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Contact Vox to learn about how we can help you create a comprehensive Customer Experience that drives bottom-line results dramatically higher.

It’s hard to believe that Pay-at-the-Pump has been around for more than 20 years. While convenient for consumers, Pay-at-the-Pump has created business challenges for station owners, whose profit margin would be much higher if customers come into their stores. Today customers are avoiding the stores for the convenience Pay-at-the-Pump provides.

Enter the next generation of self-service pumps: TV screens that tell us things while we’re pumping gas. So what does this mean to customers?

I was ready to take on this new-fangled pump. The Shell gas station near my house has screens with talking heads that welcome you to the station. The nice welcome was great, but the few minutes of Access Hollywood were even better! Then an ad came on for sunscreen. Sunscreen? It’s January in Chicago. It seemed very out of place and caught me off guard. It got me thinking – wouldn’t it be cool if there were tips on how to deal with the layers of salt covering my car? Or winter weather driving tips? That would be information Chicagoans would welcome during January.

The actual pay at the pump experience has become standard and super easy. There are a few things you have to watch for as a customer, like which gas you choose. Each station seems to be different and you no longer assume the left-to-right order is logically regular, plus and super. In fact, they are often mixed up in no order whatsoever. There’s also the receipt issue. Is it printing automatically? Do you have to choose yes or no? But overall I believe customers are used to making these choices and the whole process is fairly second nature now.

So the fact that now there is something to watch while my gas quietly makes the journey from pump to car is actually pretty cool. Increasing the relevance would really make for a powerful customer experience. Just imagine the NEXT generation of gas pumps. The information shared from the monitor could really be customized, based on the actual individual. “It’s time for your oil change.” Just consider the loyalty implications for the first company to truly get it right. I guess I’ll tackle that one in a few years.

For now, the pumps are pleasantly serving their purpose, although it would be better if the industry came to some standards for the sake of customers. It’s truly not in a customer’s best interest to have the gas octane rankings mixed up for them to figure out.

The good news is that we do figure it out.

And the Jeannie factors:

Cleanliness: D — There are few places ickier than a gas station. But the new ones are brighter and lighter, and many have hand sanitizer pumps available post-fill up.

Feeling secure: D — Pay at the pump can mean feeling pretty isolated. I know I’m not the only one who has passed up cheaper gas for a more secure gas station. Improvement here could be increased lighting, plus easier ways to get the store attendant’s attention.

Convenience: A — The average time it takes to fill up is 2 minutes. Walking into a store, waiting in line and then paying would add at least that much time to the process. Hurrah for speedy transactions!

Environmental Factors: B — Newer gas stations are much more open and spacious. While this feels better, special attention should be paid to the far-flung pumps.

Shell is getting my attention by improving the customer experience with monitors. What else is out there improving this process for customers?

Next up … Auto-Deli!

Our office is located in the West Loop, in Chicago. My house is about eight miles away. To get to work I commute on the L, the old elevated train line. The other day, on the way home about 5:30, the L was running late (usually it’s every nine or ten minutes). The platform was crowded, and it was clear from the train as it pulled up that things weren’t going to be pleasant. The crowd jostled for position, trying to position themselves where the doors would stop.

As the train came to a halt, I thought twice about attempting to wedge in, but I was tired and just wanted to get home, so, imagining rush hour in Tokyo, I threw myself into the fray. As I regained my senses, pressed among sweaty strangers, I noticed that, despite the jammed car, there was a seat open, just to my left. Squinting, I realized why: let’s just say it was…tainted.

Standing - well, sort of standing - next to the double doors in my train car was a man who was having some trouble. Truth be told, he appeared to be heavily under the influence of at least one illegal substance. He was fighting a losing battle with verticality, slowly rocking, head bobbing forward to the point where it actually swung outside the train as the doors opened at each stop, only to pull back at the last second, avoiding, if not decapitation, a shock to his system.

At a subsequent stop, a strapping youth standing on the platform, waiting for the doors to open was “called out” by the train’s driver over the PA, “you, at the very back, I saw you hop the gate!” The teen stood, looking blankly forward, towards the disembodied voice. “You think you’re so smart, but I watched you. We have cameras, so I know what you did.” Finally, the doors opened, and the youth jammed in with us, staring down, then up at the ceiling; we did the same.

The ride took about 15 minutes. Then I was home.

So my point? I love the L. It’s convenient; it’s cheap (two bucks, or less); I don’t have to pay $12 or more for parking; and, maybe most importantly, I feel like I’m helping out somehow. Or at least I’m not adding to a problem. I’m not consuming more gasoline; dragging one more automobile out to pump fumes into the atmosphere, keeping my “carbon footprint” smaller.

So when you think about customer experience, about what you offer, think about all the facets, because they all matter. Yeah, I could do with fewer ne’er do wells, or actually sitting once in a while, or a little more air conditioning, but don’t ask me to give it up for a more comfortable ride in a spacious Lexus. For me, it’s no contest.

Peek-A-Boo!

All parents can relate to the seemingly never-tiring game of peek-a-boo. How many times can this possibly entertain? How is he so surprised each and every time that I’m still there? How much more entertaining can I make this before it becomes too complicated?

The amazingly simple concept of peek-a-boo is “I see you.” I see you’re there – even if, for a second, you don’t see me.

At its essence, peek-a-boo is a concept we all hold near and dear – acknowledge me! Let me know that you know I’m here, even if I can’t always be your primary focus.

Perhaps I seek acknowledgment too much…but I want it! I want it at work, I want it at home, and I want it as a customer.

At work, I want acknowledgement that I’m doing what’s expected, that I’m serving my colleagues, and that my clients acknowledge the work we’re doing. Even negative acknowledgement gives me information. I can take it and work on improving skills, coaching employees, or resetting expectations with clients. It’s when there’s NO acknowledgement that I am truly left with nothing, actually worse than nothing – because even negative feedback means someone cared enough to give it. No acknowledgement translates into a total lack of caring.

At home, it’s common to hear other mothers of young children lament that they’re not being acknowledged for all their hard work. Very rarely do you hear a “Way to Go!” in response to scheduling a play date or pediatrician appointment. Likewise, nobody pats you on the back after successfully feeding vegetables to a picky three-year-old. So moms tend to lean on each other for acknowledgement. We often say “I know just what you mean,” to each other, which alone is enough to satisfy the acknowledgement animal.

Why do I need acknowledgment as a customer? Why do I need a complete stranger to care about me and my situation? I don’t know. I won’t try to rationalize it. But I do know I need it.

There are times we stand in line and wait because a customer needs a price check, or because the cash register ran out of tape, or countless other reasons. Do you know how much a smile and nod of acknowledgment from the cashier would mean to me? Everything! It’s when she doesn’t acknowledge me, but in fact avoids eye contact, that I really get mad.

I also want to be acknowledged when I’m a long-time customer. CRM systems aside, when I call customer support for a product or service I’ve had for a while, I want my loyalty acknowledged. Instead, these calls often become sales-focused faster than you can say “thank you.” Chase Bank, anyone? No thanks, still don’t need that Visa.

So what is it about acknowledgement that’s so important? I believe it’s an innate need to connect. From the beginning, (and I do mean the very beginning), we all are programmed to seek acknowledgement. Peek-a-boo anyone?

If companies do nothing else, helping coach employees on how to connect with customers could go a long way.

Is it your process or your people that send customers packing?
Research shows the reason fully two-thirds of customers leave a company is “employee indifference.” That sure seems like an important issue for a company that’s bleeding customers. But defining – let alone solving – this problem isn’t easy.

You’ve probably seen stories over the last several years regarding Best Buy’s customer centric-strategy. The approach includes heavy training of its sales associates, a focus on “personas” (like “Sally the soccer mom”) and the use of a key measurement of “employee engagement” to determine the sales potential of a store location. It’s an impressive emphasis on the employee-customer relationship.

And yet, I can’t get a Best Buy experience I had last year out of my head. I went in to purchase a laptop. To say I was dressed casually is an understatement. Still, my wallet was fat, and I wasn’t just window shopping.

Nobody helped me, which actually doesn’t bug me in retail environments – low pressure, right? Besides, I knew more or less what I was getting. So I browsed, compared features and prices, and made a decision: that one, the Toshiba. I looked around; the blue shirts were hovering nearby a minute ago…

I needed somebody to pull the boxed laptop out of the stockroom (so I could purchase it). But there were none to be found. After ten minutes of searching for somebody to help me, to in fact allow me to buy an expensive laptop, I wandered – dazed and empty-handed – back out to the parking lot.

So forgive my jaded perspective on Best Buy. I have no doubt there are scores of great employees running around right now helping customers at Best Buys throughout the land. And one could ask: was that the “people” or the “process”? There weren’t any employees available, but it was the process that dictated I needed a person to purchase something. At Office Depot, you grab a ticket for the item you desire, and just take it up to the cashier.

But I’m going to say it was the people.

On the other hand, I have a banker who pays attention to me. I don’t sense any “indifference” when I call him with a stupid question. He inquires after my family, he offers me extra services at no charge. I sense that he’s looking out for me. He knows I’m a good customer, with the potential to be an even better customer.

But, man oh man, their website is not good. It takes 13 mouse clicks to navigate my way to my current bank balance. Yes, I counted, and yes, that is bad. It’s confusing and they use technical jargon when plain language would suffice. In short, they make it hard to do business with them. Bad process: it’s inconvenient at the least, and at times infuriating.

So which is more important, your processes or your people? Obviously it depends on your industry, and  what your customers might say is important to them. Ideally you want to create an overall experience for customers, and that means a seamless flow between processes and people.

But I ask again: which is more important? Well, since my experience at Best Buy, I haven’t bothered going back (too many other choices).

But I’m still at my bank. You figure it out.

Why your “satisfied” customer is probably eyeing the door
 

I’ve done several talks recently at industry events, discussing why traditional customer satisfaction surveys are notoriously unreliable as tools for improving customer retention. Here’s the gist of those talks…

There is an entire industry devoted to helping companies determine customer satisfaction levels through surveys and analysis. But just how much value does your knowledge of “satisfaction” really add to your ability to keep your most profitable customers?
The answer is, unfortunately, often not much. While surveys do serve a purpose (primarily showing trending: “Are we doing better or worse than last year?”) below are three fundamental reasons it’s dangerous to rely on customer satisfaction surveys to help you improve the Customer Experience:
1) Dissatisfied customers don’t speak up
Yes, some customers respond to satisfaction surveys, but which customers? Using which channels—online, phone, mail, email? In fact, scary as it might sound, recent studies show that for every 100 dissatisfied customers only two bother to say anything to the company; while the rest “vote with their feet,” and just leave.
If you think about it, this makes sense. When you’re unhappy, as a customer, with a company, do you try to somehow remedy the situation, to “fix” the company, or is it easier to just say “the heck with it” and leave? Of course, that doesn’t mean customers don’t tell others about their bad experience. Research shows people share bad-experience stories with around 15 people (mainly other prospective customers), while good experience stories are shared with only roughly half as many people.
2) Customers won’t tell you the truth
In many cases, when customers do take the time to respond to satisfaction surveys, they’ll indicate that they are “satisfied” or “mostly satisfied” regardless of how they really feel. A study of people who recently left their banks illustrates this: 80% said they were “satisfied” with their former institution. Of course, some people leave a bank because they move, or for some other valid reason—but not four out of five.
Why? Simply put, it’s easier. Also, the notion of “satisfaction” is a very soft concept. What does satisfied mean? For most, it indicates meeting expectations. Human nature is to be “nice.” If things aren’t great, that usually equates “satisfaction.” And satisfaction most definitely does not equal loyalty.
3) Even if customers want to tell you the truth, they can’t, because they’re irrational
Customers are sensitive, emotional and, let’s face it, irrational beings. How do we know this? Because research indicates we’re all emotional irrational beings, and in recent years, we’ve learned just how irrational. Shockingly, 95% of our brain activity centers around the irrational or subconscious; leaving a meager 5% busy trying to explain why we act or feel certain ways. And we do this, not by tapping into our subconscious, but by making inferences based on our behavior. In essence, we make things up. So, these findings beg the question: If we can’t even tell ourselves the truth, why should we expect customers to provide truthful feedback on satisfaction?
If not satisfaction, then what?
What’s a company to do? Customers won’t tell you how they feel, or if they try to, they’re lacking—even incapable of—veracity.
Here’s what it might mean for you: implying that you shouldn’t worry about satisfaction responses, but look instead to customer behavior. If most of your customers indicate they are satisfied, but you have a serious attrition problem, (i.e., too many customers leaving) you’re probably paying attention to the wrong numbers.
Behavior is the ultimate truth test. What you profess and what you do are often two very different things. For example, when doctors ask patients how much alcohol they consume in a week, they typically double the patient’s answer; they’ve found most people will drink more than they think, even if the patient is trying to be truthful.  Do you know anyone who says he or she only watches one or two hours of television each week? More importantly, do you believe them?
The rule of thumb: It’s not what they say; it’s what they do.
The key is behavior. Don’t start with satisfaction metrics, start with attrition. How many customers are leaving and which customers are leaving? After all, your goal is to keep (and acquire more) profitable customers.

Here’s a good lesson to everyone that deals with Customer Experience: Learn from your mistakes.

I know it seems obvious, but people usually confuse “acknowledge mistakes” with actually learning from them.

These are some examples:

• The company recognizes that something went wrong, but is unable to pinpoint the real problem
• The company recognizes that something went wrong, identifies it and brushes it under the carpet before anyone in the company can notice
• The company identifies what is wrong, apologizes and/or rectifies the past occurrence, but doesn’t prevent future problems
• The company identifies the problem, apologizes, researches possible permanent solutions and, after facing unclear or too numerous long-term options, gives up and decides on a quick-fix
• The company identifies the problem, apologizes and researches a permanent solution, but then deems it unachievable or too expensive–and just forgets about it

What should happen: The company recognizes the problem, identifies its cause, apologizes and immediately corrects the situation. After acting appropriately and getting feedback from its customer base, the company looks for more permanent solutions and quickly implements them. After learning from the experience, the company should never repeat the same mistake (at least not in the same way) again.

It is easy to know that you have a problem, but not so easy to identify where the root of the problem resides. And it’s hard to react well, even harder to correct and quite unusual to actually prevent the same thing from happening again.

Well, unusual—but not unheard of. In fact, some companies are not only able to learn from their mistakes but can also benefit from them. Facebook’s recent redesign is an excellent example of this.

Recently, they had a security related problem that actually revealed more personal information than wanted by their users. After getting a negative reaction from hundreds of thousands of their customers, Facebook’s quick response and whole approach to the problem rewarded them with an explosive growth on their membership, jumping from 7.5 million users to 18 million after the crisis.

Facebook’s example proves how valuable (and cost effective) this approach can be, and makes me wonder why most companies still refrain from implementing it every day.

As you may have noticed we’ve redesigned our website and it now incorporates our Customerspective Blog.

We still have plenty of Customer Experience Articles and you can still use our Customer Experience Calculators to see the impact increased customer retention can have on your bottom line.  We’ve also improved our navigation and added a Useful Resources page and a Media Room.

Let us know what you think of our new design.

There’s no other real life indicator of how important customer satisfaction is, than in the hospitality industry.

It’s almost guaranteed; a satisfied customer in your restaurant or hotel is likely never to forget the warm, fuzzy and happy feeling that comes with superior customer service - almost always ensuring that 100% customer loyalty that most businesses strive for.

And it is cases like the ones noted in this insightful article by By Bill Huigens of HVS Hotel Management an independent third-party management service company, that make me wonder how such a simple equation can keep businesses wondering where they went wrong.

I was reading Kim’s recent
blog post about her opinions on Netflix. I, too, am a huge fan of the site
for a number of reasons. I like its user-friendly personalized features
which allow me to rate my movies and share my list with friends. 

Kim and I are not alone.
Many other Netflix fans contribute to the Hacking Netflix blog, a really interesting
blog about Netflix that aims to “learn as much as we can about this company and
share this information.”  In the past, this blog placed Netflix squarely
in the media spotlight when a Hacking Netflix blogger asked for an interview
with Netflix. The blogger received a scripted email from the Netflix
corporate relations department that didn’t seem to take him seriously. He
pasted the exchange on Hacking Netflix and went on to explain how this blog
helped to evangelize Netflix, as these bloggers were customer advocates for the
company.

Following the entire
exchange in the publications that picked up the story taught me (and probably
others) a valuable lesson about customer feedback: If your customers spend the time to think
(and write) about what they do/don’t like about your company, it’s important to
listen because they can be your most influential customers (and ex-customers).

As a usability specialist, one of the most enjoyable parts of my job is collecting examples of online customer experiences–both superb and terrible examples.

When I first started doing this, I had my personal "go-to" sites. For the terrible experience examples, I could often rely on some of the old-school banking sites. For the excellent ones,  I often went to…drum roll please…Amazon. I know, surprise, surprise. But well…there are a wealth of thoughtful implementations there. And if there were some lame concepts? Well, at least i knew they had been usability tested, and wouldn’t totally stymie my users.

But then I started noticing Netflix. The boldness and simplicity of the pages. The progressive disclosure of information. The way they set Customer expectations about the amount of time actions take, and the way they clearly explain that the customer can change their mind anytime without penalty. It’s like, they actually understand that people have a finite amount of time, and that trying to make the customer a prisoner of their service is a bad thing.

Not to mention, being on the NetFlix site…is fun!

So, I’ve made a lot of NetFlix screen captures in my experience research, to the point that they are starting to outnumber my Amazon captures. But the best thing I’ve learned from the site is something that all companies should realize. It is this:

Every minute a Customer interacts with your company is a privilege for you. Don’t waste it or take it for granted. Ever.