to gather data as quickly, accurately, and cost-effectively as possible.
Internet-based surveys were relatively easy to conduct and could get me results fast…as long as I had access to email addresses. But with response rates less than 1.5% – on a good day! – I worried about non-response bias. Read more
Survey Says: Close the Loop!
/in CX Program Strategy, Surveys & Feedback/by Shawn PhillipsOne hundred CX Leaders were surveyed and asked, “How can you quickly show tangible value from your CX program?”
And the survey saaaaaays…Close the loop!
Over the past six weeks, I have talked to a lot of CX professionals/nerds/geeks/leaders. That includes practitioners at Fortune 100 companies, people in Finance, and a variety of others. Over and over, I heard the same refrain from smart, well-intentioned people in programs struggling to show value. They lamented that are just not able to get the attention of the people they need to reach. That, in turn, means they can’t get the budget to make significant strides. Read more
Customer Journey Mapping Examples
/in Customer Journey Mapping, CX Program Strategy, Metrics & ROI/by Jim TincherI’m often asked for customer journey mapping examples – where are organizations using journey mapping that is truly driving change.
Of course, the results vary significantly depending on the selected business problem, journey, and customer selected – three of our five questions. Two similar organizations can have very different outcomes based on how they answer the question.
Read more
How to Measure CX Impact
/in Customer Journey Mapping, CX Program Strategy, Metrics & ROI/by Jim TincherThe role of measurement in CX success was one of the most evident takeaways from our hundreds of hours of interviews with CX leaders.
Read more
The Customer Journey Mapping Process That Drives ROI
/in Customer Journey Mapping, CX Program Strategy, Driving CX Culture Change/by Jim TincherUnfortunately, that’s where most journey mapping initiatives go wrong. Almost two-thirds fail to drive action. That’s not all that surprising, since most neglect to include a change management approach.
Read more
B2B CX Strategy Trends That Should Be On Your Radar
/in CX Program Strategy, Metrics & ROI, Surveys & Feedback/by Jim TincherAs I’m working on my new book, Do B2B Better: Driving Growth Through a Game-Changing Customer Experience, I think it would be helpful to share some B2B CX strategy trends that should be on your radar.
You don’t have to think about these. That is, as long as you’re okay with being among the 3 out of 4 who can’t show impact from their work. But if you’re a true Change Maker, these are the types of issues that might keep you up at night. Read more
Unleash the Power of Social Proof
/in B2B Journeys (or B2B2C), CX Program Strategy/by Jim TincherAt Heart of the Customer, we recently had a software client who wasn’t winning as many sales as they expected. We mapped their customers’ pre-sales journey and found that the company was laying out their best practices, but prospective clients were ignoring them.
They just didn’t consider our client a trusted authority.
It’s common problem facing CX pros. You see your customers making “bad” choices, such as not making the best use of your company’s products or services. So you create communications to share the recommended approach.
But you just can’t get customers to change their behavior.
Read more