AUTHOR ARCHIVES: Rachael Pullen

Today’s market does not lend itself to brand loyalty, and with the growing commoditisation of services, field service organisations are increasingly finding they need to focus on customer experience to differentiate themselves from the competition writes Rachael Pullen of Leadent Service Cloud.

This doesn’t have to mean anything exciting or flashy – but it does mean thinking holistically about the customer’s experience.

If we’re honest, we’re all aware that despite a company’s best endeavours, systems will have glitches and humans will make mistakes. It happens. How you deal with it when it does, is what can make or break your brand’s reputation.

Recently, when I decided to re-fit my kitchen, I went all out and bought some new white goods from a well-known brand. The customer service was great, until my order arrived – without my oven. After an infuriating 30 minutes on the phone to the customer service department, through 3 different advisors, I was advised that the oven was out of stock and they wouldn’t be able to re-deliver for another 3 weeks.

 

At this point the brand in question had the opportunity to put things right, to appease my anger in some way and leave me feeling slightly better about the experience and the company. But instead they passed me from pillar to post, and now I am still waiting for them to reply to my complaint email about the incident.

The result? I re-ordered through a competitor.

The competitor did all the same things as the first – email confirmation, text message confirmation, 1-hour delivery window etc. But, when something went wrong - in this case the delivery driver was delayed by traffic - they rang to inform me. Gave me the option to reschedule if it wasn’t convenient.

Simple, but effective. A completely different customer experience.

As for the first brand – they’ve lost me as a customer forever. The second brand not only gained a customer, but I have recommended them to people I know and via social media – creating that marketing gold ‘word of mouth’ that service brands crave.

Whether it’s a consumer example like mine, or a business-to-business situation, the expectation of a seamless experience remains paramount for customers. Very few people or organisations are willing to put up with average service regardless of the product/service features they bought in the first place. So this is where service businesses gain their competitive advantage. But it’s not as simple as just wanting to provide a good service to customers. The processes and tools need to be in place to enable excellent service, in a cost effective way that won’t lead to a net increase in operating costs.

 

For field- and customer service managers, achieving that balance between cost and service is the ultimate goal. But a true focus on customer experience means taking it one step further; it’s not just about putting yourself in their shoes, but about collaborating. It’s thinking not just about the purchasing experience, but about everything that comes after and around that. It’s about recognising the myriad of other factors which can impact on the overall experience. Aspects such as appointment windows, first time fix, communications, and follow-ups are all components, but they need to be viewed holistically, rather than as isolated contact points. Achieve that and the benefits will flow in terms of customer satisfaction and cost.

In the world of service things sometimes go wrong, that’s life – how organisations respond and revive the customer’s experience is what really matters.

 

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We all know that customers are vital to any business, but they are increasingly so for a field service one writes Rachel Pullen of Leadent Service Cloud...

Customer satisfaction plays a key role in determining the success of your organisation, and connecting with your customers throughout their journey has never been more important, particularly now, when a positive customer experience is not just anticipated, but expected.

Luckily for us, technology is on our side and it’s made closing the loop of customer feedback that little bit easier. Field service management software allows us to talk to customers when they want and how they want, letting them choose the time, location and channel that is most convenient to them. It allows us to not only track feedback but action it.

If a field service organisation looks at the key issues affecting customer satisfaction they can often improve these factors with field service technology – transforming the mundane and often frustrating customer experience, into a social one with real time information and updates. Creating a ‘closed-loop’ feedback system gives businesses the ability to continue the conversation, whereas more traditional methods would end the conversation, or not start one at all.

By investing in a closed-loop style model, you not only differentiate yourself from your competitors, but maintain your customer’s loyalty, whilst in turn attracting new customers.

Follow our 5 key steps below to see how you can close the loop and improve your customers experience: 

Get to know your customers

In order to follow-up in a personal way, you need to know who the customer really is, as well as when and how to contact them. Having that information allows you to provide customers with the additional follow-up they want.

Be sociable

Don’t be afraid to use non-traditional methods such as social media. What once was a sales and marketing platform, is now a meeting place and can become a key part of your customer experience.

Automate for the win

In order to be truly effective, any customer satisfaction system should be automated to ensure you can make a swift follow-up. Instead of getting information and taking action days or even weeks later, an automated system collects customer’s feedback and alerts you in real-time when action is needed. This is the key to an optimised closed-loop system and can prove to be a critical feature when dealing with unhappy customers.

Transform your mindset

Closing the loop aims to give long-term improvements. By having a customer-centric mindset, closing the loop will ultimately solve the internal issues that are causing the customer problems in the first place. Don’t forget, this is not about simply tracking feedback, it’s about transforming your overall customer experience and building customer loyalty.

Take some action

Whilst traditional satisfaction surveys aim to collect measurements for things that you and your company care about; such as employee performance, or service speed, a closed-loop system will generally use open-ended questions that focus on the things that your customer cares about, and more importantly things that you can action.

By using the latest field service management tools, gathering customer feedback is easier than ever before. They help to create the loop, meaning you are able to learn from each interaction that you have with your customers. You can then use what you have learnt to improve your service, as well as what you offer, to keep you ahead of competitors.

The key message? If you start and end with the customer and keep them informed at every step of the way, then you’re onto a winner.

The future is clear – businesses who don’t embrace customer experience and close the loop will undoubtedly be left behind.

If you would like to find out more about how you can improve your customer experience using award winning field service software then visit www.leadentservicecloud.com

 

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