Your Customer Experience in the New Normal
1. Feature Article
Your Customer Experience in the New Normal
By Dave Murray, Senior Customer Experience Consultant
In these uncertain and unprecedented times, organizations have to figure out how to walk the tightrope of managing cashflow and how to invest in key training that will allow them to pull away from their competition.
At the same time, many organizations are deploying sales and service teams to work from home—a new frontier for many. First, those that are still able to work and earn a paycheck need to be very grateful, as many others cannot right now. Secondly, you need to ask the question: “How well are you serving your customers in these new environments?”
It is time to focus on your CX in the new normal. Here is where you can start: focus on these service basics with your teams, being especially mindful that you are all in new environments.
Use of Empathy
We are all in this together; we know that. Everyone is facing different levels of stress and fear. Some have been affected directly, others indirectly. It is a great time to remind your customer facing teams how important it is to put themselves in the customer shoes. To remind them that they may not know what the other person is truly facing but thinking about how they would act if they did know. Simples phrases, such as “I understand” or “I would feel that way too” can go a long way in helping to build empathy.
Negative Cues
We all have negative cues. They hide in things like tone of voice, body language, and both spoken and written word. It is important to take some time with your teams to talk about what negative cues they may be projecting to customers. Keep in mind, negative cues are rarely purposeful or done maliciously. Typically, they are things done or said that are unintentional and may be unnoticeable to your employees but are very noticeable to your customers. As your teams enter into new working environments, it is a great time to look for and build awareness about new negative cues.
*Related – The DiJulius Group is offering dynamic virtual workshops to help companies make their customer experience their single biggest competitive advantage. Contact claudia@thedijuliusgroup.com
Difficult No’s
Many team members are going to be faced with having to say no to questions that they are not used to receiving. It may be questions they do not typically receive or questions where under normal circumstances, yes would be the answer. It is imperative not to make your teams “fend for themselves” or “figure it out on the fly” when they are faced with answering difficult questions. Take some time either as a leadership team or with your team members to formulate answers to these questions. Make sure everyone on your team understands the answer, and more importantly, the reason for the answer.
Lastly, and most importantly – Map your Experiential Standards
Most companies have operational standards in place when it comes to processes. Too many do not take the time to create experiential standards to supplement the operational. Start small! Things like using the customer’s name to help build rapport, referencing things that come up in the conversation, such as: “How old are your kids?” or “What kind of dog is he?” If every team member across the organization is focused on the little things to make transactions more experiential as opposed to operational, your customers will notice a very positive difference!
As leaders, the last thing you should do is assume your team members know how to deliver the service you would like your customers to receive—especially in today’s uncharted waters. Keep in mind, team members like to be part of the solution as opposed to simply being told what to do. That is why all of the exercises above make great team workshops, and a great excuse to get your teams together on a video call and work together.
I would love to hear from you and answer any questions you may have. You can reach me at dave@thedijuliusgroup.com.
*Related – 6 Ways To Capitalize On Customer Loyalty
2. Video You Need To Watch & Share With Your Leadership Team
Scott Galloway’s Post Corona Prediction. Galloway, a professor of marketing at NYU, shares a compelling presentation on what the world will look like in the next six to twelve months. Some of my favorite takeaways:
- “COVID is not changing the future, rather it is accelerating it.”
- The future is Telemedicine—as a result more than 90% of people who contracted COVID were treated and beat the virus without every going to the hospital or doctor’s office.
- Amazon will take advantage of the incompetence of health care & government and figure out online rapid testing vaccinations.
- The corona business mortality rate will be significant.
- We don’t need bailouts; we need people & businesses with resilience.
3. Newest Episode Of The Customer Service Revolution Podcast
Entertainment and owner of two multimillion-dollar baseball teams. Cole shares how you can achieve amazing things by doing the unexpected. Here is what you will learn in this podcast:- What is the most powerful form of marketing?
- How can professional service industries create a fans-first experience?
- What makes you the ONLY?
- How can I hire the right people?
- There is a difference between being considered the best and being someone’s favorite.
4. In the News
Many of you may not know that I used to do hair. With salons & spas reopening in Ohio, on May 15th, I decided to come out of my 15+ year hair retirement and perform a haircut at exactly 12:01 am on May 15, to help celebrate our re-opening and raise some money for our charity Believe in Dreams. The news was there to capture it.
5. Congratulations to our own Nicole Paul DiGiulio
I am sure it is no surprise to anyone that has ever come into contact with Nicole Paul DiGiulio, that she has been promoted to The DiJulius Group’s Chief Xperience Officer (CXO). While Nicole wears many hats and fulfills many roles at The DiJulius Group, her primary one is ensuring that the experience we deliver to every one of customers (clients, speakers, vendors, & co-workers) is world-class at every touch point. We are so blessed to have Nicole. She is a key reason for our incredible growth the last eight years.
6. Resource To Help Take Your Customer Experience To The Next Level
