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A Mini Experience with Maximum Impact
Author: Bill Cusick
July 28, 2004
I own a Mini, and, I have to say, it’s really cool. To be clear, mine is a Mini Cooper S, with the John Cooper Works. The car itself is one of those products (like the Apple ipod, or the…what else is really cool?) that makes you smile. But the customer experience begins way before you actually go into the dealer to pick up your Mini.
Like many car companies, you can go to the Mini site, and “build your car.” But right now, a visit there allows you to also “build your robot.” Take a look to see what I mean. After you decide on the model, the exterior color (dark silver for me, with a black top), the interior (leather, brushed aluminum), etc., you can make your purchase. But that’s just the beginning - because they have to build your car, over in England, and then ship to you on a slow boat, and maybe a railroad, and a truck. In fact, most people are looking at at least eight weeks of waiting.
But, as opposed to some car dealerships, where you might not even get a call when your car arrives, Mini makes the journey - for both you and your car - an adventure. First, you get a password which allows you into the “Owners’ Lounge” of the website. There, you can track the progress of your Mini: as it is put into production, and built, and sent to the shipyard. You find out which ship it will be on, and you can discuss this with other owners on the online forum. Also in the forum, you can visit ongoing discussions about everything from what you should name your Mini (I know, it’s almost weird, and no I haven’t named mine yet, though to me it looks like a cartoonish mini batmobile), to how you should wave to other Mini owners on the road, to how much everybody hates Hummers.
A few weeks later, in the mail, you get a package with a “motoring journal” and Mini pen for recording your future Mini adventures, an unofficial owner’s manual that tells you things like where to hide your key when jogging, and more. By the time you go to actually pick up your car, you are seriously stoked.
And then the actual customer experience begins, of outstanding service and a great car. Who would buy anything else?
Face the Customer
Author: Bill Cusick
July 20, 2004
“Hierarchy is an organization with its face toward the CEO and it’s ass toward the customer.” - Jack Welch, former chairman of General Electric
Which side is your organization presenting to the customer? It’s easy - it’s even natural - for a company to gradually orient itself so that employees serve their superiors inside the company. After all, as an employee, you usually get rewarded for making your boss look good. But exceptional companies understand that the real boss, the key to company success, is the customer. Asking, “how will the customer feel about this?” is the primary concern for the companies that will win moving forward.
So, the next time you’re in a planning session, discussing some new strategy, think about which end will be in the face of the customer.
Invest in Companies that Invest in Customers
Author: Bill Cusick
July 16, 2004
Searching to invest in the next great company? The secret apparently isn’t sales, or marketing, or pricing for the industry-beating performers. According to Fortune Magazine, in an article titled, 5 Rules for Finding the Next Dell,” you’d do well to find an organization that takes exceptional care of its customers. According to the article, companies that: understand their customers well enough to differentiate between customer segments; allow employees to “own” a customer and the entire customer experience; and actually determine customer needs before developing products and services, are the companies to watch.
The way we see it, this only makes sense. The return on a company’s investment in developing high-quality customer relationships is multi-dimensional. There is a short-term gain in possible cross- and up-sales, and longer term there are distinct improvements in retention and referrals - not to mention lower new customer acquisition costs. When you think about it, why wouldn’t every company be set up this way?
Make “exceptions” part of your process
Author: Bill Cusick
July 14, 2004
“There are no exceptions to the rule that everybody likes to be an exception to the rule” - Malcolm Forbes
This is a great quote, that identifies a universal truth about the customer experience. Good companies work to develop almost seamless processes when it comes to servicing their customers. But, the very best companies develop processes and people who are able to connect with and accomodate individual customers, and their particular problems. It’s those companies, ultimately, that win in the long term, because each of their customers feel special. And if you feel special, human nature dictates that you stay put, even if some other factors, like price, might tempt wandering.
If it’s right for the customer, it’s probably right for your business
Author: Bill Cusick
July 13, 2004
We all know it’s essential to keep an eye on the numbers to keep a business afloat. Income is good, cost is bad. But when looking at your customer experience equation, the solution that benefits the customer is almost always going to be a positive for you, even if it looks like a short-term negative financially.
For instance, Jeff Bezos, in this month’s Fast Company, (sorry, it might be limited access) tells of when Amazon looked at the idea of free shipping for purchases over $25. “You can do the math 15 different ways, and every time the math tells you that you shouldn’t lower prices ’cause you’re gonna make less money.” So, they did it anyway, because - while “it’s probably true in the current quarter, the current year…it’s probably not true over a 10-year period, when the benefit is going to increase the frequency with which your customers shop with you…” By the way, this year Amazon is on its way to $400 million in earnings on $7 billion in sales this year.
So maybe this guy is onto something…
The Beginning
Author: Bill Cusick
And…action! Welcome to our ongoing discussion of customers, companies, and how they interact, or don’t. We want to explore all facets of the customer experience. We’ll look at what companies do right and wrong, and why it’s so important to pay attention to the details of dealing effectively with your customers.
The essence of all this is that customers are the primary drivers of company profit, and so: the way a customer feels about a company really dictates whether or not a business is successful. To put it another way, Ken Blanchard, uber-business-author, says “Profit is the applause you get from appreciative customers…”
So stay tuned. There’s more to come.
