A key outcome of our work at Heart of the Customer (HoC) – and the essence of CX as a discipline – is to create empathy. That’s how we help our clients better understand their customers.
When empathy is high, organizations are more likely to serve their customers better. They invest in the right initiatives and are rewarded with loyalty, which increases profits, which inspires further efforts to improve the journey. That mutually beneficial cycle is the foundational belief behind what we do. And it’s rewarding work.Read more
Despite all the hardship, trauma, and loss endured by the global community the past few months, I can’t help but feel a sense of awe at times. I truly believe this is the greatest period of innovation I have experienced in my lifetime.Read more
https://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/box-1-scaled.jpg10651600Shawn Phillipshttps://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/hotc-logo.pngShawn Phillips2020-05-21 11:31:292020-07-07 19:31:39Seizing This Moment, Solving Problems
It’s hard to believe it’s been seven years since I launched my customer experience consultancy, Heart of the Customer, way back when CX was still in its infancy.
At that time, when I first wrote Customer Journey Maps – the Top 10 Requirements, I didn’t know the post would be viewed hundreds of thousands of times, and reposted around the world. But I did know that customer experience as a discipline – given its proven ability to boost customer loyalty and company results – was here to stay.
I enjoyed revisiting and updating the post back in 2015, but in the intervening years, the world has changed, the CX industry has evolved, research methodology has gotten more nimble, and technology has advanced. (And yet, somehow, none of us has aged a day – it’s uncanny!)
So it’s time once again to refresh the content. I am proud that the underlying philosophy and framework remains solid and consistent, but I’ve tweaked some terminology, techniques, guidelines, and examples.
In short, it’s an oldie, but a goodie, and I hope that regardless of whether you’re rereading it or encountering it for the first time, you will come away with something new and helpful. Read more
https://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Customer_experience_journey_map_graphic.png14282501Jim Tincherhttps://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/hotc-logo.pngJim Tincher2020-05-12 08:32:142020-07-07 19:27:39Customer Journey Maps: The Top 10 Requirements
When doing customer journey mapping, it’s critical to start by identifying a business problem – one that you can solve through learning more about customer needs. This is the first question of our Five-Question Framework. Carefully choosing which problem to attack helps you avoid one of the leading reasons most journey mapping initiatives fail to drive action: they try to address every problem, and end up solving none.
During these challenging times, I’ve been posting weekly videos on LinkedIn, sharing best practices on how customer experience (CX) pros can ensure their companies come out of this pandemic in a position of strength. We’ve also created a LinkedIn group, Managing the Coronavirus Experience (the Other CX), for you all to share your own tips.
As I mentioned in my first video in the series, it’s important to talk with team members at least weekly. That’s true normally, but even more critical in times of stress – such as now. Yesterday, during our weekly check in, Marcie, our content strategy director, mentioned Kinsa digital thermometers. Read more
https://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Kinsa-Whats-ailing-your-journey..jpg689533Jim Tincherhttps://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/hotc-logo.pngJim Tincher2020-04-23 07:42:182020-07-07 19:28:13What’s Ailing Your Journey?
I’ve been posting weekly videos on LinkedIn with advice on what CX professionals can do during this unsettling time.
During Week 2 of the pandemic, I received a survey request that I felt was ill-conceived. The email –entitled “We’d love to hear your thoughts!” – had your standard “based on your current level of happiness with [vendor], how likely are you to recommend [vendor] to a friend or a colleague?”
There was no “we realize this is a difficult time but hope you can give us a few minutes of your time,” or any other acknowledgement that we’re in the midst of a global pandemic. To me, it screamed “sure, people are dying, but we really need to capture our metrics, so please stop what you’re doing and fill out our survey.”
https://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Surveys-in-the-Time-of-Pandemic-scaled.jpg11801600Jim Tincherhttps://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/hotc-logo.pngJim Tincher2020-04-16 06:01:422020-07-07 19:29:00Surveys in the Time of Pandemic
Here’s a story I’ve seen played out multiple times:
An executive believes in the power of customer experience (CX). Perhaps they read an article, or they heard about a CX program another company offered, or saw a competitor speak at a conference. For whatever reason, the executive saw the light, and wanted a CX program of their own. They hire someone to run it and tell them, “Just drive change. I’ll take care of making sure the other executives are on board.” Their employees implement surveys and work to engage the business, confident they’re making a difference. They present their survey results to whoever will listen, and lobby other silos to improve the experience in order to improve survey results. All is good.
Then that executive leaves. Sometimes by choice, sometimes not. Read more
https://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/CX-for-Skeptics2.jpg257466Jim Tincherhttps://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/hotc-logo.pngJim Tincher2020-04-09 09:09:422020-07-07 19:29:12Three Ways to Show Business Impact for Your CX Program
Any wishful thinking that this crisis might blow over in a couple of weeks is pretty much shot. It now seems likely that we are facing a prolonged period of home-bound isolation, and, most tragically, the deaths of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of Americans. March brought with it cataclysmic changes to the way we live, work, learn, shop, and interact, and most of us are still trying to acclimate to this new normal, which carries varying levels of stress, disorientation, worry, and risk for each of us.Read more
https://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Understand-Your-Employees-Current-State-Journey-scaled.jpg8961600Jim Tincherhttps://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/hotc-logo.pngJim Tincher2020-04-02 07:11:252020-07-07 19:29:24Understand Your Employees’ Current-State Journey
We’ve been in customer experience quite a while now. To paraphrase Liam Neeson – we have a very particular set of skills, skills we have acquired over very long careers. And we’d like to use what we know to help you help your customers when so much is out of your control.
Below are five tips we think CX pros will need to get through…well, whatever this is. Let’s call it “the other CX,” the coronavirus experience.
Some will apply to you, some won’t, because we’re all impacted by this crisis, but not in the same ways.
So treat it like toilet paper and hand sanitizer: take only what you need and share the rest!Read more
https://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/5-tips-for-virus-1-scaled.jpg10661600Jim Tincherhttps://heartofthecustomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/hotc-logo.pngJim Tincher2020-03-18 13:57:102020-07-07 19:29:485 virus-related CX tips you need TODAY
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Not Making CX Progress? Start Saying NoAugust 14, 2020 - 6:00 am
Empathy.
/in Driving CX Culture Change, Minneapolis CX /by Jim TincherA key outcome of our work at Heart of the Customer (HoC) – and the essence of CX as a discipline – is to create empathy. That’s how we help our clients better understand their customers.
When empathy is high, organizations are more likely to serve their customers better. They invest in the right initiatives and are rewarded with loyalty, which increases profits, which inspires further efforts to improve the journey. That mutually beneficial cycle is the foundational belief behind what we do. And it’s rewarding work. Read more
Need a Presentation With Punch? Think Visually
/in Customer Journey Mapping, CX Program Strategy /by Jim TincherSo says George Lois, the “original Mad Man of Madison Avenue,” in his book, Damn Good Advice (for people with talent).
He’s talking about advertising, but his recommendation applies to any organizational communication – especially in customer experience. Read more
Seizing This Moment, Solving Problems
/1 Comment/in CX Program Strategy, Voice of the Customer /by Shawn PhillipsCustomer Journey Maps: The Top 10 Requirements
/33 Comments/in Customer Journey Mapping, CX Program Strategy /by Jim TincherIt’s hard to believe it’s been seven years since I launched my customer experience consultancy, Heart of the Customer, way back when CX was still in its infancy.
At that time, when I first wrote Customer Journey Maps – the Top 10 Requirements, I didn’t know the post would be viewed hundreds of thousands of times, and reposted around the world. But I did know that customer experience as a discipline – given its proven ability to boost customer loyalty and company results – was here to stay.
I enjoyed revisiting and updating the post back in 2015, but in the intervening years, the world has changed, the CX industry has evolved, research methodology has gotten more nimble, and technology has advanced. (And yet, somehow, none of us has aged a day – it’s uncanny!)
So it’s time once again to refresh the content. I am proud that the underlying philosophy and framework remains solid and consistent, but I’ve tweaked some terminology, techniques, guidelines, and examples.
In short, it’s an oldie, but a goodie, and I hope that regardless of whether you’re rereading it or encountering it for the first time, you will come away with something new and helpful. Read more
Six Ways Journey Mapping Can Drive ROI
/in Customer Journey Mapping, Metrics & ROI /by Jim TincherRead more
What’s Ailing Your Journey?
/in Customer Journey Mapping, Journey Analytics & Orchestration /by Jim Tincherhttps://www.kinsahealth.co
During these challenging times, I’ve been posting weekly videos on LinkedIn, sharing best practices on how customer experience (CX) pros can ensure their companies come out of this pandemic in a position of strength. We’ve also created a LinkedIn group, Managing the Coronavirus Experience (the Other CX), for you all to share your own tips.
As I mentioned in my first video in the series, it’s important to talk with team members at least weekly. That’s true normally, but even more critical in times of stress – such as now. Yesterday, during our weekly check in, Marcie, our content strategy director, mentioned Kinsa digital thermometers. Read more
Surveys in the Time of Pandemic
/in Surveys & Feedback, Voice of the Customer /by Jim TincherI’ve been posting weekly videos on LinkedIn with advice on what CX professionals can do during this unsettling time.
During Week 2 of the pandemic, I received a survey request that I felt was ill-conceived. The email –entitled “We’d love to hear your thoughts!” – had your standard “based on your current level of happiness with [vendor], how likely are you to recommend [vendor] to a friend or a colleague?”
There was no “we realize this is a difficult time but hope you can give us a few minutes of your time,” or any other acknowledgement that we’re in the midst of a global pandemic. To me, it screamed “sure, people are dying, but we really need to capture our metrics, so please stop what you’re doing and fill out our survey.”
Read more
Three Ways to Show Business Impact for Your CX Program
/in Customer Experience Vision, CX Program Strategy /by Jim TincherAn executive believes in the power of customer experience (CX). Perhaps they read an article, or they heard about a CX program another company offered, or saw a competitor speak at a conference. For whatever reason, the executive saw the light, and wanted a CX program of their own. They hire someone to run it and tell them, “Just drive change. I’ll take care of making sure the other executives are on board.” Their employees implement surveys and work to engage the business, confident they’re making a difference. They present their survey results to whoever will listen, and lobby other silos to improve the experience in order to improve survey results. All is good.
Then that executive leaves. Sometimes by choice, sometimes not. Read more
Understand Your Employees’ Current-State Journey
/in Employee Experience, Surveys & Feedback /by Jim Tincher5 virus-related CX tips you need TODAY
/in Customer Journey Mapping, CX Program Strategy /by Jim TincherWe’ve been in customer experience quite a while now. To paraphrase Liam Neeson – we have a very particular set of skills, skills we have acquired over very long careers. And we’d like to use what we know to help you help your customers when so much is out of your control.
Below are five tips we think CX pros will need to get through…well, whatever this is. Let’s call it “the other CX,” the coronavirus experience.
Some will apply to you, some won’t, because we’re all impacted by this crisis, but not in the same ways.
So treat it like toilet paper and hand sanitizer: take only what you need and share the rest! Read more