So much for easier. What about better?
“Because we are self-aware creatures, we are not just living
to eat and reproduce. We think about going on vacation, sending our kids to college, things that have nothing to do with our basic
survival. It’s about fulfillment. If I can find an organization, an
found just over half of chief financial officers and chief marketing officers felt comfortable investing in the customer experience
to enhance revenue. That is great news and market advantage for companies actually making those investments.
Another step in building relationships involves empower-
individual or a product that makes my life better and more ful-
ing customer care employees to solve problems at the point of
are always looking to limit the choices we have,” Kane notes.
problem can double a customer’s sensitivity toward price. It pays
filling, that limits the number of choices I need in this world. We
Trust is an important consideration in answering these “easi-
er and better” questions, but too often trust is merely asserted by
contact. According to Goodman, a single product or service to resolve customer problems quickly.
Incorporating customer care into every aspect of virtual
the company rather than demonstrably proven to the customer.
operations and social networking is also important in today’s
But even as important as these elements of trust are in establish-
er self-service, and social media chan-
Trust is about being competent, reliable, honest and consistent. ing customer satisfaction, they fall short when it comes to true relationship building.
“You never get credit for being trustworthy,” Kane says. “I
expect you to be fair. I am not going to give you credit for that.
tech-savvy culture. Websites need to support the goal of customnels must reflect customer preferences for effective and efficient problem resolution.
Finally, becoming a learning
The only time that I have to question it is when you aren’t.”
company is a critical step in build-
mind-reading: “It’s not about whether I am competent at my
From contact centers to social media
And here’s where the magical thinking comes in. Or maybe
job; it’s about whether I am as competent as you think I need to be,” Kane says.
He notes that building trust is about managing expecta-
tions — but not in the sense that a client’s unrealistic thinking must be given a reality check. Rather, it is the process whereby
the customer’s evolving needs and the company’s ability to meet those needs are constantly measured and addressed.
Transaction-based companies wring costs out of their sys-
tems to improve margins. By doing the same thing over and over, by standardizing operations, albeit with better quality and
efficiency, they hope for a different result: higher profitability.
ing those customer relationships. sources to employees in the field, customers are talking, and what they
are saying can identify trends, flag
problems, recalibrate expectations and customize interactions. Make the
voice of the customer valuable input
to every department and business unit and adopt accountability measures to
Matthew D’uva
make certain all issues are resolved. Listen, learn and profit from this rich source of market feedback.
While changing from a company that simply performs
But the transactions themselves may be based on false consumer
transactions to a company that anticipates customer needs and
attrition. This may be a strategy for the short term, but in a
quite practical and achievable. When companies are competing
assumptions and poorly managed expectations, hiking customer world in which consumer preferences can change with a tweet, it is hardly a winning approach for the long haul. Building relationships
Relationship-building companies invest in customer care
people, processes and technology to gain a better understanding of the customer, to use more personalized interactions to give that customer a greater sense of belonging, and to nurture the sense of identity with a product or service that turns consumers into advocates. For these companies, employees coloring outside
Gaining C-suite buy-in to the strategy of becoming the
leading customer relationship company in a given market sector is a key step in building relationships. A recent TARP survey
www.customercarenews.com
on this basis, to do otherwise is just plain crazy. CCN
Matthew D’uva, CAE, is president and CEO of the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals (SOCAP) International, a professional society based in Alexandria, Va., representing more than 2,000 best-in-class customer care executives and professionals from more than 100 brand name companies throughout the
United States and Canada. SOCAP is a member-driven organization committed to promoting customer care and engagement as
competitive advantages within the business enterprise. SOCAP member benefits include education and training, peer-to-peer
Fall 2012
the lines to improve a customer experience is a virtue.
exceeds customer expectations may sound like magic, the goal is
networking, relationship building, partnership programs, confer-
ences and seminars, news and information, research, and more. Visit SOCAP on the web at www.socap.org.
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